Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

35% of critics liked it
(158 reviews)
82% of users liked it
(440,831 ratings)

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… More 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. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: Rob Marshall
Written By: Robin Swicord, Doug Wright
Genres: Drama, Romance

In Theaters: Dec 16, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Mar 28, 2006
Studio: Sony Pictures

Critic Reviews

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
The subject remained interesting enough to this provincial American to accept and ultimately enjoy the film's well-worn romanticism, even with its resignedly tired happy ending.
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
Memoirs of a Geisha is everything you'd expect it to be: beautiful, mesmerizing, tasteful, Japanese. It's just not very hot.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
... a fascinating glimpse at a lost world of women with skin of porcelain and spines of steel, and the men in their thrall.
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle
It is a lush, blushingly romantic portrait of Asian culture as seen through a Western lens.
Tom Long, Detroit News
The performances are good, the visuals are lush, the span is epic, but the film simply never soars.
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
... good-looking but not quite memorable ...
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Titanic fraudulence
Simon Weaving, Screenwize
It's lush, stylish and a feast for the eyes and ears rather than the heart and soul.
Paul Chambers, CNNRadio
The screenplay was lacking, the characters not engaging, the story dragged on and no real insights on being a geisha. Paul Chambers, CNN.
Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
Visually gorgeous, but slow-moving and not meant for kids.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Sayuri's journey was just interesting enough to make it enjoyable, but the visual style was the true marvel.
Jamie Gillies, Apollo Guide
While there is a single disc version of this movie on DVD, the first and best release is a two-disc set.
Jamie Gillies, Apollo Guide
Director Rob Marshall has a sophomore flop on his hands.
David Noh, Film Journal International
For all of its inaccuracies and over-the-top mise-en-scène, Memoirs is quite entertaining.
Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses
full review in Greek
Camerin Courtney, Christianity Today
The overall effect is not so unlike Mameha's description of geisha themselves: a moving work of art.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Letitia L

Gorgeous movie.
Jeff "

Having read the book, I found that the film version of Memoirs of a Geisha was a near flawless film with an incredible story. This film is the perfect example of a love story done right. I felt that the characters truly felt something for each other and the chemistry between Ken… More
Having read the book, I found that the film version of Memoirs of a Geisha was a near flawless film with an incredible story. This film is the perfect example of a love story done right. I felt that the characters truly felt something for each other and the chemistry between Ken Wantanabe and Ziyi Zhang was believable. Unlike most romance films, you feel that emotions between the two characters are real and don't feel corny. Memoirs of a Geisha is a terrific, well acted film. Probably the only weak point of the film is the casting of two Chinese actresses in the role of the leads, Michelle Yeoh and Ziyi Zhang. I thought that this film should have had an all Japanese cast, but unfortunately, it didn't. Despite this small flaw, Memoirs of a Geisha is a stunning film that is beautifully acted, directed and told. Not only that, but the film looks stunning. A beautiful film that I believe is one of the best Romance films of the last ten years. This is better than most romance films in my opinion because I felt the characters in the film had genuine emotions going on. This is a near flawless picture that will stay with you long after you've seen it. Rob Marshall has crafted a beautiful film that has incredible performances and this is overall a solid piece of film.
xGary X

Memoirs Of A Geisha follows the life of a girl sold by her family from a poor fishing village into servitude in a geisha house. Looking like a who's who of all the usual Asian suspects (although a few more Japanese faces mightn't have gone amiss) this film is one of those… More
Memoirs Of A Geisha follows the life of a girl sold by her family from a poor fishing village into servitude in a geisha house. Looking like a who's who of all the usual Asian suspects (although a few more Japanese faces mightn't have gone amiss) this film is one of those visually sumptuous period pieces that has "Oscar Nominated" written all over it. It plays out like a ritualization of sexual politics in which the feisty young heroine wins out in the game of social one-upmanship with her sluttier, bitchier rival to become the most envied and admired woman in town, all the while holding a torch for her one true love (who just happens to be dashingly handsome, wealthy, influential and unattainable too. Surprise surprise...) It's easy to be cynical at these kinds of thing, but the cast are impeccible and the costume design, sets and cinematography all splendid, but I couldn't help noting the irony of the post war section of the film in which Zhang is distraught at the sight of "her" culture becoming a homogenized post card to be sent back to the states. After all, isn't this film just a pseudo high brow extension of that very same process...? I must admit I did enjoy the peek behind the petticoats of homogenized Japanese culture, being as interested in it as the next western devil, and the combination of period detail and intellectualized soap opera is quite entertaining. I can't really take it seriously as a piece of art however, because it's really the visuals that make this film what it is; scrape away the elaborate make up and you have a generic female crowd pleaser (the learning-to-be-a-geisha montage in particular made "You're The Best" from The Karate Kid pop into my head) and it's really just Pretty Woman for Guardian readers.
Wahida K

Ziya Zhang is very talented Actress. I have seen many of her Asian Movies before Steven Spielberg discovered her. Who ever thought? Memoirs of Geisha moved me alot. <i>You cannot say to the sun, "More sun." Or to the rain, "Less rain." Water is powerful.… More
Ziya Zhang is very talented Actress. I have seen many of her Asian Movies before Steven Spielberg discovered her. Who ever thought? Memoirs of Geisha moved me alot. <i>You cannot say to the sun, "More sun." Or to the rain, "Less rain." Water is powerful. It can wash away earth, put out fire, and even destroy iron What better advise to follow than your own. </i>
Thomas J

Nice story that takes a lot of time to tell. I had to watch with subtitles even thought they spoke English, it was still difficult to understand. Educational about what a Geisha's life would be like, but still a good bit of mystery.
Dead A

Never knew what Geisha was. This was okay.
Jennifer D

I must say I think it was a very faithful adaptation to the book. Perhaps because of that reading, I did not find as dull as other reviewers on here. Visually, it was very pretty, but this story is about social class, structure with a lite touch on love. It's about a geisha, not… More
I must say I think it was a very faithful adaptation to the book. Perhaps because of that reading, I did not find as dull as other reviewers on here. Visually, it was very pretty, but this story is about social class, structure with a lite touch on love. It's about a geisha, not a girlfriend. I liked it a lot, but that was me. I found all the actors to be fantastic and very bit of it captivating.
Anthony L

I feel lazy for not reading the book first. I really did enjoy this film but I do wish it had been a Japanese production. It was a bit too westernised for my liking. That said, the cinematography and the acting are fantastic!
Lorenzo v

The experience of watching this film is mesmerizing. Not only is it beautiful, but the acting is terrific all around. I didn't want it to end. Can't wait to see it again to soak in the atmosphere and story more deeply. The use of color alone is worth studying closely. Later… More
The experience of watching this film is mesmerizing. Not only is it beautiful, but the acting is terrific all around. I didn't want it to end. Can't wait to see it again to soak in the atmosphere and story more deeply. The use of color alone is worth studying closely. Later revelations paint certain characters in whole new lights, so I look forward to watching those performances again more omnisciently, to see nuances I'd missed.
Lady D

The film occasionally captures some amazing views, this slow movie epic is revealing and intriguing. Definitely worth a watch for the theme of the film.
Dean M

This U.S. film production of Japan is very fascinating and interesting story of a 'geisha' what I wanted to give some experiences on Japanese culture. Zhang Ziyi does a wonderful performance as an innocent girl who rises to prominence as a geisha. The landscapes of Japan… More
This U.S. film production of Japan is very fascinating and interesting story of a 'geisha' what I wanted to give some experiences on Japanese culture. Zhang Ziyi does a wonderful performance as an innocent girl who rises to prominence as a geisha. The landscapes of Japan look fantastic.
Tim S

Compelling and well made.
Mike S

As someone who truly likes japanese culture (both ancient and modern), I found this movie fairly interesting from the get-go, despite having heard so many luke-warm and negative reviews. The story is quite sad, lenghty and melodramatic, but I kind of liked it anyway, as it gave a good… More
As someone who truly likes japanese culture (both ancient and modern), I found this movie fairly interesting from the get-go, despite having heard so many luke-warm and negative reviews. The story is quite sad, lenghty and melodramatic, but I kind of liked it anyway, as it gave a good in-depth look at the complex life and protocols of a geisha. It's certainly not a movie for everyone, but if you can handle its long running-time and look past the fact that the dialogue is in english (which unfortunately gave it a less authentic and more stilted feel), you may find it worth the watch for its beauty alone. For this film, regardless of said weaknesses, was a pleasant feast for the eyes.
Lanning :

I've said I never get tired of Ziyi Zhang, and this film has not changed that. This being said, I wonder if we'll ever move to a point where stories told about people in, say, Japan are acted using, oh, Japanese language? The brokenly accented English here is just plain… More
I've said I never get tired of Ziyi Zhang, and this film has not changed that. This being said, I wonder if we'll ever move to a point where stories told about people in, say, Japan are acted using, oh, Japanese language? The brokenly accented English here is just plain sad. If the script couldn't be done in Japanese, regardless of the book it came from, the film should not have been made. And I love Ziyi Zhang and Gong Li -- they're on my favorite actors list -- but they really, seriously, searched high and low, beat every bush, and still could not find three Japanese actresses to play the three principal roles? Not Norika Fujiwara? Not Takako Tokiwa? Not Yukie Nakama? Not even Chiaki "Gogo" Kuriyama? Nobody? Really? Man . . . truly sad all the way around.
Nani V

Beautiful movie.
Cindy I

I enjoyed this tale of a young girl's life from child to famous geisha, but it just didn't hold my attention enough to give it a full four stars. The sets and costumes were beautiful, and I fully intend to buy the soundtrack. Zyang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh were good in their… More
I enjoyed this tale of a young girl's life from child to famous geisha, but it just didn't hold my attention enough to give it a full four stars. The sets and costumes were beautiful, and I fully intend to buy the soundtrack. Zyang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh were good in their roles, Ken Watanabe was wonderful as usual, and Gong Li had me hating her as the spiteful geisha. I even learned some things about the geisha life of which I wasn't familiar. But there just seemed to be an emotional element missing for me. And the ending didn't work for me. I would have preferred for it to go the other way. Not a waste of time by any means, but I would have liked a little more substance to go along with the beauty of it all.
Dean L

Excellent. Beautiful. Stunning. I have yet to see Zhang Ziyi in a film that was not mesmerizing. This movie is a beautiful depiction of a culture within a culture...a heritage. Forget the "farewell"...come to me my concubine.
Candy R

not as good as I thought it was going to be.
Jennifer X

beautiful but boring.
Rachel F

Amazing actors, plot, scenery, everything. Watch it.