Memoirs of a Geisha [Blu-ray]

Director: Rob Marshall Rob Marshall

Overview

This film, based on the novel by Arthur Golden, unfolds from the perspective of Chiyo (Zhang Ziyi), a girl who, at the age of nine, is sold to a geisha house in Kyoto in the early 1930s. Here, she learns that becoming a geisha can be the single path to wealth and independence for a woman. The head geisha of her house, however, Hatsumomo (Gong Li), is bitterly jealous of Chiyo and abuses her at every opportunity. Eventually Chiyo is taken under the wing of Hatsumomo's rival, Mameha (Michelle Yeoh), by far the most famous and successful geisha in their district. Under Mameha's tutelage, Chiyo becomes Sayuri, the most legendary geisha in the nation, skilled in all areas, from conversation to dance, and sought after by seemingly every man alive...except for the one whom she has secretly longed for since she began her training, The Chairman (Ken Watanabe) -- a man who showed her kindness at a time when her view of the world had turned the most bleak. Now as World War II approaches, Japan stands at the brink of a new era and Sayuri must confront the possibility that history will leave all that she has worked for behind.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/25/2007
UPC:	0043396211278
Original Release:	2005
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	SONY PICTURES
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:25:00
Sales rank:	14,895

Special Features

Commentary with Rob Marshall and John Deluca; Commentary with Colleen Atwood, John Myhere and Pietro Scalia; Sayuri's Journey: From the Novel to the Screen; The Road to Japan; Geisha Bootcamp; Building the Hanamachi; The Look of Geisha; The Music of "Memoirs"; A Geisha's Dance; The World of the Geisha; The Way of the Sumo; Director Rob Marshall's story; A Day With Chef Nobu Matsuhisa; Chef Nobu's Recipes; Behind the Scenes photo gallery; Costume Illustrations photo gallery; Content Index: instant navigation to disc contents!

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ziyi Zhang	Sayuri
Li Gong	Hatsumomo
Michelle Yeoh	Mameha,Mameha
Elizabeth Sung	Sakamoto's Wife,Sakamoto's Wife
Suzuka Ohgo	Chiyo
Kaori Momoi	Mother,Mother
Koji Yakusho	Nobu
Yûki Kudô	Pumpkin
Togo Igawa	Tanaka
Samantha Futerman	Satsu
Zoë Weizenbaum	Young Pumpkin,Young Pumpkin
Thomas Ikeda	Mr. Bekku
David Okihiro	Shamisen Teacher,Shamisen Teacher
Tsai Chin	Auntie
Miyako Tachibana	Dance Teacher,Dance Teacher
Kotoko Kawamura	Granny
Karl Yune	Koichi
Eugenia Yuan	Korin
Yoko Narahashi	Mameha's Maid,Mameha's Maid(as Yoko Narahashi)
Kent Tseng	The General
Navia Nguyen	Izuko - Geisha in Green
Natsuo Tomita	Geisha in Lavender
Fumi Akutagawa	Yukimoto Teahouse Matron
Hiroyuki Tagawa	The Baron
Koji Toyoda	Male Hairdresser
Rick Mali	Man in Grey Hat
Steve Terada	Boy on Bike
Laura Miro	Yukimoto Teahouse Geisha
Diane Mizota	Yukimoto Teahouse Geisha
Ren Urano	Sumo Ring Announcer
Ace Yonamine	Sumo Wrestler
Albert Lee	Sumo Wrestler,Maiko
Randall Duk Kim	Dr. Crab
Takayo Fischer	Tanizato Teahouse Owner
Gong Li	Actor
Nobu Matsuhisa	Kimono Artist
Jim Leung	Kimono Factory Worker
Chad Cleven	Drunken G.I.
Cameron Duncan	Drunken G.I.
Faith Shin	Little Kiko
Brannon Bates	Military Police Officer
Ted Levine	Colonel Derricks
Paul Adelstein	Lieutenant Hutchins
Shizuko Hoshi	Sayuri Narration
Michelle Aguilar Camaya	Spring Festival Dancer
Janelle Dote	Spring Festival Dancer
Kim Hazel	Spring Festival Dancer
Hikari	Spring Festival Dancer
Minae Noji	Spring Festival Dancer
Miki Fujitani	Festival Rehearsal Dancer
Chieko Hidaka	Festival Rehearsal Dancer
Wendy Lam	Festival Rehearsal Dancer
Kanako Miyamoto	Festival Rehearsal Dancer
Nikki Tuazon	Festival Rehearsal Dancer
Addie Yungmee	Festival Rehearsal Dancer
Lena Ahn	Student Dancer
Hannah Hwang	Student Dancer
Jacqueline Osaki	Student Dancer
La Na Shi	Student Dancer
Kazumi Aihara	The Baron's Guest
Jennie Baek	Geisha
Allen Dam	Spa Patron
James Huang	Spa Worker
Masa Kanome	Radio Caster
Aurelie Kyinn	Wealthy Guest
Ruffy Landayan	Military Soldier
Jon Liggett	Drunken G.I.
Julia Ling	Spring Festival Dancer
Jia Perlich	Sexy Geisha
Tohoru Masamune	Radio Announcer
Danton Mew	Takamaya Towel Servant
Ryan Moriarty	Teahouse Patron
Sophie Oda	Kimono Factory Worker
Ricky Pak	Spa Patron
Steffinnie Phrommany	Geisha
Catherine Kim Poon	Geisha
Osamu Saito	Chairman's servant Arima
Austin Michael Scott	Drunken G.I.
Cathy Shim	The Baron's Guest
Aaron Takahashi	Rickshaw Runner
Henry T. Yamada	Sumo Judge
Joseph Steven Yang	Spa Patron
Sam Arnold	American Military Officer

Technical Credits

Robin Swicord

Rob Marshall	Director,Director
Roger Birnbaum	Executive Producer
Lucy Fisher	Producer,Producer
Doug Wick	Producer,Producer
Francine Maisler	Casting
John Pritchett	Sound/Sound Designer
Robin Swicord	Screenwriter
Steve Spielberg	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Critics and readers embraced Arthur Golden's debut novel, Memoirs of a Geisha, an imaginative Cinderella story set in pre-World War II Japan; and its runaway bestseller status ensured a sumptuous Hollywood treatment. On the way to the screen, a controversy arose over director Rob Marshall’s decision to cast Chinese actresses as the central Japanese characters -- and critics seemed to smell blood, subjecting the film to unfairly middling reviews. Not surprisingly, Hollywood felt differently, awarding Oscars to the sumptuous Memoirs for its art direction, cinematography, and costume design. Ziyi Zhang and Michelle Yeoh, the female leads from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, reunite here as Sayuri, the former slave girl who becomes one of Japan’s most desirable geishas, and Mameha, the younger woman’s instructor and mentor. Gong Li, another superstar of Hong Kong cinema, contributes a stellar performance as Sayuri’s unscrupulous rival, Hatsumomo. Both women compete for the attentions of an important dignitary known only as the Chairman (Ken Watanabe), whom Sayuri has loved ever since meeting him by chance while still a slave. What makes the film especially mesmerizing is its retention of one of the book’s most fascinating elements: The relationship between the women and the men they entertain. Geishas represent a values system that endured for centuries. Their clients, meanwhile, are the powerful modernizers of Japan, the creators of a military machine that the emperor uses to plunge the nation into war. Still, the main story here is of a woman’s love and her single-minded pursuit of a seemingly impossible dream. Zhang is, as usual, radiantly beautiful, and she conveys the heartbreak of someone who sacrifices much to gain precious little. Her performance is a revelation, although it’s just one of many that makes Memoirs of a Geisha a lush and rewarding screen treat.