Memoirs of a Geisha

Based on Arthur Golden's bestselling novel, Memoirs of a Geisha plays like a weird combination of Charles Dickens and Harlequin romance, with a falsely exotic air thanks to an overlay of kimonos and cherry blossoms. Director Rob Marshall jettisons the energetic, imaginative style of his Chicago in favor of a stately (read: ponderous) approach in this mummified tale of a peasant girl (initially played by Suzuka Ohgo, and later by House of Flying Daggers' Ziyi Zhang) sold by her impoverished parents and accepted as a geisha trainee in a house run by an imperious owner. Mistreated by the gorgeous but haughty chief geisha (Gong Li), the youngster finds true kindness in an accidental meeting with a passing businessman (Ken Watanabe) who becomes her romantic ideal, and she's eventually taken on as a student by a legendary geisha (Michelle Yeoh) who molds her into an impressive figure. Difficulties arise in the form of false slurs against her character, and the advent of World War II, but while aiming for the sweep of an epic, the film is less an Eastern Gone With the Wind than a transplanted Fannie Hurst weepy from the 1930s or ‘40s. And while the funereal pace and emotional restraint might reflect the traditional reticence and solemnity of Japanese culture, at nearly two-and-a-half hours this is heavy going, despite the Oscar-nominated colorful costumes and sets. Not recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras on this double-disc set include audio commentaries (one by director Rob Marshall and co-producer John DeLuca; the other by costume designer Colleen Atwood, production designer John Myhre, and editor Pietro Scalia), and 11 behind-the-scenes featurettes: “The Look of a Geisha” on wardrobe and makeup (16 min.), “Sayuri's Journey: From the Novel to the Screen” (15 min.), “Building the Hanamachi” (13 min.), “Geisha Boot Camp” (12 min.), “The Music” (10 min.), “Rob Marshall's Story” (10 min.), “A Day with Chef Nobu Matsuhisa” (10 min.), “The World of a Geisha” (9 min.), “A Geisha's Dance” (8 min.), “The Way of the Sumo” (6 min.), and “The Road to Japan” (6 min.). In addition, there are behind-the-scenes photo and costume illustration galleries, three of Chef Nobu's recipes, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a beautifully filmed if narratively inert Oscar winner.] (F. Swietek)