I finally had the time to catch the much talked about movie, “Memoirs of a Geisha” after postponing it time and again due to my busy schedule. I’ve heard how the book was talked about, read about in most of my teenage years and up to my adult life, making it a ‘must read’ classic literature. Now everyone can see it on the big screen.
Of course most of what I heard about the books are from female magazines since they are the so called ‘gurus’ on the art of seducing and catching that elusive commitment-phobic man…talk about stereotyping!! So of course the book came in highly recommended since being a Geisha is about a “woman who has mastered the art of seduction” as how Mameha (Michelle Yeoh’s character) teaches her virginal protégé Sayuri (Zhang Ziyi’s character) on "stopping a man in his tracks with a single look". Some people think that a Geisha is just a glamourous name for being a hooker…but I think the Japanese will highly contest that.
Not that I want to watch the movie to learn how to “stop a man in his tracks with a single look” but just curious about what the hype was all about. I’ve always wanted to read the book but just kept postponing it again and again…so now that it is on big screen….no need to read the book lor!
It is a beautifully crafted movie and has some powerful acting but I think it didn’t do much justice to Hatsumomo’s character (acted by Gong Li). I thought her character was a bit one-dimensional in her bitterness. There wasn’t really any attempt to explain how the beauty became the bitch. Then again, I didn’t read the book….I guess every movie that’s made based on the book will have to sacrifice some of its story to suit the big screen.
Also coming from a different generation and culture, it was kind of puzzling to find how Sayuri’s ‘debut dance’ made her the most desirable geisha in Japan…I thought it was some kind of ritual walk in high stilts!!! Then there was the part where you could see the pained expression on her face when she gets forcefully undressed and all but raped by The Baron. And yet when she finally sold her ‘virginity’ to the highest bidder…which turns out to be some doctor old enough to be her grandfather, she has no trouble going through with it.
Though of course she finally gets her ‘dream guy’ in the end…though marriage is out of the question, it’s kinda of a bittersweet ending. Though she always dreamed to become a geisha so that she could be with her dream guy, in the end I wondered if all that she has endured really worth it if in the end he can’t even marry her. Morally it is just wrong and even if she is the only one in his life, she is just playing the role of a ‘kept woman’ or ‘mistress’. Being a woman, I don’t understand how any woman can accept that kind of life.
On the lighter side, MadTV made fun of the movie with their version of the Geisha trailer. With Bobby Lee's simpering, cross-eyed smile when told to "stop a man in his tracks with a single look", I think any man wouldn't only stop at the sight of such a hideous drag queen, they'd also puke.
But of course, MadTV got the gist of the story right. It's really about "a poor but beautiful girl who turns into a hooker...I mean…a Geisha" I love the blue eyes on Sayuri’s character. Gave me the inspiration to get my own blue contacts. Totally love the look!!
Of course most of what I heard about the books are from female magazines since they are the so called ‘gurus’ on the art of seducing and catching that elusive commitment-phobic man…talk about stereotyping!! So of course the book came in highly recommended since being a Geisha is about a “woman who has mastered the art of seduction” as how Mameha (Michelle Yeoh’s character) teaches her virginal protégé Sayuri (Zhang Ziyi’s character) on "stopping a man in his tracks with a single look". Some people think that a Geisha is just a glamourous name for being a hooker…but I think the Japanese will highly contest that.
Not that I want to watch the movie to learn how to “stop a man in his tracks with a single look” but just curious about what the hype was all about. I’ve always wanted to read the book but just kept postponing it again and again…so now that it is on big screen….no need to read the book lor!
It is a beautifully crafted movie and has some powerful acting but I think it didn’t do much justice to Hatsumomo’s character (acted by Gong Li). I thought her character was a bit one-dimensional in her bitterness. There wasn’t really any attempt to explain how the beauty became the bitch. Then again, I didn’t read the book….I guess every movie that’s made based on the book will have to sacrifice some of its story to suit the big screen.
Also coming from a different generation and culture, it was kind of puzzling to find how Sayuri’s ‘debut dance’ made her the most desirable geisha in Japan…I thought it was some kind of ritual walk in high stilts!!! Then there was the part where you could see the pained expression on her face when she gets forcefully undressed and all but raped by The Baron. And yet when she finally sold her ‘virginity’ to the highest bidder…which turns out to be some doctor old enough to be her grandfather, she has no trouble going through with it.
Though of course she finally gets her ‘dream guy’ in the end…though marriage is out of the question, it’s kinda of a bittersweet ending. Though she always dreamed to become a geisha so that she could be with her dream guy, in the end I wondered if all that she has endured really worth it if in the end he can’t even marry her. Morally it is just wrong and even if she is the only one in his life, she is just playing the role of a ‘kept woman’ or ‘mistress’. Being a woman, I don’t understand how any woman can accept that kind of life.
On the lighter side, MadTV made fun of the movie with their version of the Geisha trailer. With Bobby Lee's simpering, cross-eyed smile when told to "stop a man in his tracks with a single look", I think any man wouldn't only stop at the sight of such a hideous drag queen, they'd also puke.
But of course, MadTV got the gist of the story right. It's really about "a poor but beautiful girl who turns into a hooker...I mean…a Geisha" I love the blue eyes on Sayuri’s character. Gave me the inspiration to get my own blue contacts. Totally love the look!!
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