Memoirs of a Geisha The Much Anticipated Adaptation of the 1997 Best Seller

Memoirs of a Geisha, Rob Marshall’s much anticpated adaptation of the 1997 best seller is a mixed bag.  Technically flawless and well acted it still fails to totally engage.  Still with a fascinating middle section that delves into the making of a geisha it's hard to call it a true disappointment. 

The film begins in 1929, with Chiyo (Suzuka Ohgo) and her sister being sold off after the death of their mother.  The girls are separated into different geisha houses (or "okiya").  Soon she's doing menial labor with another girl named Pumpkin.   We soon meet Hatsumomo (Gong Li) who is the top geisha at the okiya.  She also happens to be a real shrew - and that's saying it nicely.  She routinely treats Chiyo badly and makes her take the blame for rules that she violated.  As a result Chiyo gets beaten badly on several occassions.   

After trying to escape on more than one occassion and learning that her sister ran away from her geisha house things look increasingly bleak.  Then one day Chiyo meets a businessman, the Chairman (Ken Watanabe), who buys her an ice candy. This nice man who takes the time to pick her up while she's down inspires Chiyo to become a geisha.

We move ahead a few years and now Chiyo (Ziyi Zhang) is 15.  She's still treated as a slave until one day Mameha (Michelle Yeoh) one of the most successful geisha in Kyoto negotiates with the okiya Mother to train Chiyo as a geisha herself.  This infuriates Hatsumomo, who all but swears that she will make Chiyo's life miserable.  

Now the film hits its stride as Mameha instructs her pupil.  She also bestows her a new name, Sayuri.  As Sayuri learns dancing and other tricks of geisha her confidence grows.  With Mameha at her side Sayuri remeets the Chairman and his business associate Nobu (Koji Yakusho).