I have read the book and as such I was very excited to watch the movie. Given that Les Miserables and Great Gatsby were amazing adaptions of the book I was expecting something similar from this one but was I wrong. The main problem with this adoption is that it lacks the emotion with which Geisha tells the story. She hates it, finds this whole world bizarre but in the movie we do not see it. It is shown as something she finds normal and adapts to it. There is emotion of dislike towards geishas expressed. Maybe the creators were being careful not to insult the culture but without that emotion and Chiyos attitude towards Geishas, the movie looses that what made the book so great.
Real-life link: if you are not a modern undefended woman, you fate depends on others and sadly mainly rich man.
Plausibility: A 14 year old falls for an older men because the men shows him kindness but why would an old men like the Chairmen fall for a kid so that he sends Mameha to help her become a geisha without being a pedo? There is something shady here that does not fit. But that has more to do with the book then the movie.
Storytelling: Follows the book nicely, with the exception that it leaves out the reason why the father sells the girls and that it ends quickly without telling that the chairmen and Chiyo get together and have kids and she moves the states.
Casting/ Acting: I liked the fact that the actors were not Westerns but what bugged me a bit was their accent, why would you not cast American actors with the same background to get rid of the accent?
Overall, it lacked the emotion that makes the story of the Geisha so great.
Real-life link: if you are not a modern undefended woman, you fate depends on others and sadly mainly rich man.
Plausibility: A 14 year old falls for an older men because the men shows him kindness but why would an old men like the Chairmen fall for a kid so that he sends Mameha to help her become a geisha without being a pedo? There is something shady here that does not fit. But that has more to do with the book then the movie.
Storytelling: Follows the book nicely, with the exception that it leaves out the reason why the father sells the girls and that it ends quickly without telling that the chairmen and Chiyo get together and have kids and she moves the states.
Casting/ Acting: I liked the fact that the actors were not Westerns but what bugged me a bit was their accent, why would you not cast American actors with the same background to get rid of the accent?
Overall, it lacked the emotion that makes the story of the Geisha so great.