Memoirs of a Geisha
Review by Pam & George Singleton
H H H ½
Cast
Ziyi Zhang	Sayuri
Ken Watanabe	The Chairman
Michelle Yeoh	Mameha
Gong Li	Hatsumomo
Koji Yakusho	Nobu
Directed by Rob Marshall ("Chicago"). Drama and romance. Columbia Pictures. PG-13 (mature subject matter and some sexual content). 145 minutes. Bittersweet memories, beautifully unfold

Rob Marshall, the director of "Chicago," transforms Arthur Golden’s 1997 novel (it spent two years on the NY Times best-seller list) seamlessly to the screen. The story of how Chiyo (young Suzuka Ohgo), a fisherman’s daughter sold by her family who could not support her, transcends her conditions to become Sayuri (Ziyi Zhang, "House of Flying Daggers"), the most sought after geisha in Japan, is told with breathtaking splendor. Her journey was not without cost, however.

Chiyo becomes a servant in the most popular geisha house in the district, answering to every whim of its owner O-Kami and to the beautiful Hatsumomo (Gong Li, "Raise the Red Lantern," "Farewell My Concubine"). Hatsumomo commands the highest regard and the highest price of any geisha for an evening in her company. But she has committed the greatest indiscretion of a geisha; she has fallen in love with a poor worker.

Chiyo feels there is no way out of a life of drudgery and she sees that her sister has become a street prostitute. As she weeps sadly, a very important man, accompanied by two lovely geisha, takes the time to buy her an ice cone and offers his handkerchief to her. The women seem so happy and admired by everyone, that Chiyo decides she would like to study to become a geisha.

Geisha essentially means living art. They are performing artists. Chiyo trains as a dancer, a singer and a musician. She learns the art of gracefully handling the fan and of pouring tea. Perhaps most important the geisha is an enchanting conversationalist and an attentive listener. The geisha’s own passions are never revealed but remain as tightly bound as her layers of silk kimonos.

This transgression of falling in love makes Hatsumomo careless, and she is envious of the great beauty she sees about to emerge in the young Chiyo, who will undoubtedly become her rival very soon. She frames Chiyo and the young girl is sold to Mameha (Michelle Yeoh of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"), a beautiful geisha who is the companion of the highly regarded Chairman (Ken Watanabe, "The Last Samurai").

With Mameha’s guidance the shy Chiyo becomes the radiant geisha Sayuri, who commands the attention of every wealthy businessman eagerly willing to pay the price for the pleasure of Sayuri’s company for her first private assignation, shall we say. Ziyi Zhang as Sayuri performs a magnificent dance sequence here in footwear that makes dancing off in your Manolo Blahniks seem like a piece of cake. Some of you may remember her gravity defying Echo Dance in "The House of Flying Daggers."

But Sayuri harbors a secret similar to Hatsumomo's; she is in love with Mameha’s lover, The Chairman. Sayuri still has the handkerchief he gave her to dry her eyes on the day he bought her an ice cone.

World War II leaves Japan in ruin. The Chairman and his business partner try to rebuild with US government support and funds, and he asks Sayuri if she and a few other geisha can help entertain some influential Americans who are enthralled with the idea of "geisha girls."

This beautifully photographed film gives audiences a rare glimpse into the little understood world of the geisha. There is an obvious admiration by the storytellers for the beauty, skill and art of the geisha. It also helps us appreciate the adept handling of business strategies employed by the women who train and manage the careers of these strong, intelligent women known as geisha.

The casting is glorious though controversial, with most of the principals being Chinese in this Japanese story. Ken Watanabe is the only Japanese actor in a major role.

Sayuri realizes that her life has not been as most might like and she cautions us at the end of the film with these words, "These are not the memories of an empress or a queen. These are memories of a different kind."