Do you know the feeling you get when you finished watching a great movie and you suddenly don't know what to do with your life? That's exactly the kind of feeling I got after watching Memoirs of a Geisha.
Memoirs of a Geisha is an adaption of a fiction novel written by Arthur Golden of same title.
The story follows one particular Japanese peasant girl, Chiyo, whose father sends her and her sister to the human market in Kyoto. Her sister, although hardly old enough for sex, is sold directly into prostitution, while Chiyo is sold to a geisha house where she will be an unpaid servant until it is determined whether she has what it takes to be a Geisha for the house's clientele.
The cinematography in this movie is brilliant. Every shot, every scene, every tiny detail was just beautiful. One touching scene is when little Chiyo encounters a man called the Chairman when she almost gives up hope. He buys her flavored ice and gives her some money. The smile he coaxes out on her sad face is the most luminous moment in the entire film. This encounter makes Chiyo want to become a better person and reunite with the Chairman.
The love story is marginal as its best, however, there was so much emotion that I literally clenched my heard throughout the movie. I thought I was going to burst.
Talking about performances, I think almost all of them did well. It's much more of an ensemble piece, and I was especially impressed by the young Sayuri and Ken Watanabe. Have I told you yet that Ken Watanabe is one of my forever-loved actors?
Overall I think the movie was fantastic, even one of the best I've ever seen.
I ordered the novel at Saxo.dk the moment I finished watching the movie. I heard the novel is exceptionally better. Oh, what have been I doing all this time that I had no single clue about this masterpiece until now!
Memoirs of a Geisha is an adaption of a fiction novel written by Arthur Golden of same title.
The story follows one particular Japanese peasant girl, Chiyo, whose father sends her and her sister to the human market in Kyoto. Her sister, although hardly old enough for sex, is sold directly into prostitution, while Chiyo is sold to a geisha house where she will be an unpaid servant until it is determined whether she has what it takes to be a Geisha for the house's clientele.
The cinematography in this movie is brilliant. Every shot, every scene, every tiny detail was just beautiful. One touching scene is when little Chiyo encounters a man called the Chairman when she almost gives up hope. He buys her flavored ice and gives her some money. The smile he coaxes out on her sad face is the most luminous moment in the entire film. This encounter makes Chiyo want to become a better person and reunite with the Chairman.
The love story is marginal as its best, however, there was so much emotion that I literally clenched my heard throughout the movie. I thought I was going to burst.
Talking about performances, I think almost all of them did well. It's much more of an ensemble piece, and I was especially impressed by the young Sayuri and Ken Watanabe. Have I told you yet that Ken Watanabe is one of my forever-loved actors?
Overall I think the movie was fantastic, even one of the best I've ever seen.
I ordered the novel at Saxo.dk the moment I finished watching the movie. I heard the novel is exceptionally better. Oh, what have been I doing all this time that I had no single clue about this masterpiece until now!
"It is not for Geisha to want. It is not for a Geisha to feel. Geisha is an artist of the floating world. She dances, she sings, she entertains you... What ever you want... the rest is shadows, the rest is secret."
-Sayuri, from the movie Memoirs of a Geisha
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