memoirs of a geisha

watched sayuri not too long ago. I know next to nothing about geishas. supposedly the real geishas are enveloped in secrecy. one has to be introduced into the world of geisha. outsiders can only ponder from afar. hence, I have nothing to say about the portrayal of geishas in the movie. geishas are supposed to be artists and are themselves an artform and by no means are they courtesans. that is my limited knowledge of geishas. something like the perfect woman for men? a nadeshiko? well, in this movie, geishas can only be the wives of night. existing only to please men in the cover of night. and since I'm definitely not one attuned to traditional japanese dance and music, and the fact that I'm a woman, my curiosity towards geisha will remain at the extent of looking at their fabulous outfits. sayuri's main dance was quite puzzling to me. yes, I get the message, and I understand the skill it entails but it failed to impress me. I was left with 'huh'?

there was also this hoo hah about the choice of chinese actresses for the portrayal of geishas. well, geishas are supposedly a secret even to most japanese girls. so one can argue both ways. one can say, since geishas are so veiled in secrecy, all non-geishas are equal, be it japanese or chinese. or you can say that since geishas are so unique and mysterious, at least some of it right by using japanese actresses. well, I have only watched snitches of japanese dramas. because subtitled japanese programs used to be very rare in malaysia, as opposed to the flood of chinese shows. and the snitches that I did watch bored the heck out of me. of course, I'm not saying japanese shows suck. I just haven't watched good ones. the problem is mostly because I've no idea where to start. anyway, my total ignorance of japanese films aside, I have interacted with a fair number of japanese people and frequent japanese restaurants and shops fairly often. and in addition, I read a ton of manga, a vice that I can't seem to rid myself of. ok, what I'm trying to say is there definitely is a clear difference between how chinese and japanese people live, interact, think etc. but actors play roles.

when I watched memoirs, I felt like I was watching a chinese movie because I am so familiar with the faces. I've watched zhang ziyi, michelle yeoh and gong li countless times on the big screen. but since I've never watched a japanese film, I don't know how this compares. I felt like I was watching a show about chinese courtesans in japan. I found it hard to see them as japanese. but nevertheless, that should not detract too much from the movie. on one hand, I can see why some would have preferred japanese actresses, but I certainly can't think of any. I'm not sure if mainstream hollywood is familiar with any japanese actresses. I know none. only singers such as namuro amie and utada hikaru. or ami and puffy? I can also understand those who brush all this off as nonsense, since someone like russell crowe must have played a dozen nationalities in his career.

anyway, I didn't really enjoy memoirs. the last epic/saga/grand movie that I remember watching was hero. and I loved that to bits. itty bitty bits. the cinematography was breathtaking and the choreography was faultless. the story was very well told and I left the theater gushing over the movie. in contrast, I didn't really connect with the characters in memoirs. it bugged me to no end. after the movie, I kept pondering why I didn't enjoy memoirs. I think it was because the acting was subpar, due to their having to speak english. I felt that they weren't very comfortable with their english, leading to a stilted performance. maybe they were too conscious of their accent or diction. I felt uncomfortable. and this had a huge negative impact on the movie for me. I'm sure that I would have enjoyed this movie much much better had it been subtitled. the experience would have been more powerful even if I had to read the words. but then they can't speak japanese either. actually, I think it was primarily sayuri and hatsumomo. even the line 'I want a life that is my own' came out weird to me. to me, pumpkin was the best.


anyway, the movie was so so. I thought the ending didn't fit. I haven't read the book, so no comparison there. should they have used japanese actresses? it would have definitely helped someone like me, who sees a clear distinction between the chinese and japanese, and who is also terribly familiar with this cast of chinese actresses. I suppose memoirs falls into the 'you'd have to watch it just so that you have something to talk about with random people at parties' category.