Memoirs of a Geisha

I liked the scene with the Chairman and the young Sayuri

I'm a little late to the party but I finally watched Memoirs of a Geisha.

Zhang Ziyi as Sayuri

Firstly, I have to say, I loved Zhang Ziyi in this film. She is one of my favourite Chinese actresses and she didn't disappoint in this film. I thought she played the role of Sayuri very well as she really brought out the innocence and fragility of her character through her acting.

For a film that is essentially based around the traditional Japanese concept of a 'geisha', there were no not enough Japanese actors and actresses to fully encapsulate this. The main geisha in the film were played by Chinese actresses - Zhang Ziyi as Sayuri, Gong Li as Hatsumomo and Michelle Yeoh as Mameha. Their English skills were too 'Chinese' and I would assume that their Japanese skills were criticised. On a side note, it was interesting to see Michelle Yeoh in the film. When I analysed Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, another film which she starred in, she was ridiculed by mainland Chinese audience for having a laughable Chinese accent. This is because she is an ethnic Chinese who is originally from Malaysia, hence the 'impure' accent.

On another level, Memoirs of a Geisha adds to the cultural conflict within and between China and Japan. The film, in its latter stages, is set during World War II, which has a significant impact on the lives of the geishas. This particular aspect of the film would rouse any anti-Japan sentiment that Chinese audiences have and stir up feelings over Japanese's wartime actions in China. As such, Zhang Ziyi's role as a Japanese geisha did not bode well for some.

All other things aside, the film really captured the geisha culture. From the beautiful and expensive kimonos to the intense training at geisha schools to the process of mizuage, Memoirs of a Geisha did very well to provide an insight into the lives of geisha.