Paradise Reel

Memoirs of a Geisha

This would probably be the fastest turn around for me yet. I just got home from the theater and am already banging away at my pale vanilla, slightly worn out key(board). I welcomed the news that DreamWorks/Columbia would be adapting Arthur Golden’s celebrated novel “Memoirs of a Geisha” into a film. The first piece of rumour that surfaced six years back was that Steven Spielberg was slated to direct and then it got stuck in development hell for another good five years. Then it passed from the hands of Spielberg to that of Brett Ratner (”Rush Hour 1&2″) and to even Spike Jonze (”Three Kings”) and then it disappeared from the media radar. It was only around a year ago that Rob Marshall, hot off his Oscar winning “Chicago”, stepped up to the plate with any true intentions of actually completing the film.

I have to admit that in the wake of inferred movie titles (ie. “The Squid and the Whale”; “The House of Sand and Fog”), it is rather refreshing to have a straight forward a title as this one. “Memoirs” is the story of a nine-year-old named Chiyo (played by newcomer Suzuka Ohgo) who is sold to a geisha house in Kyoto’s Gion district. It chronicles her life starting as a mere servant and then rising above her rank and status to become the most famous geisha in all of Kyoto and Tokyo. The courtesan then falls in love with a kind and charismatic business man but geishas are not allowed to love. They are “objects” of art and objects do best to render all feelings null. The story is a very simple one actually and one that we have encountered before but interestingly enough, it is set at a very complex time in history and in a very culturally rich society. ( “Moulin Rouge” anyone?)

The true sign of a good director is one who understands the strengths and weaknesses of his/her troupe of actors. Dir. Rob Marshall seem to have not lost his impeccable eye for detailed characters since his directorial debut in 2002 “Chicago”. In “Memoirs” he has strategize a role for Zhang Ziyi that not only suits her but allows her to vent some acting promise. She has a doggedly look of determination etched on her face which fits this role like a glove. It also helps that the actress playing her younger self is just as endearing. The director chose to introduce the main character Chiyo at age nine as it allows us to immediately establish an emotional connection with her because of all the hardships she had to endure. Introduce Zhang Ziyi’s older Chiyo slightly later and whatever emotional bonds we developed with young Chiyo are shifted over to Ziyi. She still sports the look of a young upstart but this time she is able to ensnare the audience’s heartstrings.

I have not seen Gong Li in a role such as this one but on the flip side I still have yet to watch half of her movies to date. She plays the vixen of vengeance, Hatsumomo, who is the head geisha of where Chiyo resides with deadly precision. She encapsulates everything that a geisha should hope to be yet she is able to reflect a suppressed childlike pettiness deep within. Michelle Yeoh once again reminds us how she won the 1983 Miss Malaysia pageant. Her character Mameha is regal and statuesque. Although we do not see her in full geisha gear, she is still able to convince us (sans makeup) that she is one of famous geishas in Kyoto. One thing that surprised me was the fact that this story centers on three female, and very Japanese, geishas. Yet, all the three lead roles are played by Chinese actresses.

Another masterpiece is in the cinematography and the set production. There is an ornate amount of attention to the detailing of the Kyoto city streets circa 1930. They were not able to film on location in Japan as the city itself was deemed too modern so they actually built an entire set to mimic the Gion district. They even had real cobblestones roads, wooden bridges and an actual working river. Director of Photography Dion Beebe (“Chicago” and “Equilibrium”) saturates each scene with vibrant colours that takes its cues from Zhang Yimou’s “Hero” but never going overboard. There is some cunning use of overlapping imagery to transit from one scene to another which adds just the right touch to keep the composition interesting. John Williams left the composing duties of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” for this stint and it only goes to show what the latest potter film’s lost was “Geisha”’s gain. With cello solos by Yo-Yo Ma and Violins by Itzhak Perlman, Williams has created a score that is haunting and exotic.

Rob Marshall has fashioned another adaptation, this time from a novel, that is in many ways his own and yet respectful of the source material. While some may contest certain customs and cultural discrepancies, the world that the film creates feels a lot more believable than anything “The Last Samurai” tried to do. This film manages to capture the essence of a young girl thrown into a world that has no place for her and forced to confront the unforgiving realities of life for the sake of her own survival. Gong Li (“Red Sorghum” and “Raise the Red Lantern”) has been an icon for Chinese cinema for as long as I can remember, and Michelle Yeoh (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Police Story 3”) is always a treat to watch. Throw in the rising dragon of Zhang Ziyi (“Hero” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”) and you have found justification for the ticket price. Besides, we have been waiting to see Zhang Ziyi in a kimono and act all demure and delicate for the longest time…