Memoirs of a Geisha Review
Jan. 23rd, 2006 05:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearToday, I celebrated my penultimate day of freedom before the new job starts by indulging in a mid-afternoon trip to the cinema.
Much like the geishas it portrays, the film is beautiful, intelligent and entertaining, every detail arranged to perfection. The actresses are talented, the script is well-written, the story is interesting and the sets are stunning. In particular, the little girl who plays the protagonist for the first section of the film is excellent and I expect we'll be seeing a lot more of her in the future. Michelle Yeoh is always worth the price of a cinema ticket, and Ken Watanabe shows his softer side as the businessman who is instrumental in the plot's conclusion. The fact that he apparently falls for the protagonist when she's nine is a trifle icky, and ruined the romance a little for me, but he still plays his part well.
The only drawback to the film is that, also like the geishas, it is somewhat remote, never fully revealing its heart, always hiding behind a perfect white mask. Perhaps this is intentional, or perhaps I just didn't engage with it fully, but it left me strangely unmoved.
An excellent piece of cinema, though - its portrayal of the secret, scheming world of the geishas is expertly done.
Much like the geishas it portrays, the film is beautiful, intelligent and entertaining, every detail arranged to perfection. The actresses are talented, the script is well-written, the story is interesting and the sets are stunning. In particular, the little girl who plays the protagonist for the first section of the film is excellent and I expect we'll be seeing a lot more of her in the future. Michelle Yeoh is always worth the price of a cinema ticket, and Ken Watanabe shows his softer side as the businessman who is instrumental in the plot's conclusion. The fact that he apparently falls for the protagonist when she's nine is a trifle icky, and ruined the romance a little for me, but he still plays his part well.
The only drawback to the film is that, also like the geishas, it is somewhat remote, never fully revealing its heart, always hiding behind a perfect white mask. Perhaps this is intentional, or perhaps I just didn't engage with it fully, but it left me strangely unmoved.
An excellent piece of cinema, though - its portrayal of the secret, scheming world of the geishas is expertly done.
