Memoirs of a Geisha - A Movie Review

I did not want to see this movie at first. Especially after reading the book, I figure there is no way this movie could be as good as the book. Also, Hollywood has not done good jobs remake a movie from its original novel. But, after I have heard so much about this movie, I figure I better see the movie before I come up with my own conclusion.

First of all, this movie should have been Japanese spoken with English subtitles. It’s a Japanese story taking place in Japan about 50 years ago. When all the actors were speaking English with Japanese accent, it feels like watching bad Kung Fu movies.

Second, all casts are somewhat popular and established actors from China / Hong King. I do not buy the argument that the producers should have cast Japanese actors only. I figure the roles should be played by actors which the director thinks its best fitted for that particular role. Non-Japanese actors (if they are good) should play the roles just fine. However, I was very disappointment after seeing their performances.

From the top, Ziyi Zhang, all of the sudden has become one of the Hollywood's favorite international movie star, did not do a good job in her role. Her English speaking skills still needs a lot of improvement, but I guess it does not make any differences in this movie. Her acting in this movie is substandard at best. Ken Watanabe did a terrific job in this movie. After seeing his performance in The Last Samurai with Tom Curise, I thought he's a great actor. He did not disappointment me in this movie. Gong Li, another famous Chinese actor, did a decent job in her supporting role. But I feel the best performance through out the movie was by Suzuka Ohgo, who played Chiyo (or young Sayuri).

The character of Sayuri had a tough childhood and Suzuka played the role well with great perfection. She made me feel so sad for the little girl and wanted to just give her a hug. Great job by the fine young Japanese actor.

Over all, I was disappointed by how Hollywood as once again portrayed one of the great novels poorly in a movie. The producers misrepresented the essence of the story in the effort tying to tailor the American audiences. A few actors in this movie could be Academy-worth (Ken Watanabe and Suzuka Ohgo), but that’s as far as I'd give my credits to this movie.