Having read the book a few years ago and being a bit of a Ziyi fan I just had to see the film. And I wasn't disappointed. I think Rob Marshall did a wonderful job creating a visually beautiful fairytale with a very strong cast. The film was very faithful to the book and even kept the ending I didn't like. I thought the Chinese actresses were quite believable as Japanese and gorgeous, and although, as some reviewers have said, the actors' broken English could not be understood at times, their acting made up for it. It was certainly an entertaining film--a story of a determined young girl (played by a very convincing child actor!) blossoming into a beautiful geisha despite many difficulties.
I am actually quite surprised by the number of people (including a lot of Japanese) who criticise the film for its inaccuracy on the portrayal of Geisha culture. Okay, so the film is not accurate, but Geisha culture is as much a mystery to the Japanese as it is to the Western world. Very little is known about what happened inside the closed world of Gion where the story takes place. Only some of the privileged and respected men were allowed into the teahouses (where geisha entertained men) and it was forbidden for geishas to talk about what went on in the teahouses (Thank god someone broke the rules or we would have never known their story!!).
Actually some of my relatives used to run teahouses in Gion, however I know very little because sadly they went out of business after the War like other teahouses in the film or started what Mameha (played by the very gracious Michelle Yeoh) did 'renting rooms'. The fact is Gion has dwindled into such a sad state these days. Many teahouses, except for the very best, have become merely overpriced souvenir shops and hotels; and real geishas are outnumbered by tourist 'instant geishas' who have no elegance at all (who are comparable to some of the minor geishas in the film).
Anyway, it is unjust to point out what the film did wrong just because it is a Hollywood film. It would be very difficult for a Japanese film maker to recreate an accurate picture of Gion on film anyway. In that sense, I think it was a benefit to the film in not having a Japanese director or Japanese actresses. It liberated it from the burden of portraying Geishas accurately and created a more fairytale-like story.
Not to discredit the filmmakers--- they obviously made a lot of effort in making some of the details very believable. I was quite impressed with the quality of the set. I think it captured the darkness and light of Gion very well. The narrow backstreets and the gloomy okiya (where geishas lived) were believable--my relative's teahouse where they still live is indeed very dark and suffocating by day, but at night the district lights up prettily. Another detail not to be missed: the sumo scene. They actually have a very famous retired sumo wrestler performing!
Anyway, overall I think it's very much worth seeing so don't be put-off by the negative reviews!
I am actually quite surprised by the number of people (including a lot of Japanese) who criticise the film for its inaccuracy on the portrayal of Geisha culture. Okay, so the film is not accurate, but Geisha culture is as much a mystery to the Japanese as it is to the Western world. Very little is known about what happened inside the closed world of Gion where the story takes place. Only some of the privileged and respected men were allowed into the teahouses (where geisha entertained men) and it was forbidden for geishas to talk about what went on in the teahouses (Thank god someone broke the rules or we would have never known their story!!).
Actually some of my relatives used to run teahouses in Gion, however I know very little because sadly they went out of business after the War like other teahouses in the film or started what Mameha (played by the very gracious Michelle Yeoh) did 'renting rooms'. The fact is Gion has dwindled into such a sad state these days. Many teahouses, except for the very best, have become merely overpriced souvenir shops and hotels; and real geishas are outnumbered by tourist 'instant geishas' who have no elegance at all (who are comparable to some of the minor geishas in the film).
Anyway, it is unjust to point out what the film did wrong just because it is a Hollywood film. It would be very difficult for a Japanese film maker to recreate an accurate picture of Gion on film anyway. In that sense, I think it was a benefit to the film in not having a Japanese director or Japanese actresses. It liberated it from the burden of portraying Geishas accurately and created a more fairytale-like story.
Not to discredit the filmmakers--- they obviously made a lot of effort in making some of the details very believable. I was quite impressed with the quality of the set. I think it captured the darkness and light of Gion very well. The narrow backstreets and the gloomy okiya (where geishas lived) were believable--my relative's teahouse where they still live is indeed very dark and suffocating by day, but at night the district lights up prettily. Another detail not to be missed: the sumo scene. They actually have a very famous retired sumo wrestler performing!
Anyway, overall I think it's very much worth seeing so don't be put-off by the negative reviews!