Ziyi Zhang Movie:

		List Price: $19.94		Label: Sony Pictures Salesrank: 23808 Released: March 28, 2006
		Our Price: $5.00
		Used Price: $1.48
		MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
In the years before wwii a japanese child is torn from her poor family to work at a geisha house. Despite a treacherous rival who nearly breaks her spirit the girl blossoms into the legendary geisha sayuri. Beautiful & accomplished sayuri captivates the most powerful men of her day but love eludes her Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 10/03/2006 Starring: Zhang Ziyi Michelle Yeoh Run time: 145 minutes Rating: Pg13

Description of Memoirs of a Geisha (Full Screen 2-Disc Special Edition):
Chicago director Rob Marshall's pretty but empty (or pretty empty) film has all the elements of an Oscar® contender: solid adaptation (from Arthur Golden's bestseller), beautiful locale, good acting, lush cinematography. But there's something missing at the heart, which leaves the viewer sucked in, then left completely detached from what's going on.

It's hard to find fault with the fascinating story, which traces a young girl's determination to free herself from the imprisonment of scullery maid to geisha, then from the imprisonment of geisha to a woman allowed to love. Chiyo (Suzuka Ohgo), a young girl with curious blue eyes, is sold to a geisha house and doomed to pay off her debt as a cleaning girl until a stranger named The Chairman (Ken Watanabe) shows her kindness. She is inspired to work hard and become a geisha in order to be near the Chairman, with whom she has fallen in love. An experienced geisha (Michelle Yeoh) chooses to adopt her as an apprentice and to use as a pawn against her rival, the wicked, legendary Hatsumomo (Gong Li). Chiyo (played as an older woman by Ziyi Zhang), now renamed Sayuri, becomes the talk of the town, but as her path crosses again and again with the Chairman's, she finds the closer she gets to him the further away he seems. Her newfound "freedom" turns out to be trapping, as men are allowed to bid on everything from her time to her virginity.

Some controversy swirled around casting Chinese actresses in the three main Japanese roles, but Zhang, Yeoh and Gong in particular ably prove they're the best for the part. It's admirable that all the actors attempted to speak Japanese-accented English, but some of the dialogue will still prove difficult to understand; perhaps it contributes to some of the emotion feeling stilted. Geisha has all the ingredients of a sweeping, heartbreaking epic and follows the recipe to a T, but in the end it's all dressed up with no place to go.--Ellen A. Kim

Memoirs of a Geisha (Full Screen 2-Disc Special Edition) Reviews:
The greatest true story that never was.
2008-12-30 - Hard to belive this is not a true story. Looks and sounds great on Blu-Ray. For you who say its not the book remember, this is a movie based on a book so watch the movie for what it is, A MOVIE!

2.5 stars out of 4
2008-12-27 - The Bottom Line:

Memoirs of a Geisha uses actors whose English skills preclude authentic performances and a story that moves along a predetermined line (and decides that World War II wasn't important to Japan) towards a conclusion that rings hollow; this movie is gorgeous to look at but nothing more.

Fantastic
2008-12-16 - I bought this movie (which is one of my favorites). Movie
was brand new and I didn't have to wait long to get it.
I always buy from Amazon because they have the best service
and suppliers. Thanks.

Just a plain good movie
2008-12-14 - Memoirs embodies what movies should be and become. Such a visually well done movie with great acting and well played emotion throughout the entire movie.

Wonderful movie!
2008-12-11 - I have seen hundreds of movies and this one is very unique. It deals with the complex a complex occupation though it is stated that these are fictional accounts.

Its heartfelt, warm, artsy and refreshing when compared to a western lifestyle.