It's hard to find fault with the fascinating story, which traces a young girl's determination to free herself from the imprisonment of scullery maid to geisha, then from the imprisonment of geisha to a woman allowed to love. Chiyo (Suzuka Ohgo), a young girl with curious blue eyes, is sold to a geisha house and doomed to pay off her debt as a cleaning girl until a stranger named The Chairman (Ken Watanabe) shows her kindness. She is inspired to work hard and become a geisha in order to be near the Chairman, with whom she has fallen in love. An experienced geisha (Michelle Yeoh) chooses to adopt her as an apprentice and to use as a pawn against her rival, the wicked, legendary Hatsumomo (Gong Li). Chiyo (played as an older woman by Ziyi Zhang), now renamed Sayuri, becomes the talk of the town, but as her path crosses again and again with the Chairman's, she finds the closer she gets to him the further away he seems. Her newfound "freedom" turns out to be trapping, as men are allowed to bid on everything from her time to her virginity.

Some controversy swirled around casting Chinese actresses in the three main Japanese roles, but Zhang, Yeoh and Gong in particular ably prove they're the best for the part. It's admirable that all the actors attempted to speak Japanese-accented English, but some of the dialogue will still prove difficult to understand; perhaps it contributes to some of the emotion feeling stilted. Geisha has all the ingredients of a sweeping, heartbreaking epic and follows the recipe to a T, but in the end it's all dressed up with no place to go.--Ellen A. Kim


Customer Reviews (Average 4.0 from 74) :
As Japanese as Yo! Sushi.
Rating:2
I'm a big fan of Japanese cinema and for me this film was a real disappointment. While there's no denying that the cinematography is often beautiful, the story and choice of cast is a let down. The film is directed by an American, written by an American and filmed mainly in California and is essentially a western view of what Japanese life was like in the 1930's and 40's. As well as the usual cultural clichés and the historical inaccuracy, the casting was really poor with anyone who looks remotely East Asian being cast as Japanese.
If you like films like 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and 'Hero' then you'll may like it, but if you a fan of Japanese cinema or have a basic grasp of Japanese history and culture then this is one to avoid.

The Film, Memoirs of a Geisha
Rating:5
Having recently travelled to Japan, we saw Geisha's and we visited the Geisha district, my view had always been that these women were prostitutes, having been there it is apparent these women are definatly not prostitutes, but then what is the attraction, why can they demand huge amounts of cash for doing everyday things, this film I think explains the whole thing, it is a very dramatic and emotional, very well acted.

Simply exquisite
Rating:5
This is just a beautiful piece of film.. cinematography, sets, costume, actors, language .. stunning.
Couldn't tear my eyes from the screen.. loved it.

Visually stunning
Rating:3
I must be the last person to see this film. Never got around to seeing it at the cinema but caught a few minutes of it when it was broadcast and thought it worth a punt. The cinematography and production design is stunning. Almost every shot is composed like a painting. I am a fan of Japanese gardens and interiors so enjoyed drooling over those. The actors do a sound job but the plot is predictable and everything ends up neatly resolved at the end. With a more ambitious plot this could have been a classic. As it is, it is basically a 'chick flick' for a wet Sunday afternoon.

A good film but lacking in some detail
Rating:4
As I had read the book before watching this film I was a touch disappointed with the lack of attention to geisha customs. These were in my opinion fundamental details that would have given the viewer a better understanding of the rituals and complexities of their traditions.