Memoirs of a Geisha

Director:
Rob Marshall

Writers (WGA):
Robin Swicord (screenplay)
Arthur Golden (book)

Release Date:
23 December 2005 (USA)

Genre:
Drama | Romance

Cast :
* Zhang Ziyi as Chiyo Sakamoto/Sayuri Nitta
* Ken Watanabe as The Chairman / Ken Iwamura
* Gong Li as Hatsumomo
* Michelle Yeoh as Mameha
* Youki Kudoh as Pumpkin
* Kōji Yakusho as Nobu
* Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as The Baron
* Suzuka Ohgo as Young Chiyo Sakamoto
* Kaori Momoi as Mother
* Kenneth Tsang as The General
* Karl Yune as Koichi


Original Sound Track :
01. Sayuri's Theme
02. The Journey To The Hanamachi
03. Going To School
04. Brush On Silk
05. Chiyo's Prayer
06. Becoming A Geisha
07. Finding Satsu
08. The Chairman's Waltz
09. The Rooftops Of Hanamachi
10. The Garden Meeting
11. Dr. Crab's Prize
12. Destiny's Path
13. A New Name...A New Life
14. The Fire Scene And The Coming Of War
15. As The Water...
16. Confluence
17. A Dream Discarded
18. Sayuri's Theme / End Credits

Plot :
The film, set in Japan, tells the story of Chiyo Sakamoto (portrayed by Suzuka Ohgo as a child, and by Zhang Ziyi as an adult), who is sold into a life of servitude by her parents when she is nine years old. Chiyo is taken in by the proprietress of a geisha house, Mother (Kaori Momoi), where she works to pay off the debt of her purchase and the soiling of a silk kimono owned by a well-known geisha, Mameha (Michelle Yeoh), which Chiyo was blackmailed into defacing by another geisha, Hatsumomo (Gong Li).

One day while crying in the street, the young Chiyo is noticed by the Chairman (Ken Watanabe), who buys her an iced sorbet and gives her his handkerchief. Inspired by his act of kindness, Chiyo resolves to become a geisha so that she may one day become a part of the Chairman’s life. Chiyo, now a young woman, is taken under the wing of Mameha, head of a rival geisha house. Under Mameha's tutelage, the girl Chiyo becomes Sayuri, the most famous geisha in all Gion, Kyoto. Hatsumomo becomes Sayuri's rival and seeks to destroy her; however, Hatsumomo ends up destroying herself instead after setting fire to the okiya.

Sayuri, through her work as a geisha, is reunited with the Chairman, whom she has secretly loved since she was a girl, although she is led to believe he has no memory of who she was before she became a geisha. Her prosperous life is cut short by the outbreak of World War II and while the safety of Sayuri and Mameha is ensured by the Chairman, they must endure a life of hard labour. After the war, Sayuri is reunited with Mameha, and they become geisha once more.

The Chairman arranges to meet Sayuri, where he finally reveals to her that he knows she is Chiyo. He tells her that he was responsible for sending Mameha to her so that she may fulfill her dreams of becoming a geisha. Sayuri finally reveals her love to the Chairman, which she has been harbouring for over fifteen years. The film ends with their loving embrace and a stroll through a beautiful Japanese garden with waterfalls and rocks.

Pictures :