Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2163 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-06-05
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 139 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Chicago director Rob Marshall's pretty but empty (or pretty empty) film has all the elements of an Oscar contender: solid adaptation (from Arthur Golden's bestseller), beautiful locale, good acting, lush cinematography. But there's something missing at the heart, which leaves the viewer sucked in, then left completely detached from what's going on.

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

DVD Description
In 1929 an impoverished nine-year-old named Chiyo from a fishing village is sold to a geisha house in Kyoto's Gion district and subjected to cruel treatment from the owners and the head geisha Hatsumomo. Her stunning beauty attracts the vindictive jealousy of Hatsumomo, until she is rescued by and taken under the wing of Hatsumomo's bitter rival, Mameha. Under Mameha's mentorship, Chiyo becomes the geisha named Sayuri, trained in all the artistic and social skills a geisha must master in order to survive in her society. As a renowned geisha she enters a society of wealth, privilege, and political intrigue. As World War II looms Japan and the geisha's world are forever changed by the onslaught of history.

Special Features
• Rob Marshall and John DeLuca Audio Commentary • Sayuri's Journey: From the Novel to the Screen • Geisha Bootcamp • The Look of a Geisha • A Geisha's Dance • The World of the Geisha • Photo Gallery - Behind the Scenes • Photo Gallery - Costume Illustrations • Photo Gallery - The Recipes of Chef Nobu

Customer Reviews

beauty and serentiy personified
So it isn't as good as the book - who cares - when you have two of the most beautiful chinese actress' and one of the finest Japanese actors (if not the best) in history; portraying this epic true story of one womans life through hardship and pain to final happiness and true love.

The true effect of the cinematograhy is a little lost in translation from the big screen to the small screen but the pure beauty and serenty of Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh is breath taking,costumes and makeup are stunning, too.

Ken Watannbe produces a performance both powerful and understated exhibiting how a man of high position and influence can still be full of humility and understanding.

A beautiful film
I have to say I haven't read the book to compare the film against, but I found the film to be both beautiful and intriguing to watch. It is fascinating to see the kinds of situations a Geisha would of put into and how they dealt with it, and the training they underwent. It is also interesting to see the hierarchy in the Geisha world, as well as the distinction between geisha and prostitutes. This film is stunning in it's imagery and direction and the story holds you until the end. My girlfriend has read the book and loved the film also.

A fantastic portrayal of Arthur Goldens renowned book
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden is one of those books I threatened to read for years. I finally got around to it some months ago and was hooked. It was a fantastic story that just sucks you right in so you feel you know the characters intimately. When I hear the book was being turned into a movie I waited with baited breath for its release. And I wasn't disappointed.

The movie sticks to the script of the book fantastically. The acting is superb and the sets were a picture perfect portrayal of what I had in my minds eye when I read the book.

The story is of a peasant girl sold by her parents to a geisha house in Gion. There she is beaten and brutalized by the Madam of the house and the head geisha Hatsumomo. Her true beauty is recognized by Hatsumomo's rival, Mameha, who takes Chiyo under her wing and turns her into a renowned geisha known as Sayuri.

This film is a love-story in one sense and a story of survival and hardship in another. I felt like I was back reading the book and enjoyed every second. Some have criticized the film because the actors weren't Japanese but I don't think this takes away from the film at all. The actors, actresses, performances, sets and costumes are just what I had envisaged when reading the book so I wasn't disappointed. If you enjoyed the book then I'm sure you'll love the film.....I did.