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Memoirs of a Geisha
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Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 132 | slideshow) Videos (see all 5)
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) -- Nitta Sayuri reveals how she transcended her fishing-village roots and became one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) -- Clip: Your Offer
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) -- Nitta Sayuri reveals how she transcended her fishing-village roots and became one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) -- Nitta Sayuri reveals how she transcended her fishing-village roots and became one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) -- Clip: You Will Be Known As Sayuri

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   33,738 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 3% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Rob Marshall
Writers (WGA):
Robin Swicord (screenplay)
Arthur Golden (book)
Contact:
View company contact information for Memoirs of a Geisha on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 December 2005 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Plot:
Nitta Sayuri reveals how she transcended her fishing-village roots and became one of Japan's most celebrated geisha. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 3 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 28 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(43 articles)
Zhang Ziyi photos cause scandal in China
 (From digitalspy. 16 January 2009, 8:16 AM, PST)

Li branded 'traitor' for Singapore move
 (From digitalspy. 12 November 2008, 4:24 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Duel in the Rising Sun more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Suzuka Ohgo ... Chiyo

Togo Igawa ... Tanaka

Mako ... Sakamoto

Samantha Futerman ... Satsu

Elizabeth Sung ... Sakamoto's Wife
Thomas Ikeda ... Mr. Bekku
Li Gong ... Hatsumomo (as Gong Li)
Tsai Chin ... Auntie
Kaori Momoi ... Mother

Zoe Weizenbaum ... Young Pumpkin
David Okihiro ... Shamisen Teacher
Miyako Tachibana ... Dance Teacher
Kotoko Kawamura ... Granny

Karl Yune ... Koichi

Eugenia Yuan ... Korin
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for mature subject matter and some sexual content.
Runtime:
145 min | Philippines:140 min
Country:
USA
Language:
Japanese | English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Certification:
Finland:K-11 | UK:12A | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | Ireland:12A | Czech Republic:12 | Sweden:7 | Argentina:13 | Hong Kong:IIA | Germany:12 | Netherlands:MG6 | Malaysia:18PL | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Indonesia:Dewasa | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Brazil:14 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Canada Video Rating/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | France:Unrated | France:U | Singapore:NC-16 (special edition DVD) | Iceland:L | Hungary:14 | South Korea:15 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #41007) | China:(Banned)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The Sumo Wrestler who won the match is retired Sumo Wrestler Mainoumi who reached the rank of Komosubi (Junior Champion). He retired in November 1999 and is now a Sumo Announcer for NHK among other things. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Mameha cuts Sayuri's leg, during the dialogue Sayuri has a red ribbon and a pink comb in her hair. The pink comb disappears and reappears throughout the shots. more
Quotes:
Sayuri Narration: You cannot say to the sun, "More sun." Or to the rain, "Less rain." To a man, geisha can only be half a wife. We are the wives of nightfall. And yet, to learn kindness after so much unkindness, to understand that a little girl with more courage than she knew, would find her prayers were answered, can that not be called happiness? After all these are not the memoirs of an empress, nor of a queen. These are memoirs of another kind. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Will & Grace: Von Trapped (#8.10)" (2006) more
Soundtrack:
Anata No Mono Yo more

FAQ

What is the instrument that the geisha's were learning to play?
What was the significance of the handkerchief?
Is this movie based on a novel?
more
360 out of 480 people found the following comment useful:-
Duel in the Rising Sun, 13 December 2005
Author: Tony43 from Los Angeles

Looking over previous comments here, it is clear that this is a very polarizing movie experience, one that seems to put "Syriana" to shame in that realm. Director Rob Marshall has taken a best selling novel and turned out a feature film that it appears some people love and some absolutely hate. Count me in the first category, but allow me to indulge the critics, too.

First, this isn't a typical Hollywood film. Despite popular western misconceptions about Geishas, there's no sex, almost no violence and beyond that, there's nearly two and a half hours of women's problems that many men may find hard to relate to. This is not "Desperate Housewives" or even "All my Children." This is about deceit, treachery and rivalries as much as it is about a little girl who gets sold into bondage by her impoverished Japanese family. Its also about a lifelong search for love in a society in which people apparently can't just step up and make frank declarations of devotion to one another. This movie is in a word "complicated" and that is going to turn some American movie goers off.

But not all Asian film fans are raving about this movie either, some thinking it is a very superficial look at Japnese customs and others incensed that a movie that's about an important Japanese tradition should star three Chinese actresses. I cannot comment on either topic, since I know little or nothing about Japanese tradition and I don't know why Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yoeh and Gong Li were cast. They have been seen before by American audiences, but are hardly film stars in this country, so it wasn't as if they were going to draw in tons of fans on their names alone.

The only thing I can think of is, all three are fine actresses and they more than proved that in this film. If Gong Li does not get a best supporting actress nomination, there's no justice. And Zhang should probably get a crack at best actress for her work, as well.

All three just light up the screen.

But, I can understand in this age of political correctness, how some would be offended by the casting and how others might complain about the handling of the Japanese subject matter.

All I can say is, movie makers face trade offs and one is either targeting your film to a mass audience (and in America, that means a generally poorly educated audience) or "narrow casting" your film to people very well acquainted with the topic who will swoop down on any flaw. But that, when dealing with a topic like Japanese geisha culture, is a pretty small audience in America, too small to generate the kind of box office a film like this needs to pull in to pay for itself. From a purely Anglo, American, unschooled in Japanese culture standpoint, I think Marshall made good decisions. I hope he has not slighted Japanese culture too much, but I think he has made a suspenseful, captivating, enchanting film that does something a lot of films haven't in recent years.

He gave us a complex central character we can pull for throughout the film and for that, I thank him.

"Memoirs of a Geisha" ranks among my five best films of the year thus far, and deserves a best picture nomination.

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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Does anyone thing that Gong Li deserved an Oscar? davidxx-1
Well Made Interesting Movie, But (SPOILER) joeann_21
Sayuri's Sister Question awesome606
Only 7.1??? heyouactor
You could tell that it was American made by Randominana
Sociopathy + Charm + Villain = Hatsumomo? mariana_lima18
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