Frankly speaking, the movie itself should not be five stars. But my evaluation of movies is very, very subjective. I think the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" really has a fate with me. I watched it for Gong Li when I was a freshman in high school, but I discovered the beauty of Michelle Yeoh in the movie...
Just finished reading the original. After reading the book, I still think the movie casting is very good (obviously the Japanese do not agree with this point of view). Although Gong, Yang, and Zhang are all many years older than the characters in the original, their performances really add dimension to the characters in the original, regardless of age.
(1) First peach
The first peach in the book is coquettish and arrogant but looks light and airy. After all, what kind of confidence can a girl in her twenties have? But in the movie, Gong Li is no longer the young woman who shows her teeth and claws, but has a more arrogant queen style, more mature, thicker and more confident. However, Gong Li has her own complexity and layering of her performance. Hatsuma is not a real queen after all, so she can't be too confident. Under the aura of publicity, willfulness, and self-respect, there should be a hint of bluff in the eyes. She has confidence, but also panic, jealousy and insecurities.
I think the ending arranged for her in the movie is also very suitable for her. Gong Huang's arrogance is too high, and he should not be wilted and old like the first peach in the book, but should be under a fire with endless resentment and unwillingness leave alone. Disputes are to break out, and emotions are to be vented. The fire in the sky and the boundless night sang the last lament for her, she left the stage, and the world ended for her.
(2) Really beautiful feathers/bean leaves
The Dou Ye in the book is elegant and gentle but too "tidy". Although she speaks and acts smartly and decently, "Miss Perfect" always lacks her emotional personality. And Michelle Yeoh performed a more unique charm. She has her own forbearance, and at the same time is transparent and firm, giving people a sense of peace and authenticity.
Also, although the book mentions the borrowing of kimonos and other plots, these can also make me feel that Mizuha is very interested in Sayuri and is willing to suppress her beauty to set off Sayuri. But I still feel that, in general, Dou Ye in the book is more similar to a good teacher, and no matter how good the relationship between teachers and students is, there must be a sense of distance.
In contrast, in the movie, Ms. Yang has a natural gentleness and kindness, which invisibly eliminates the majesty of Douye in the original book, but she is more like a real "sister". I also like the plot after the movie adaptation: Mizuha/Mamiwa told Sayuri that the bidder with Doctor Crab was the baron, and told Sayuri about her selfishness. In the movie, their sisters will have more trust and sincerity.
In addition, in the movie, Mamiwa taught Sayuri how to show a little of her arm. They laughed together, and they really had a very relaxed and happy moment together (also very good). There's clearly no such fun in the comparison book.
(3) Sayuri
Regarding Sayuri, the film is played by two actors: Japan's Ogoshou Shouka (who played the young Chiyo), and China's Zhang Ziyi (who played the young and middle-aged Sayuri). Dahoushouhua's agility, cuteness and likability need not be said much. You can understand at a glance why she was bullied and insulted by Hatsomomo as a potential competitor at such a young age.
Zhang Ziyi has beautiful eyes, very suitable for blue-gray eyes with "watery hits". In front of the two seniors and elder sisters, she was never outstanding, but when she was alone on the screen, she could see Sayuri's humble and tenacious beauty. Therefore, when Momo and Mamiwa exited one after another, and finally Sayuri stood on the cliff and threw the handkerchief, it was really beautiful. Her face was full of sorrow and despair, a kind of dazedness and nothingness when facing the vast sea.
Zhang is young after all, and her beauty cannot be compared to the two predecessors, Jian Gong and Yang. When Hatsomomo and Ma Miyu respectively achieved the beauty of "brightness" and "elegance" to the extreme, Sayuri, who was in a state of moderate harmony, was difficult to attract attention no matter what. But she is suitable for thriving. When she dominates the screen and no one is around to compare her, her harmony shows a very textured beauty, which is neither thin nor boring.
That's right, because Sayuri is not Yu Jiaolong after all, even if she has such a pair of eyes, it shouldn't be dazzling, and she shouldn't "steal the show" like Yu Jiaolong. Sayuri is a girl who is very good at using metaphors, and she should have a somewhat refined aura. Although in the plot, Sayuri has won beautiful victories again and again; but in terms of beauty, she does not compete with others. Her beauty lies in her lonely and delicate figure when she is independent of the cliff.
In short, after reading the book, I found out that in fact, most of the film's adaptation of the book is correct, and there are even better changes. Of course, if the Japanese feel that this does not conform to their traditional "geisha culture", it should be because the book itself does not conform. In order to convey an artistic effect, the film magnifies some of the inconsistencies in the book.
Both the book and the movie have repeatedly emphasized that it is a "trick" rather than a "prostitute", and that a geisha is not a prostitute, but "the beauty of a lost world". But just looking at some plots, readers or viewers will inevitably have doubts. What is the difference between these behaviors and prostitution?
The most commendable thing is that the three leading actors have performed the glory and hardship, nobility and loss that are unique to geisha. They are indeed the "beauty of the lost world" - a provocative and arrogant look back against the delicate dark red kimono, that is Hatsumamo's soul-stirring; a black figure in the flying snow walking under the umbrella, That is the quiet elegance of Ma Meiyu; the blue light beam in the dark shines on the beauty falling snow on the stage, that is Sayuri's dream blooming.
Either crazy or sober, or presumptuous or restrained, they all have an unforgettable loneliness and loneliness. At the junction of Yan and Si, they interpret the beautiful story under the dream curtain - this profession does not represent vulgar, single sensuality, but a deeper and more delicate art.
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