Whooo! Memoirs gets ever closer!
Okay, I'm such a nerd for geisha... I seriously considered Japanese theming for the wedding (but thought better of it, though there may be subtle influences discernable to the trained eye). I have kimono, so many books, kanzashi... there are people out there more die hard than myself, but I'm a major fan.
The culprit for all of this geisha mania was Arthur Golden's controversial masterpiece 'Memoirs of a Geisha'. It was such an accurate glimpse into the secretive 'flower and willow world', the woman he credited with bolstering his knowledge sued him for exposing her, and published her own account of geisha life. I hungrily devoured this and every other book I could to increase my own understanding of these hidden icons.
So, imagine my joy whan I find out that a film adaptation was in the works. Years pass, several possible directors are linked to its creation, but still nothing. This story is quite a contradiction - violent and gentle, painful and joyous, and not many of Hollywood's big names could do it justice. So it was quite a surprise to learn that Rob Marshall (responsible for all the high kicks and brash personalities in the film version of Chicago) was taking his turn at the helm. Finally, we started to see some progress happening, auditions were taking place, sets were being built, and fans were getting excited.
I've been kept up to date here, but am sad to say the progress of this film has not been without its own controversy. Firstly, there has been much debate over the nationalities of the actresses playing the lead roles. Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh are just two of many people of varying origin linked to this film - Chinese girls in a tradtional Japanese story? I'm no authority on such things, but I've come to expect that Hollywood is prone to choose a big name actor over accuracy (Kevin Costner donning the folkloric English green tights, anyone?), so it is the least of my worries.
I do have an issue though with aesthetic accuracy, and unfortunately, it seems this film will fail us there as well. Geisha have a very defined style. Sleeve length, application of makeup, and specific hairstyles all denote a girl's passage from maiko (apprentice) to geisha (artist). Apparently the design team have taken some creative license, in the hope that Western audiences won't be 'scared' of the geisha's traditional appearance. So their makeup is less obvious, their hair is completely wrong, and the colours and patterns of their kimono are unsuitable for the ages of the wearers and the seasons depicted. Looking 'good' and looking 'right' don't have to be mutually exclusive!
Grrrr. But, you know, I'm so eager to have this film made, I'll just have to swallow those thoughts, and simply hope that they have honoured the story. So I'm ecstatic to find that a trailer has been released in Japan, where they are calling the film 'Sayuri' (there is even some misunderstanding amongst Japanese about the role of geisha in their society, so they're trying to avoid negative connotations, by naming it after the heroine). There's a link at this favourite haunt of mine.
They say it's already an Oscar contender... regardless, I'll be there, proudly wearing my kanzashi, as soon as it's released. Can't wait!
The culprit for all of this geisha mania was Arthur Golden's controversial masterpiece 'Memoirs of a Geisha'. It was such an accurate glimpse into the secretive 'flower and willow world', the woman he credited with bolstering his knowledge sued him for exposing her, and published her own account of geisha life. I hungrily devoured this and every other book I could to increase my own understanding of these hidden icons.
So, imagine my joy whan I find out that a film adaptation was in the works. Years pass, several possible directors are linked to its creation, but still nothing. This story is quite a contradiction - violent and gentle, painful and joyous, and not many of Hollywood's big names could do it justice. So it was quite a surprise to learn that Rob Marshall (responsible for all the high kicks and brash personalities in the film version of Chicago) was taking his turn at the helm. Finally, we started to see some progress happening, auditions were taking place, sets were being built, and fans were getting excited.
I've been kept up to date here, but am sad to say the progress of this film has not been without its own controversy. Firstly, there has been much debate over the nationalities of the actresses playing the lead roles. Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh are just two of many people of varying origin linked to this film - Chinese girls in a tradtional Japanese story? I'm no authority on such things, but I've come to expect that Hollywood is prone to choose a big name actor over accuracy (Kevin Costner donning the folkloric English green tights, anyone?), so it is the least of my worries.
I do have an issue though with aesthetic accuracy, and unfortunately, it seems this film will fail us there as well. Geisha have a very defined style. Sleeve length, application of makeup, and specific hairstyles all denote a girl's passage from maiko (apprentice) to geisha (artist). Apparently the design team have taken some creative license, in the hope that Western audiences won't be 'scared' of the geisha's traditional appearance. So their makeup is less obvious, their hair is completely wrong, and the colours and patterns of their kimono are unsuitable for the ages of the wearers and the seasons depicted. Looking 'good' and looking 'right' don't have to be mutually exclusive!
Grrrr. But, you know, I'm so eager to have this film made, I'll just have to swallow those thoughts, and simply hope that they have honoured the story. So I'm ecstatic to find that a trailer has been released in Japan, where they are calling the film 'Sayuri' (there is even some misunderstanding amongst Japanese about the role of geisha in their society, so they're trying to avoid negative connotations, by naming it after the heroine). There's a link at this favourite haunt of mine.
They say it's already an Oscar contender... regardless, I'll be there, proudly wearing my kanzashi, as soon as it's released. Can't wait!
posted by Janet | 1:13 pm
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