MEMORIES OF A GEISHA

Memories of a geisha is the result of the success of the book written by Arthur Golden, which was the best seller during its first publication in 1997. Steven Spielberg who has a good sense of smell towards success, bought the rights for the production and adaptation of the movie, but, unfortunately he couldn’t do it, because of his busy life; in his place, Robert Marshall had the duty to make the movie works as the book did. He is a six-time Tony Award nominee, Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe nominee and Emmy winner whose most noted work includes the 2002 film Chicago and the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret.

Its development is divided in two parts; in the first Robert tried to show the infancy of Chiyo (Zhang Ziyi), the main character, who had to live any kind of misfortunes, from the maltreatment of her father to the separation from her sister.

The second part, it´s her adolescence, here she stars the difficult but desire way of any girl, being a Geisha, although, for Chiyo it wasn´t her wish, for her it was a role that she had to carry out. To reach the “luxury and fame” that Geishas´ duty provides, Chiyo had to continue supporting different kind of abuse such as working as the servant of the okiya (Geishas´ house). To make everything wicker, Chiyo found an enemy without being looking for her, Hatsumoto, she has been in the okiya for many years, trying to make whatever to become a real Geisha, now with Chiyo everything could get more impossible, Hatsumoto could see from Chiyos´ look to the intensive blue of her eyes a big competence towards her dream.

I haven´t read the book, but I know that Robert has respected it line by line, but I think that cine never give the expectations or fantasy that the reader can create through literature, there isn´t anything more magic than try to draw the image of the situation, but cine fill the gap, cine give something that goes faster than our imagination, the details, the kimono, the hair decoration, the makeup, it’s incredible how we can be close with that culture more and more, obviously music can´t be apart, Jhon Williams, the producer, who delighted us with sensible, passive, and quiet sound, from the beginning to the end.

Geishas live in an unknown world, everything around them are mysterious, their protocols, even men who always are near them, everything can change anytime, just looking the fame that Sayuri (Chiyo) won from her performance but which went immediately with the 2nd War.

It´s a movie full of drama, for that people who are well disposed to dedicate one part of their llife, as Sayuri did, and being recompensed with something more than physic beauty.

Sayra Milena Lozano