“Memoirs of a Geisha” follows the life of a Young Japanese girl Chiyo (Ziyi Zhang) who is taken from her village, along with her sister to go live in the city to pursue the life of a Geisha. Upon entering the city, young Chiyo is separated from her sister and is forced to live the life of a servant. The only belongings Chiyo owns are her dreams to become a Geisha and free herself from slavery.
Throughout the movie Chiyo encounters many obstacles in her life. One such obstacle she runs into is love. A Geisha is forbidden to love.
The film “Memoirs of a Geisha” is based on the novel by Arthur Golden. It contains a star line-up of actors and actresses, including the leading actress Ziyi Zhang, who also stared in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” Co-stars to Zhang include Ken Watanabe (“The Last Samurai”), and Michelle Yeoh who also stared with Zhang in “Crouching Tiger.”
Add in an original soundtrack from John Williams, and you have yourself a blockbuster. John Williams is legendary for composing music for movies such as “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” and “Harry Potter.” However, John Williams turned down the job of composing music for the fourth Harry Potter movie to work on “Memoirs of a Geisha.”
Many critics have reviewed this movie and labeled it to be something its not. Due to Western stereotyping, the topic of a Geisha’s life is a touchy topic to the Japanese. Western Stereotyping has led people to believe that Geishas were high priced Courtesans, not the artists they truly were. In Japanese, Geisha stands for artist.
“Memoirs of a Geisha” is a stunning movie which involves great screens, fantastic acting and stunning music. “Memoirs” is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 145 minutes. It can still be seen in select theaters across the world.
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