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Based on the critically-acclaimed novel by Arthur Golden about a young girl from a small fishing village whose poverty-stricken childhood led her to become the most celebrated geisha in the Japanese districts of Gion in the 1930's, "Memoirs of a Geisha" succeeds on almost all levels in transforming the book into a memorable cinematic experience.

Director Rob Marshall's "Geisha" moves along at a flawless, consistent pace; as the film seductively and seamlessly builds towards a climax, the earth tones of the fishing village ar replaced by gorgeous, painted faces and landscapes of crystal-clear water and cherry blossoms. As Zhang's innocent, blue-eyed Chiyo morphs into the self-aware Sayuri and elevates her status, she is confronted with the painful paradox of acheiving the power to seduce while being unable to pursue her own destiny. Mameha (Michelle Yeoh) plays Sayuri's fairy godmother to Hatsumomo's (Gong Li) wicked stepsister, teaching Sayuri the ettiquette of a geisha while the other is set on destroying her. The onset of World War II and the American occupation changes the dynamic of the character's lives, forcing concealed emotions to come bursting out into the open.

"Memoirs of a Geisha" operates on two levels: it juxtaposes Saturi's changing fate with the changing destiny of post-WWII Japan, and uses as a metaphor the makeup and costumes of the geishas as disguises for hidden feelings and tragic, fragile secrets left unspoken. Zhang's Sayuri develops the power to stop a man in his track with just one look, as she, the girl with the watery eyes, learns the art of subtle manipulation and seductive mannerisms of a geisha which transform the world around her into an intoxicating mixture of lust and drama.

The irony about "Geisha" is that critics point to the fact that Chinese actors are playing Japanese roles, although the fact that all the characters speak English in 1930's Japan is more of an obvious flaw. But because Marshall uses restraint in detailing the seductive and alluring when it could have so easily embraced sensationalism, "Memoirs of a Geisha" will be forever preserved as a beautiful but complex tale of love and loss, in which the characters are dangerously propelled by their ideas of beauty to act outside of their stereotyped roles and throw caution to the wind.

© 2005 Aaron Bayley