Memoirs Of A Geisha
It was a last minute thing. I was staying at a friend's house over the weekend and we celebrated his birthday on Saturday.
We had cooked chicken curry, I boiled chicken soup, he cooked some vegetables and eggs and we invited another friend over for dinner. After which we had some chocolate cake and green tea... very simple birthday party but it was very enjoyable. The Secret Recipe cake was very delicious and we had a very nice decent conversation over hot cups of green tea… ah… bliss…
After helping to wash the plates we decided to go for a movie, my friend and I. Memoirs of a Geisha sneak preview was available at GSC in Cheras Leisure Mall and my friend lived only a 10minute drive away from there so we decided to try to get tickets for the 11pm show
At the GSC counter there was only one lady whilst the other three counters were closed. However the line was still moving at a fast pace (it is to be noted that not many people go to GSC Cheras Leisure Mall) and when we finally got to the counter there were still more than 250 seats available for the movie
We got in just in time, at 10.55pm, enough time to watch the advertisements and also view a few trailers
[WARNING: Spoiler Alert! If You Do Not Wish To Know The Synopsis Please Discontinue Reading. Should Any Person Experience Disappointment Or Have The Excitement Of Watching The Movie Taken Away After Reading My Blog Entry, I Am Not To Be Held Responsible. Read At Your Own Risk.]
Note: Only People Who Have Read The Novel May Truly Understand What I Have Illustrated Below.
The starting was very different from what was illustrated in the novel. Well, at least the sea did appear grey and Tipsy House was as I had imagined it: Tipsy.
But Chiyo-chan's father didn't look as old as the frail old man illustrated in the book and they didn't even show Mr. Tanaka. In the movie Chiyo-chan and Satsu-san were "abducted" and put into a train, whilst in the novel they really made their way to Mr Tanaka's house before following Mr Bekku to the train station.
Yes, I agree that the movie is BASED on the book and need not necessarily follow exactly as narrated, but as a person who has read and enjoyed the novel you can't help but express disappointment that the movie you watched did not resemble the novel you read.
Anyway, moving on, they did a great job with the streets of Kyoto. I didn't imagine it as such but I felt that they really did put great detail in it. Furthermore you did feel transported back to pre-war Kyoto and the buildings did show some form of antiquity about them.
The rickshaw scene where Chiyo-chan and Satsu-san were separated was really good.
But then the characters of Mother, Auntie and Grandmother weren't as I imagined though they did speak in an authentic Japanese accent.
The Nitta okiya wasn’t as grand as I’d had imagined but it looked pretty Japanese. I liked the detail put into the gardens and rooms, although it would have been grand to see the “kimono collection” that the okiya owned; it was narrated in such a grandiose way in the novel, one can’t help but wonder how it would have looked like
The story followed the book until around Chiyo-chan's escape from the Nitta okiya where they left out the interesting part about the gravity tank haha
The chairman was good, and so was the bridge. But I think the best display was Hatsumomo, a role played by Gong Li. I felt that she was the prettiest of all the actors. Michelle Yeoh, on the other hand, failed to pull off a Japanese appearance by her not-so-convincing accent and not-so-Japanese looks.
Mahmeha then took Chiyo-chan to be her younger sister. I like the scenes where they were training to be a Geisha as well as the scenes during the Spring Festival where the Geishas were dancing... very beautifully done.
The acting was good; they really did seem as real Geishas
Pumpkin was equally hilarious though they didn’t show her sticking out her tongue haha.
A fatal flaw that they made was to "give" Nobu-san an "arm". In the book he had only one arm but in the movie he had both, and could even stand well and shout like a very active man. Sigh.
During the bidding for Sayuri's mizuage they didn't really illustrate the bidding. The "man's eel" and "woman's cave" conversation did sent the whole cinema laughing... haha. But again, Steven Spielberg left out a few crucial scenes. Further more during her night with Dr Crab they didn't show the "sick" side of Dr. Crab. In the book he had vials containing the hymen of Geishas of whom he had successfully bid for their mizuage. What a sight it must have been if they had showed it... then again I'm not so sure what the Malaysian Board of Censors would do if they came across a movie showing a doctor using a surgical instrument to remove a woman's hymen during her first intercourse
Anyway, the Baron scene was beautiful. Loved the sakura and the interpretation of the kimono trap that he set for her.
I loved her debut. Beautiful make-up and she finally started looking like a true Geisha.
The way that Hatsumomo got kicked out of the okiya also was different. In the movie she razed Sayuri-san's room with fire. They didn't illustrate the diary of Sayuri nor the blood of Hatsumomo's leg on the tatami but the scene where Hatsumomo walked away from the okiya did leave a very sad impression I must say, perfectly the way Arthur Golden himself would have wanted it.
The war was disappointing as they left out many scenes again, but they did manage to incorporate the Americans well enough. As usual, the Americans were shown as the "saviours" of the Japanese and their foul attitudes were brought into the movie. I didn't like the fact that this was done, but it was written in history that such events did occur. The way they brought in the "western decadence" into Japan did make me hate the Americans for a few seconds at that time.
This part Steven Spielberg did a good job. You could see the secret world of the Geisha fade away only to be replaced by a mediocre American-influenced one. The grandeur of Kyoto was no more and Western decadence did make you feel that we Asians just didn't need such low levels of morality.
The final scene was good but they didn't show her moving to the States. I feel that it would have been great if they showed her restaurant in New York and finally the death of the Chairman, but then again the movie couldn't fit everything in could it.
Overall I feel the movie did better than Harry Potter but worse than Narnia in capturing the true essence of the original novel that inspired the movie. It would have been better if Steven Spielberg stuck more closely to the plot written out by Arthur Golden instead of using the Hollywood style of story telling...
It was, after all, meant to be an Asian movie.
We had cooked chicken curry, I boiled chicken soup, he cooked some vegetables and eggs and we invited another friend over for dinner. After which we had some chocolate cake and green tea... very simple birthday party but it was very enjoyable. The Secret Recipe cake was very delicious and we had a very nice decent conversation over hot cups of green tea… ah… bliss…
After helping to wash the plates we decided to go for a movie, my friend and I. Memoirs of a Geisha sneak preview was available at GSC in Cheras Leisure Mall and my friend lived only a 10minute drive away from there so we decided to try to get tickets for the 11pm show
At the GSC counter there was only one lady whilst the other three counters were closed. However the line was still moving at a fast pace (it is to be noted that not many people go to GSC Cheras Leisure Mall) and when we finally got to the counter there were still more than 250 seats available for the movie
We got in just in time, at 10.55pm, enough time to watch the advertisements and also view a few trailers
[WARNING: Spoiler Alert! If You Do Not Wish To Know The Synopsis Please Discontinue Reading. Should Any Person Experience Disappointment Or Have The Excitement Of Watching The Movie Taken Away After Reading My Blog Entry, I Am Not To Be Held Responsible. Read At Your Own Risk.]
Note: Only People Who Have Read The Novel May Truly Understand What I Have Illustrated Below.
The starting was very different from what was illustrated in the novel. Well, at least the sea did appear grey and Tipsy House was as I had imagined it: Tipsy.
But Chiyo-chan's father didn't look as old as the frail old man illustrated in the book and they didn't even show Mr. Tanaka. In the movie Chiyo-chan and Satsu-san were "abducted" and put into a train, whilst in the novel they really made their way to Mr Tanaka's house before following Mr Bekku to the train station.
Yes, I agree that the movie is BASED on the book and need not necessarily follow exactly as narrated, but as a person who has read and enjoyed the novel you can't help but express disappointment that the movie you watched did not resemble the novel you read.
Anyway, moving on, they did a great job with the streets of Kyoto. I didn't imagine it as such but I felt that they really did put great detail in it. Furthermore you did feel transported back to pre-war Kyoto and the buildings did show some form of antiquity about them.
The rickshaw scene where Chiyo-chan and Satsu-san were separated was really good.
But then the characters of Mother, Auntie and Grandmother weren't as I imagined though they did speak in an authentic Japanese accent.
The Nitta okiya wasn’t as grand as I’d had imagined but it looked pretty Japanese. I liked the detail put into the gardens and rooms, although it would have been grand to see the “kimono collection” that the okiya owned; it was narrated in such a grandiose way in the novel, one can’t help but wonder how it would have looked like
The story followed the book until around Chiyo-chan's escape from the Nitta okiya where they left out the interesting part about the gravity tank haha
The chairman was good, and so was the bridge. But I think the best display was Hatsumomo, a role played by Gong Li. I felt that she was the prettiest of all the actors. Michelle Yeoh, on the other hand, failed to pull off a Japanese appearance by her not-so-convincing accent and not-so-Japanese looks.
Mahmeha then took Chiyo-chan to be her younger sister. I like the scenes where they were training to be a Geisha as well as the scenes during the Spring Festival where the Geishas were dancing... very beautifully done.
The acting was good; they really did seem as real Geishas
Pumpkin was equally hilarious though they didn’t show her sticking out her tongue haha.
A fatal flaw that they made was to "give" Nobu-san an "arm". In the book he had only one arm but in the movie he had both, and could even stand well and shout like a very active man. Sigh.
During the bidding for Sayuri's mizuage they didn't really illustrate the bidding. The "man's eel" and "woman's cave" conversation did sent the whole cinema laughing... haha. But again, Steven Spielberg left out a few crucial scenes. Further more during her night with Dr Crab they didn't show the "sick" side of Dr. Crab. In the book he had vials containing the hymen of Geishas of whom he had successfully bid for their mizuage. What a sight it must have been if they had showed it... then again I'm not so sure what the Malaysian Board of Censors would do if they came across a movie showing a doctor using a surgical instrument to remove a woman's hymen during her first intercourse
Anyway, the Baron scene was beautiful. Loved the sakura and the interpretation of the kimono trap that he set for her.
I loved her debut. Beautiful make-up and she finally started looking like a true Geisha.
The way that Hatsumomo got kicked out of the okiya also was different. In the movie she razed Sayuri-san's room with fire. They didn't illustrate the diary of Sayuri nor the blood of Hatsumomo's leg on the tatami but the scene where Hatsumomo walked away from the okiya did leave a very sad impression I must say, perfectly the way Arthur Golden himself would have wanted it.
The war was disappointing as they left out many scenes again, but they did manage to incorporate the Americans well enough. As usual, the Americans were shown as the "saviours" of the Japanese and their foul attitudes were brought into the movie. I didn't like the fact that this was done, but it was written in history that such events did occur. The way they brought in the "western decadence" into Japan did make me hate the Americans for a few seconds at that time.
This part Steven Spielberg did a good job. You could see the secret world of the Geisha fade away only to be replaced by a mediocre American-influenced one. The grandeur of Kyoto was no more and Western decadence did make you feel that we Asians just didn't need such low levels of morality.
The final scene was good but they didn't show her moving to the States. I feel that it would have been great if they showed her restaurant in New York and finally the death of the Chairman, but then again the movie couldn't fit everything in could it.
Overall I feel the movie did better than Harry Potter but worse than Narnia in capturing the true essence of the original novel that inspired the movie. It would have been better if Steven Spielberg stuck more closely to the plot written out by Arthur Golden instead of using the Hollywood style of story telling...
It was, after all, meant to be an Asian movie.
Fell from the sky at 4:15 AM
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