本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Memoirs of a Geisha
Walking out of the movie theatre, I am quite pleasantly surprised by the movie.
First I think the director Rob Marshall deserves a big applause for trying to a make a movie out of a bestseller, which has been so popular and widely read that it would challenge any attempt to recreate a competiting on-screen version of it. As we all expect, the critics are all ruthless. But he did a wonderful job of creating a bountiful visual feast of Japanese culture (whether is 100% authentic or not) for all of us. Some people have attacked him for making a tacky love story, but the original story line between Sayuri and Chairman was quite weak and silly to begin with. I didn't believe there's much creditbility in the romance when i first read the book. The true highlight of Sayuri's story is the making of a geisha from nobody by overcoming jealousy from peers, financial hardship and the loss of love and family. And I think Rob Marshall have done quite a decent job of narrating that part of the story.
It leads to the other aspect of the movie --- the cast. I would give all the three main actresses at least A- for their performance. It is a pity that there are not many character development opportunities for Michelle Yeoh and Gong Li. In the movie Michelle Yeoh resorts to her old wise mentor style in "Hidden dragon and crunching tiger" , and Gong Li looks to me the reincarnation of Judo and Songlian again, except in kimono instead of Qipao. But funny enough that anyone (non-asians) I talked to, who has watched the movie, was all saying that Gong Li is the best of them all. Her acting is totally spontaneous and crisp, making a huge contrast against the dullness of Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh. I have never doubted that Gong Li is a great actress, but she has yet to learn how to play a japanese b*** as versus a chinese b****.
Zhang Ziyi's makeup and costumes are absolutely stunning. There are two my favorite scenes in the movie, and both are portraited by her. One is the umbrella dance, once again she proves herself to be one of the most talented dancers of all the actresses. The other one is her throwing away Chairman's handkerchief on the mountain. Very little emotion shown on her face, but the look in her eyes and the very action of letting the handkerchief fall out of her hand in the gust of wind is a heartbreaking manifestation of her dispair and anguish. For me those two scenes alone would be worth coming to see the movie.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
Walking out of the movie theatre, I am quite pleasantly surprised by the movie.
First I think the director Rob Marshall deserves a big applause for trying to a make a movie out of a bestseller, which has been so popular and widely read that it would challenge any attempt to recreate a competiting on-screen version of it. As we all expect, the critics are all ruthless. But he did a wonderful job of creating a bountiful visual feast of Japanese culture (whether is 100% authentic or not) for all of us. Some people have attacked him for making a tacky love story, but the original story line between Sayuri and Chairman was quite weak and silly to begin with. I didn't believe there's much creditbility in the romance when i first read the book. The true highlight of Sayuri's story is the making of a geisha from nobody by overcoming jealousy from peers, financial hardship and the loss of love and family. And I think Rob Marshall have done quite a decent job of narrating that part of the story.
It leads to the other aspect of the movie --- the cast. I would give all the three main actresses at least A- for their performance. It is a pity that there are not many character development opportunities for Michelle Yeoh and Gong Li. In the movie Michelle Yeoh resorts to her old wise mentor style in "Hidden dragon and crunching tiger" , and Gong Li looks to me the reincarnation of Judo and Songlian again, except in kimono instead of Qipao. But funny enough that anyone (non-asians) I talked to, who has watched the movie, was all saying that Gong Li is the best of them all. Her acting is totally spontaneous and crisp, making a huge contrast against the dullness of Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh. I have never doubted that Gong Li is a great actress, but she has yet to learn how to play a japanese b*** as versus a chinese b****.
Zhang Ziyi's makeup and costumes are absolutely stunning. There are two my favorite scenes in the movie, and both are portraited by her. One is the umbrella dance, once again she proves herself to be one of the most talented dancers of all the actresses. The other one is her throwing away Chairman's handkerchief on the mountain. Very little emotion shown on her face, but the look in her eyes and the very action of letting the handkerchief fall out of her hand in the gust of wind is a heartbreaking manifestation of her dispair and anguish. For me those two scenes alone would be worth coming to see the movie.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net