Chiyo (Suzuka Ohgo) was born to poor fisher folk, in a little village where she was not unhappy, growing up with her sister, Satsu (Samantha Futerman.) But when their mother got sick, their elderly father sold them, not out of cruelty, nor for gain, but because it was the best that he could do for them. Young Chiyo, always distinctive with her startling grey eyes, was taken into the Nitta Okiya, or geisha house. Satsu, courser built and older, was sold to a brothel.
Chiyo is desperate to find her sister. Inside the Okiya, she finds her fate in the hands of Mother Nitta (Kaori Momoi), the owner, a callus woman, and worse, Hatsumomo, (Li Gong) the lead geisha of the house. Hatsumomo is vain, jealous, and mendacious. She sees in Chiyo a potential rival, and from the very start, seeks to crush her spirit.
The only comfort Chiyo finds in the Okiya is Pumpkin, (Zoe Wiezenbaum) another apprentice Chiyo’s own age. Hatsumomo uses Chiyo’s desire to see her sister against her, promising to tell her where Tatsu is, if she obeys her. She has Chiyo destroy a very expensive kimono belonging to a rival and arranges for her to be caught. Following her beating, Hatsumomo tells her where to find her sister, and Chiyo runs away. Between the cost of the kimono and the shame of disobedience, Chiyo is demoted to the rank of maid, her chances of becoming a geisha crushed by the jealous Hatsumomo.
Months pass, and Chiyo is running an errand when she pauses on a bridge, overcome with sorrow at her lot in life. There, she attracts the attention of The Chairman (Ken Watanabe) who is going to view the spring dances with a pair of lovely geisha. He pauses for a moment to cheer this sad child with the remarkable eyes, and buy her a plum ice. Chiyo, so mistreated, so unloved, falls instantly in love with the Chairman. She keeps his handkerchief as a memento, and dedicates her life to doing whatever will place her at his side.
There is not much hope for the maid of an Okiya to attract the attention of a rich and powerful man, but fate intervenes. Mameha, (Michelle Yeoh) a celebrated geisha from another Okiya, offers to train Chiyo. She bets Mother Nitta that Chiyo will repay all her debts within six months of her debut. If she fails, Mameha will pay Mother Nitta twice Chiyo’s expenses. If she succeeds, Mameha will get her future earnings.
And so the war begins. Chiyo, now called Sayuri (and played by the exquisite Ziyi Zhang) must play catch up for years of training lost. The whole time, Hatsumomo, and her little sister Pumpkin, (now played by Youki Kudoh) are working to undermine her. Mameha orchestras their campaign like a shogun in makeup. Sayuri needs a field to practice her skills without Hatsumomo’s interference. So they go to the Sumo matches. When Hatsumomo shows up there, Mameha has her little sister turn her attentions to the Chairman’s partner, Nobu (Koji Yakusho). Nobu is scarred, and does not like geisha. Hatsumomo finds him repulsive, so she does not interfere. Later, Mameha has Sayuri cut her leg so she can visit Dr. Crab (Randall Duk Kim.) Dr. Crab is a notorious collector of maidenheads. Mameha is looking to Sayuri’s mizoage to when she will auction off her virginity. Getting a good price is vital to Mameha’s plan for repaying Sayuri’s debt.
But Hatsumomo is also skilled at these maneuverings and a little gossip sours the doctor on Sayuri. So Mameha casts a broader net. She secures the lead in an important dance production. Sayuri, in a stunning, even to my untrained western eyes, performance, portrays the madwoman in Dances of the Old Capital and with that triumph, becomes the most celebrated Miko in the Floating World. At the reception she is able to persuade Dr. Crab that in the matter of gossip, he should take his own advice, and seek a second opinion.
Sayuri’s mizoage is sold for a record sum. Her debt is paid, and Mameha wins the bet, but Mother Nitta has a trick up her sleeve as well. She keeps the money for her Okiya, by adopting Sayuri as her daughter. Nitta Sayuri will take over the okay when Mother retires. Hatsumomo, in a fit of rage sets fire to the okiya, and is banished. From ruling the Floating World as one of the highest paid geisha, she is suddenly homeless, penniless, doomed to a life of prostitution.
And for a brief moment, Sayuri has it all.
And then, World War II. Can Sayuri survive? Will her Chairman? And can she ever fulfill her dream of living by his side?
Cinematography
This movie is stunningly beautiful, not only the geisha, with their porcelain masks of powder and paint, but the buildings, the teahouses, even the crowded streets, all are totally convincing, all are visually stunning. The lighting even is unique, the winter scenes shot with convincing bleakness that does not drain the color from the actors.
The Cast
Much has been said that the lead roles in this film are not Japanese, but Chinese. However, no top flight Japanese actresses applied for the role, so let what has been said be sufficient. It is remarkable, but there is not a single less than excellent performance in the entire ensemble. Ziyi and Michelle are quite convincing, despite their country of origin. Li Gong did not speak English, and had to learn for the role, in addition to the crash course in how to portray a geisha.
The Music
The score is flawless, eastern in origin, but westernized to not jar our sensibilities. Usually, it is invisible, blending seamlessly into the picture, unnoticed, but subtly leading our emotions, just as a geisha would. John Williams turned down the chance to score the fourth Harry Potter film, Goblet of Fire, to score this movie.
My Impressions
I loved this film. It is in many ways a woman’s film, but it appeals on so many levels it is elevated far above any sort of categorization of “chic flick.” I loved the look into the world of Japan gone by that isn’t through the eyes of a samurai.
Something I caught, that arrested my attention, was the scene where Mameha and Sayuri are practicing stopping a man in his tracks with just a glance. Sayuri’s target, the boy on the bike is coming along the road. Sayuri glances, and sees the chicken cart coming. She chooses her moment, and gives a glance, and crash! Boom! Glorious Chaos ensues. Mameha smiles like the Mona Lisa and comments, “You are ready.”
I noticed she waited for the chicken cart. I found it odd (or maybe totally understandable) that this girl who has lived her life to become a work of art, to be transformed into a dream, an object, views men the same way they view her, as something to be used. She didn’t have to crash that boy’s bike, and I am sure that farmer was upset, to say nothing of the chickens. But she only saw them as a means to an end, training herself to manipulate men.
The other thing that I liked was when at the sumo matches Nobu explained that only three things in life matter, Sumo, Business, and War. Understand one, and you understand them all. Sayuri replies that it is like dance; what is sumo, but a dance between giants? And she wishes to understand all forms of dance.
It was one of the things that caught Nobu’s attention, and began to thaw him. What I noticed though is that being a geisha is very much like sumo, business, and war. Being geisha is a business. Countless people depend on the fees that the geisha brings in, the servants, dressers, hairdressers, and cosmetics manufacturers. Not to mention the Kimono makers. Geisha are not just businesswomen, they are a Big Business.
And in the realm of Sumo, Nobu’s pick in the battle was the little fellow with the spirit, and an understanding of leverage. In the Dance between giants, Sayuri and Hatsumomo, Sayuri is just a Miko, an apprentice. Hatsumomo is a giant in Gion. Sayuri needs all her spirit, and as much leverage as she can manage. She must use Hatsumomo against herself.
And War. That is an easy comparison. Mameha is a general, orchestrating a long term war of attrition against Hatsumomo. Hatsumomo is more like the terrorist insurgent, reactionary, unpredictable, and as likely to hurt themselves. You see, this metaphor can bear up to some heavy flogging.
Part of the appeal of the movie to me is that Chiyo captured my sympathy. She was not a helpless wimp, but full of rage and plans. They didn’t do her any good, but they did make me care what happened to her, and that is the key to capturing the male viewer in a female oriented movie.
Memoirs of the Geisha is that rarest of movies, it is a film adaptation that does its novel justice. It gets my highest recommendation.
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