bought the book a few years back. think you may be able to find it in the library near you? anyway can't remember the story now...gotta read it again.

I borrowed the book ages ago. I borrowed it for about half a year and I couldn't get past the first chapter. I'm probably the only one here that haven't read the book. I tried to get into it, but I just can't. LOL

You guys think I should reborrow it and give it a second try?

Summer Snow wrote:

I borrowed the book ages ago. I borrowed it for about half a year and I couldn't get past the first chapter. I'm probably the only one here that haven't read the book. I tried to get into it, but I just can't. LOL You guys think I should reborrow it and give it a second try?

I only read the first 15-20 pages or so. But I never went further because I just never had time.

finished the book. not fantastic, but readable

Summer Snow wrote:

I'm probably the only one here that haven't read the book.

Make that two. I have no interest in reading the book.

I read the book when it came out.

I liked it.

That's why I'm glad some very talented people are going to turn it into a movie.

bmwracer wrote:

Is it all those years working for the State Department??

Et tu, BMW?

Kijinnmaru wrote:

Et tu, BMW?

What on earth do you mean??

I was also disappointed upon hearing that all the main actresses would be Chinese rather than Japanese. Not to slight the actresses chosen, but it would have been nice to see some Japanese actresses have a chance at the spotlight, especially in a story set in Japan.

As for the book, it was okay, but I found it somewhat cliched and shallow. It was not a story that stayed with me.

--Maria

hmmm i like the book.. zhang zi yi and the others are great artists but i dont think that the roles in memoirs of a geisha will suit them..

It is funny, now that I think about it that all the main geishas are Chinese actresses. I don't really care for Zhang Ziyi or Michelle Yeoh that much, but I love Gong Li. She's a wonderful actress and having read the book, I can definitely see her as Hatsumomo.

I've also felt that there has been some rival tension between Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li since both have dated or are dating Zhang Yimou.

Anyway, Gong Li has also been in movies such as "To Live" (I definitely recommend this movie), "The Emperor and the Assassin", "The Emperor's Concubine", etc. She's well known throughout China and international critics alike. I really hope that this movie gives her more fame in the mainstream audience.

Another reason Japanese actresses weren't chosen is because there are so few Japanese actresses who have made it "big" in the US theatres/international market. Lately, only Koyuki has been cast in a mainstream film "ie Last Samurai" and maybe this will prompt other Japanese actresses being cast into Hollywood films.

Furthermore, Japanese films (other than the horror film genre, Akira Kurosawa films, and Hayao Miyazaki animation films) aren't as widely known by the international audience. Thus, people are not as familiar with the actors/actresses there nor are Japanese movies as widely distributed as per se Hong Kong/Mainland China films/Korean films.
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pcmodem wrote:

I know... Along that line, I adore Audrey Hepburn and like the song Moon River from the classic film Breakfast at Tiffany's... but the potrayal of Japanese in that film is one of the most racist and deplorable characterizations in Hollywood's history. Mickey Rooney is cast as a buffoon repressed Japanese. -PCM

That was one of the reasons I couldn't enjoy it as much. I thought it was a rather low thing to do, and it really brought the movie down a notch or two.. ><

Anyway, my roommate loves that book, but now she's upset too. ;_;

Eightysix: I'm sure your Murakami book is better than this book..*loves Murakami* Although this book isn't bad, it's no Murakami XD XD XD

That's too bad that they won't star Koyuki or other Japanese actresses in it. I know as long as ZZY stars in it, I won't watch it. She's pure hype with no basis.

xyz

I read 'Memoirs' what seems like decades ago - and I remember enjoying it very much. However, I read in an article in Reader's Digest that Arthur Golden(sp?) was sued by one of the original geishas the book was based on. It had to do with inaccurate information and all. So what can I say? Not everything ya read in a book is true.

Casting ZZY, Michelle, and Gong Li in the movie is a very smart and marketable move. But if this movie was aimed at only the Asian market, there are definitely more suitable actresses for the roles. Pitting ZZY and Gong Li against each other is great. But I have a feeling this will only stir up more rivalry between the two. Personally, I adore Gong Li and believe that she's the better actress. If anything, GL may just steal the spotlight from ZZY. I think it'd be best if this movie was subtitled...but anyway, I doubt I'll be seeing it anyways.

pcmodern,

Im curious as to why you think that Matsushima Nanako would be a good choice as Hatsumomo. I've always seen her more as an ingenue than any other role. neh...maybe I'm just biased. Perhaps if she was younger( but really 30 isn't THAT old), I would choose her for the role of Sayuri.

fayenatic wrote:

pcmodern, Im curious as to why you think that Matsushima Nanako would be a good choice as Hatsumomo. I've always seen her more as an ingenue than any other role. neh...maybe I'm just biased. Perhaps if she was younger( but really 30 isn't THAT old), I would choose her for the role of Sayuri.

After seeing Matsushima Nanako as Jinno Sakurako in Yamato Nadeshiko, realized that Nanako definitely has the range to play someone like Hatsumomo.

It's important to realize that in a movie or other stage production, it's important to cast a very good actress/actor as the villian, or else the heroine/hero's struggle during the story is not as impressive. Hence, casting a terrific actress like Matsushima Nanako would make Hatsumomo quite intimidating. Additionally, Hatsumomo and her rival, Mameha, were supposed to be significantly older than Sayuri, hence I chose actresses in their 30s or older.
-PCM

pcmodem wrote:

I know... Along that line, I adore Audrey Hepburn and like the song Moon River from the classic film Breakfast at Tiffany's... but the potrayal of Japanese in that film is one of the most racist and deplorable characterizations in Hollywood's history. Mickey Rooney is cast as a buffoon repressed Japanese. -PCM

There was still very much an anti-Japanese sentiment during that period here in the US.

..y'know... that whole WW2 thing?
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On a random note, at my uncle's 60th birthday the other weekend in LA, I heard that some distant relative of mine in her 20's plays a background character in this movie!
-PCM

pcmodem wrote:

On a random note, at my uncle's 60th birthday the other weekend in LA, I heard that some distant relative of mine in her 20's plays a background character in this movie! -PCM

That's pretty cool.

I'm know I'm late jumping on this, but I was pretty dissapointed about this too. The only actress I didn't feel too bad about was Gong Li...but still....
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-=kitakaze=-

wai wrote:

finished the book. not fantastic, but readable

I've read it a couple of years ago and I have to agree with you. The pacing of the book was going great, just great. But the end was blah and just got dissapointed after so much fuss. *shrug*

About the Chinese atresses, that's idiotic, considering how many good Japanese actresses are out there to make this fim -fantastic-. I hate Michelle Yeoh for a number or reasons, and I'm not surprised she got casted. Really sad.

I read the book, it was OK, it didn't smack me out of my boots, but yeah, there is worse stuff out there. Of course, it wasn't a Murakami or anything along that line, so what did I expect.

Funny though, I basically don't pay attention to the movie. If I want to see the distorted view of something then I watch those ridiculous Missing In Action movies.

MoG (kinda of funny, wasn't Mogadishu called "The Mog" back in the 90s when the Army Rangers were there?) ranks very low on my "must see" list. I think even SW Episode 3 ranks higher, and that says a lot. There are more interesting moves for me to see this year.