Zhang Ziyi In Memoirs Of A Geisha

[purplelucrezia]

I CANNOT WAIT

I finally saw a clip the other day, and I must say- neither can I!
It looks really stunning...

 

[*tata*]

^ oh really......i can't wait to see a clip...in which country are you in?

 

[Orchide]

I just now saw this topic- I am just a year late to the game
I cannot wait for this movie!
I am lazy and am going to copy/paste what I just posted on another board re. this movie and the casting---am attaching a post and my response:

we call it "Hollywood Asian" which means that a Japanese guy could be interchangably (in the eyes of hollywood) played by a Chinese, Samoan or Philipino actor.
See also "Hollywood Indian" (which can be Mexican, Cuban, and again, Philipino)

You know, I used to be extremely offended by this, and I was at first when I found out that mainly Chinese actors/actresses would be in Memoirs....But if you think about it, American and European actors/actresses can be interchanged, and most of the time they just speak in accents as well. So it's all part of the "Hollywood magic", I suppose. Ancient Romans all speak in British accents; Italians, Germans, Russians, Eastern Europeans all speak to each other in accented English, Americans put on British accents and Brits put on American accents.......

There's just an incredibly screwed up system in place in the entertainment industry, I suppose. As long as no one puts on black/brown/yellowface and deliberately has their eyes slanted or whatever, it's all accepted and supposed to be okay. ::shrug::

But that's just my two cents.

YuhMin

I am of this mind too YuhMin.
I am a whitey *insert me being self-mocking* but one who has had a fiance who is an Asian actor and a best girlfriend who is an asian actress here in Hollywood to mention other various acting/ and or personal ties.
The ex and the girlfriend have played all sorts of Asian roles in film and on television and look at this as the same as me being white and playing a British character or an Italian or an Australian rather than an American.
The Hollywood Asian acting community is a very tightly-knit close group and they stick together and refer each other for parts and see this as a way for them to play lots of roles which is what actors do. If in a career, an actor was limited to playing strictly what your exact racial/genetic background was to the letter, how many chances would you get and as an audience member, how many roles have we all seen that reflected someones exact ethnic/racial background perfectly concerning any race??


For those who worry on it being "Hollywood", I hear your points but I am the eager kind of "clappy" movie lover who always suspends disbelief and forgets the source material while watching a movie because then you get more from it, I think and aside from that, when I read the book, I envisioned such a world steeped with high glamour/magic that only "going Hollywood"/creating a fantasy would be able to accurately achieve this for me and many Asian friends of mine are proud to see this being such a talked about Hollywood production- like this very thread itself - usually only done by mainstream America for major major movies- so I think this is a positive thing- I cannot wait.

I love Liza Dalby- I read "Geisha" a few years back and was so much more inspired truth be told than by "Memoirs"- but mind you, Liza was distinctive as a geisha as being the first ever Western woman to become one so she is not Japanese either...*shrugs*
ps- thanks Purple for starting this thread and everyone for great input and articles and pictures
pps- The pic with Ziyi in "water sleeves" is from " House of Flying Daggers"

 

[cosmocat]

You can see the trailer on Ifilm-sorry if its a link has already been posted.

 

[Elegance.Is.Refusal.]

just watched the trailer and it looks amazing

http://sonypictures.com/movies/memoirsofageisha/

you can also check the release dates for your country

wish i lived in america they get it so much ealier than here

 

[AnaisF]

I'm so excited!

 

[agathe]

Kim Yoon-jin ("Lost", "Shiri") declined a role in this movie when it was offered to her... because it was a matter of national pride. that tells you something. but I expected Hollywood to go down this route.

in order to understand the rift between koreans, japanese and chinese, you must understand history. especially ww2.

 

[oolie coco]

but lucy liu potrayed a half-japanese half-chinese character in kill bill, while zhang ziyi will have to portray someone she is 0% of.

Any European actor is required to play against nationality all the time, so Asian actors should be allowed to portray whatever nationality they want and can. It's ridiculous that a Chinese actor should only be allowed to portray Chinese character.

Should Keanu Reeves, someone who is Hawaiian, Chinese and white only be allowed to portray a character who is Hawaiian, Chinese and white?!

 

[AnaisF]

Kim Yoon-jin turned it down!! that's a shame. I love her acting.

 

[waukon73]

Oh, I loved the book. I hope this is as good.

 

[LoveMyBoots]

The trailer on...

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/memoirsofageisha/trailer/

loads quickly considering I have broadband. I'm kind of disappointed, I expected more from the premiere trailer (esp. the music score). I have to read the novel first before I watch the film, or I'll never let myself down.

 

[cutelilgreenbug]

The trailer on...

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/memoirsofageisha/trailer/

loads quickly considering I have broadband. I'm kind of disappointed, I expected more from the premiere trailer (esp. the music score).

I agree. I thought the trailer for the Japanese version (called "Sayuri" and can be seen @ http://www.movies.co.jp/sayuri/trailer/sayuri_trailer_500k.asx same movie, just different name/trailer) was a lot more effective. The music used in the trailer, especially, for the Japanese one was much better chosen. I'm glad I happened to see the Japanese trailer first, it really made me interested to see the movie.

 

[tiffany]

Should Keanu Reeves, someone who is Hawaiian, Chinese and white only be allowed to portray a character who is Hawaiian, Chinese and white?!

Exactly!

To quote Michael Ondaatje (roughly) it isn't necessary to 'write what you know'. It is only necessary to know what you write. I think that applies to this situation as well - it isn't necessary to be of the same background as your character, you just have to make people believe, through your acting, that you are that character It's like saying Ben Kingsley couldn't have played Ghandi because he wasn't Indian, or that Omar Sharif wasn't Russian, so he shouldn't have been Doctor Zhivago. As long as they perform their parts well, who cares that they aren't of the same background?

 

[LoveMyBoots]

I'm so excited, I found the book at the library today (too cheap to buy the book ) but I highly doubt I'm gonna have time to read it since I have a bunch of required books for English class already .

 

[spiralsnowman]

I loved the book too, and am so looking forward to this movie!

I don't really have strong feelings about this, but I was kinda curious...
For those of you who were arguing in favor of Ziyi playing a Japanese girl, would that extend to non-Asians playing Asian roles (or black minstels in whiteface)?

I thought this pic was kinda interesting... I found this picture while I was doing research for my Law and Pop Culture class.
The actress is Jennifer Jones playing an Hong Kong doctor in Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955). They used grease paint for the corners of her eyes.

 

[taurus_07]

I can't wait to see the costumes!! Whenever I read the book I just end up picturing the beautiful kimonos...sigh.........

One thing I'd like to point out about the westernisation of asian culture - it also extends to the language. what i mean is, sometimes Hollywood movies tend to lump Asian languages together. I remember my mum and dad were angry when they watched Anna and the King, coz the language they spoke only remotely resembled Thai, and the concept of a Chinese actor playing someone as highly respected as the King of Siam was very distressing for them....just what i observed

 

[Stylephox]

Leonardo di caprio played King Louis the 16th in "The Man in the Iron Mask", were French people jumping out of their pantalons in distress?

I think this whole fuss over Zhang Zi Yi is freaking silly and childish.

 

[AnaisF]

Me too...Renee Zelleweger played a Brit, and there was no outcry (Bridget Jones). When American's play Brits, or Swedes play Austrians...no one cares. I hate the whole taboo thiny about 'mixing' the Japanese and Chinese cultures. Everyone does it with America and England

 

[agathe]

Zhang Ziyi is just an average actress imho. I don't see what's special about her. Michelle Yeoh is good though.

There are a lot of talented Japanese actresses - it's just that the Japanese drama/movie market makes no effort to promote them. So it's mainly their problem. But is a Hollywood movie going to strive to be authentic? No, they're just looking for a money maker.

The Japanese trailer for this movie was brilliant. The American trailer -- not so good.

 

[EDISON27]

Gong Li - Movie Stills From"Memoirs of a Geisha"