Memoirs of a Geisha: Grade B

B

Memoirs of a Geisha

Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe. Director = Rob Marshall

A Cinderella story set in Japan just before WWII. Young peasant girl is sold to a Geisha house, learns the trade, meets but loses prince charming, defeats nasty other geishas in internecine maneuvering, and becomes the greatest of them all, finally falling into the arms of the prince. The sets and costumes are stunning (winning academy awards). Every shot could be framed and hung in a gallery. The photography recalls classical Japanese art and modern Kyoto at night. You could watch the whole (2.5 hours!!) on a big-screen, with the sound off, and find it very enjoyable.

However, the sound is also stunning. The score is written and conducted by John Williams, using plenty of shamisen and shakuhachi in the mix, with solo performances on violin and cello by Yoyo Ma and Itzhak Perlman. It doesn’t get much better than that for film music! The choreography is also excellent. The only thing lacking is an editor. This thing goes on and on and on, for no narrative reason. It’s easy to see where it could have been cut, especially in the first hour. The story is simple-minded, not very dramatic, and not even well-told. The acting is adequate, but with kabuki stiffness rather than passion. Directing is unremarkable. Lots of interesting DVD extras which they had to put on a separate disk (that should have been a clue to them about editing!). But sheer aesthetic beauty makes it enjoyable.