Zhang Ziyi In Memoirs Of A Geisha

[Zen]

^Yes. The costumes are pretty, Gong Li and the little girl who played Sayuri as a child were good, but other than that...spend your money somewhere else.

I heard that Gong Li was very good...I love Gong Li...she is a great actress.....so I guess from your quote I shouldn't bother......well....I'll still go and see it to know for myself. hey?

 

[Ella]

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said it perfectly: "Like Desperate Housewives with kimonos..." Getting over the fact that it was in English and that the main actress was Chinese was difficult enough, but the way the story was told was so bad as well.

 

[Ariez]

^yes i was really dissapointed with this movie. I understand that they didn't know much english but geez. The imagery and visual aspects were beautiful but I don't like how the story was told at ALL. I guess it was simple enough for those who haven't read the book but those who have, I think they'll feel that it lacked depth.

 

[impossibleprincess]

I just finished the book and I loved it. Who plays the chairman?

 

[eternitygoddess]

^ Ken Watanabe.

 

[annabel_lee]

it's not necessarily the japanese vs chinese thing BUT to me IMO, being a geisha is more about the words unsaid, actions not taken, controlled desires, etc and from my observations, those feelings/emotions/moods are translated best by japanese actresses. i think zyi lacks that sublety as well as yeoh. they are not believable as geishas. they dont seem to possess the qualities.

 

[primrose_sg]

I just can not believe a young geisha who hasn't got a good education (i don't mean the dance training) can express herself like that, is it too much wisdom for her age or individual experience?

 

[Pinky*]

i'd argue street smarts.. i'd think one could learn more about life living it than reading about it, no?
schooling doesn't necessarily produce wisdom, except perhaps a foundation of facts to draw upon..

anyway, just seeing the trailers already convinced me that the movie was in no way going to be like the book, which was not much like the real story of a geisha in the first place.. sigh.. what can you do, its hollywood..

 

[annabel_lee]

I just can not believe a young geisha who hasn't got a good education (i don't mean the dance training) can express herself like that, is it too much wisdom for her age or individual experience?

that's my point. it can't be learned. it's somewhat cultural.

side note, like courtesans in europe, geishas were one of the most highly educated women

forgot to mention before, i read somewhere that the the real geisha the book was loosely based upon was upset at the actress choices.

 

[Aliora]

forgot to mention before, i read somewhere that the the real geisha the book was loosely based upon was upset at the actress choices

From what I've heard so far about the real geisha Sayuri was based after, she was upset at Golden's portrayal of the geishas in his book. She sued him for defamation of character, so no surprise there...

I went and saw the movie after reading it, and went there with my mum who's chinese and has a terrible time understanding English. Oh...boy, the things that puzzled her.

In the book and later displayed in the movie, Golden makes a point to separate the difference between Geishas and prostitutes, yet the betting of Sayuri's Misuage kind of blended those two professions together and made my mother more confused than ever. I had to explain to her after the movie how that would've been different than prostitution and found that it was incredibly hard to explain.

 

[cardboardboxed]

From what I've heard so far about the real geisha Sayuri was based after, she was upset at Golden's portrayal of the geishas in his book. She sued him for defamation of character, so no surprise there...

She also wrote her own autobiography/memoir.. I really want to read it!!

 

[oolie coco]

European and Latino actors, etc. always play against their nationality and no one ever f***ing complains so I don't know why MoaG is receiving so much damn controversy over that.

 

[eternitygoddess]

I'd like to point out that Memoirs of a Geisha is a MOVIE. NOT a documentary. So there's always going to be some detail that's off whether it is Zhang Ziyi's portrayal of a true geisha or how a kimono is folded.

Movies focus on the story. Documentaries focus on true facts. So if you want to see everything Japanese portrayed perfectly, I suggest that you should go watch a documentary instead.

 

[*tata*]

^ Well said

 

[zionforsell]

I don't really have a problem with Ziyy, but I'm sick of the idea of Hollywood keep picking on Asian culture as a whole. To them, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese,... are the same. But they are totally different. If they say it's more about getting right person for the role, why is all the romantic movie and such have all Caucasian actresses??? If her name is Jenifer, from New York, then she has to be a Jenifer, not an Asian Jenifer. It's not about choosing right one for role, it's more about who will sell. If you are an Asian actress, you have to speak without an accent to be in a normal movie (which doesn't focus on background but the story). But it seems like they forget some Asians don't look Asian. They will always pick a one-eye lid, total oriental look Asian actress over a more Caucasian looking one. This encourages the stereotype of Asians and I hate it. Plus, you are expected to know martial art. Martial arts are not only famous in Asia, but in Europe as well. Hollywood just don't understand. Movies are made for entertainment = I don't care. But some movies are dead serious about a point, and choosing actors on wrong factors are lame. They didn;t choose the actor in MoaG because they are the only ones who can do the job, they pick them because American audience are used to them more. And that's the thing people oppose!

 

[Pinky*]

playing devils advocate here..

i believe its bc asian-themed movies are often very stereotypical/novelty(dragonlady, lotusgirl, etc) and lacks a strong foothold in the industry that one would hope for it to be more accurate and representative. for e.g. a movie about scots that makes way too many references to haggis would be offensive because its misrepresentative just like how misrepresenting the geisha history and culture by making her so outspoken could be offensive.

as for the whole chinese actress playing a japanese character, just pick up a history book. it would be like a pakistani actress playing an indian woman. the younger generation might not care but some would still be upset by this.

this is definately no spielberg but at least his Empire of the Rising Sun, though dabbled with 'novelty asian touches' tried to stay away from those cruddy stereotypes..

 

[*tata*]

I think people really need to get over this whole thing...

 

[oolie coco]

But it's a movie.... Actors are expected to act..... if Zhang Ziyi can pull off the part, that's all that should matter... I don't understand why Caucasian/Latino/Jewish characters can all switch their ethnicities but Asians cannot. No matter what the history.

 

[oolie coco]

I feel like repeating myself when I say that I wasn't too keen with the idea of her getting the main role, but that was primarily because I felt that a lesser known actress should take the spotlight instead. Ziyi's been in nearly every Chinese film that has currently sparked interest in the US, and I'd rather they have casted someone with Japanese origin because they don't get as much attention as a whole around here.

But Hollywood is not about playing fair, so it wasn't surprising when Zhang got the part.

I don't think that Hollywood is 'grouping asians together as one thing' whit this movie. They seem to be just following through on the age old pattern of giving the roles to actresses that are better known...and Ziyi is very well known in the US these days.

For all we know, she may have been the only actress to have done well during the auditions. What really matters at the end is whether she's able to convince the audience that she is the character she's playing.




Oh...wow, I'm an Aggie too!

I really like this post..

 

[Pinky*]

well its recent history really.. the same time and same thing as the holocaust. many ppl have lived through it and even more ppl were killed.. so it would be the same as having an german actor playing a jewish person.

you're right though.. it shouldn't matter but nonetheless some are still going to notice it and be bothered by it. not everyone is that open minded..