rafaelacavlina It's suh an amazing movie! But as it was discussed before, it's not accurate..unfortunately. The movie is based on a book and the writer of the book (based on the interview with Mineko Iwasaki) misunderstood the whole thing. Geishas are represented literally like whores (which is not true). And then people think of geishas like that. That is the problem. But if we put that aside, the movie is still beautiful and one of my favorites!

Lola A I have read the book and as such I was very excited to watch the movie. Given that Les Miserables and Great Gatsby were amazing adaptions of the book I was expecting something similar from this one but was I wrong. The main problem with this adoption is that it lacks the emotion with which Geisha tells the story. She hates it, finds this whole world bizarre but in the movie we do not see it. It is shown as something she finds normal and adapts to it. There is emotion of dislike towards geishas expressed. Maybe the creators were being careful not to insult the culture but without that emotion and Chiyos attitude towards Geishas, the movie looses that what made the book so great. Real-life link: if you are not a modern undefended woman, you fate depends on others and sadly mainly rich man. Plausibility: A 14 year old falls for an older men because the men shows him kindness but why would an old men like the Chairmen fall for a kid so that he sends Mameha to help her become a geisha without being a pedo? There is something shady here that does not fit. But that has more to do with the book then the movie. Storytelling: Follows the book nicely, with the exception that it leaves out the reason why the father sells the girls and that it ends quickly without telling that the chairmen and Chiyo get together and have kids and she moves the states. Casting/ Acting: I liked the fact that the actors were not Westerns but what bugged me a bit was their accent, why would you not cast American actors with the same background to get rid of the accent? Overall, it lacked the emotion that makes the story of the Geisha so great.

Nicole C A combination of many nations' talents, this exquisite film is both captivating and dazzling. Everything from the acting, directing, costumes, light, color, music, and cinematography is spot on, and leaves you with a reminiscent feeling. The first thing that captured my attention, as well as took my breath away, are Ohgo Suzuka's eyes. Maybe it is obviously color contacts (was it invented back then?) or some sort of color editing, but they really capture your attention. The striking color gives her a more innocent look, which could be what the filmmakers are counting on. Going on from that, I am especially impressed by Ohgo's and Zhang's performance. Ah, maybe that's why they wore color contacts, so it would be a direct link between the two actresses portraying the same person at different ages. Whatever the reason, they both gave electric performances and grasped their roles completely. While it is relatively easier for Ohgo to display innocence, Zhang does it equally well, that it is believable that they are the same person. My only regret is that I did not get to see more of Ohgo. The rest of the cast did superbly in their roles as well. Li Gong and Yeoh brought the fieriness and elegance to their characters, respectively. Li Gong does a good jealous, and flaunting woman, who's always bitter. Yeoh, who is Malaysian (#represent), does an amazing job at showing class, and this has got to be her most admirable work that I've seen. The tone of the film, which is set from the very first scene, makes for an intense drama. I was predicting a sort of dark, heartbreaking story because of the tone. Though that wasn't necessarily the case, it worked well throughout the movie. It helped to keep the intrigue there so that audiences would not drift off. This was only possible with the right directing, costume and set designs, editing and cinematography. The attention to detail in this is extraordinary. I especially loved the cinematography led by Dion Beebe, which complemented well with the tense mood of the film. In addition, I enjoyed the multiple voice-overs, in which we would see a character talking and then the scene would change so that it becomes a voice-over. Very carefully crafted and beautifully edited. Overall, a captivating historical drama, which also educates about an olden Japanese tradition (though I am unsure of the extent to which it is accurate). Having said that, the romantic line was a bit weird to me because of the age gap. I know age is just a number, but I don't really like the idea of older men liking younger women, just because it gives me the impression that they are 'dirty old men'. Though of course this does happen in real life, I'm just not sure of the ideology behind portraying it in a cultural film made from Western standards.

yutty0906 It is very well acted first of all and looks beautiful . This is a great story about the life of an orphaned girl sold by her dying parents to the sex trade. Then brought up to become a geisha.It is a very moving story and is very much a chick flick but it is far from boring and unsatisfying.If you do not like chick flicks then I would not suggest this to you but I do not like chick flicks usually and I love it still. If you manage fall asleep watching this film then you should just stick to watching explosions.But if you like movies with great acting and a compelling story then you will likely love this movie.