It’s the eyes that will draw you in. Sayuri’s blue/grey eyes are just like her mother’s eyes, an uncommon color for Japanese women. And it’s the eyes that symbolize both the young geisha’s heartbreak at losing her mother at a young age and her longing for the man she wants to be with but cannot. In “Memoirs of a Geisha,” director Rob Marshall (2002’s Oscar-winning “Chicago”) pulls out all the visual stops from Arthur Golden’s novel.
On Dec. 14, “Memoirs of a Geisha” premiered in two shows at the Tivoli Theatre to an audience of more than 2,000 fans of the book and its hometown writer Golden. This was the first time in a long while that a movie was shown at the grand theatre and that enhanced the event for all but the youngest audience members. In his intro to the film, Allied Arts Chairman Don Andrews commented that many who came to the Tivoli probably had come to see films with their dates in the theatre's heyday. He joked, “And we won’t talk about what some of us used to do up in the balcony.” Most of the crowd laughed knowingly.
Arthur Golden had planned to attend the premiere, but Sony Pictures booked him elsewhere. However, he did send a filmed message of appreciation to his Chattanooga friends and he praised the groups that celebrate and support the arts in the area. Rob Marshall also made an appearance in the taped message. Sitting side by side, author and director discussed their collaboration, and we the audience, could see their happiness with the finished product. Proud papas both.
Whether it’s the look in Sayuri’s eyes; the delicate twist of a fan on the wrist of a porcelain skinned young woman; the dark shadows in an alley in the geisha district; the movement in the cherry blossoms behind the leading characters; or the woman- to-woman slapping, it’s the look and the choreography of “Memoirs” that recommends it to those people who appreciate such things on a wide screen. It’s not illogical that Rob Marshall would bring that touch to his direction following the success of the musical “Chicago.” But much of the credit goes to Production Designer John Myhre and Costume Designer Colleen Atwood. Atwood went to Japan and was quite literally hands on for the selection and coloring of the kimono fabrics. It shows. And the lens of Dion Beebe, Director of Photography, lingers long enough so that we see the beauty of every design element of the film.
Golden’s book was set in the Geon district of 1930’s Kyoto but that period setting was only attainable on a constructed lot outside of Los Angeles since current day Kyoto is too modern. Many of the garden scenes were filmed at Hakone Japanese Gardens in Saratoga, California. If you didn’t know that it was a constructed set, there is no way you could tell it was made for the movie. So fabrication actually adds to the authentic reproduction of the novel. At least visually.
The story begins in 1929 when Sayuri (played as a child by Suzuka Ohgo and as an adult by Ziyi Zhang) is violently torn from her family and sold into slavery as a maid for a geisha house. Her rise to the most prominent geisha in Kyoto, Japan is lovingly and sympathetically portrayed in the film but the screenplay by Robin Swicord and Doug Wright doesn’t allow for the range and depth that made the book so compelling. To be sure, it is a gorgeous looking film and will undoubtedly win Oscars for its evocative sets, costumes and lighting. But for a film that doesn’t need to rely on special effects or technical cheats to capture an audience, “Memoirs of a Geisha” lacks the emotional wallop needed to elevate the powerful memoir off the page and onto the screen. One epic story that successfully married stunning scenery with intense drama was 1990’s “Dances With Wolves.”
Still, I don’t think that “Memoirs” deserves all the criticism it’s getting for being shallow, if only because it does capture the essence of Sayuri’s story and gives you a sensual glimpse into another culture and another way of thinking. Another aspect that I enjoyed was the way it transported you back to another time, 1930s Japan, before the Orient became so obsessed with Western ideas of beauty. So it is interesting that there are an amazing number of unusual tie-ins that are flooding the market. Everything from geisha-inspired purses, make-up, fragrances, dresses and kimonos. You’ll even find Photo Stamps where you can download images (www.sonypictures.com) from the movie to your computer, upload those images (www.PhotoStamps.com), place an order and in 7 to 10 days receive usable 37 cent stamps! Obviously the film is making its mark in the design world.
The online movie chat rooms are filled with lively debates comparing Western and Eastern beauty. And it has been said that the geishas were once the supermodels of their day. I for one welcome any production that showcases women as anything other than skinny, talentless Barbie dolls. And that is one of the central points that translated well into film, that geishas are not prostitutes, they are artists. Mameha (Michelle Yeoh), Sayuri’s mentor and replacement mother, tells the young geisha “Remember, Chiyo [Sayuri’s name as a child], geisha are not courtesans. And we are not wives. We sell our skills, not our bodies. We create another secret world, a place only of beauty. The very word “geisha” means artist and to be a geisha is to be judged as a moving work of art.” Another woman that saw the film that evening at the Tivoli commented that she was surprised at how much the geishas spoke to the men they were entertaining. We both had thought that the geisha’s role was more submissive and silent, but the reality is that they are not only trained in dance, song and instruments but the art of witty conversation.
The film’s best moment is Sayuri’s emotionally charged performance in a teahouse where the men seated all around her get to see behind the normal white emotionless face. Sayuri performs on what look to be 10-inch wedged sandals, and her precision movements, in a blizzard of snow, hair and fabric - well, it conveys a wealth of longing and sorrow that dialogue couldn’t capture. In another director’s hands, that might not have worked, so you have to appreciate Rob Marshall’s deftness in that area.
If anything, the film will leave you with a strong desire to read the book, first published in 1997. It spent two years on the New York Times best-seller list, has sold more than 4 million copies in English and has been translated into 32 languages. The movie tie-in edition is published in paperback by Vintage Contemporaries (Random House) for $14.95. The reader certainly cannot challenge Arthur Golden’s research. He earned degrees in Japanese art and history from Harvard and Columbia and then spent 10 years absorbing every aspect of geisha culture. The translator’s notes by Jakob Haarhuis at the beginning of the book are quite useful in understanding Sayuri’s story.
If the world of the geisha intrigues you, the A & E channel is airing a two hour documentary called A&E Special Presentation: The Secret Life Of Geisha this month. Check your channel listings for times or go to www.aetv.com for more info.
The film is rated PG-13 for mature subject matter and some sexual content.
(Bambi Evans is a freelance writer here in Chattanooga. She covers the book, film, music and art world in addition to her editorial column, Engines On Run-Up. Her next multiple book review feature is titled “Adventures in Winter Reading.”)