Post by Linalin on Jan 31, 2005 1:58:19 GMT -5
TOKYO — Filming finished on Saturday in Japan on the long-awaited "Memoirs of a Geisha," which is being distributed in this country under the title of "Sayuri."
Director Rob Marshall (of "Chicago" fame) and seven cast members were on hand to celebrate the end of shooting, most of which was done in Los Angeles. The final scenes were filmed in Kyoto.
Producer Steven Spielberg sent a video mesage saying he thought Arthur Golden's book was one of the most culturally appealing stories he had ever seen and expressed confidence that it would appeal to audiences in any country.
The project attracted controversy early on with the casting of three non-Japanese actresses — Ziyi Zhang, Gong Li and Michelle Yeoh — in the lead roles. The Japanese cast includes Ken Watanabe, Koji Yakusho, Kaori Momoi, Yuki Kudoh and youngster Suzuka Ogo.
Set in 1920s Japan, "Memoirs" tells the story of Nitta Sayuri, who is taken from her home at the age of nine and sold to a geisha house. We follow her transformation as she undergoes training to become a geisha, learning dance, music, wearing kimono, elaborate makeup and hair, how to pour sake and so on — all the while attracting the amorous attentions of two jealous men.
"It was an exquisite journey making this film," said Marshall. "We had to film most of it in Los Angeles because we couldn't find any places here that still looked like 1920s and 1930s Japan. We ended up building a little Japan in Ventura, California. For the final scenes, we filmed in Kyoto temples that had never allowed filming before."
Both Yeoh and Gong Li were initially intimidated when Marshall asked them to play geishas, as was Ziyi who plays Sayuri. "It was like a fantasy world to me," said Hong Kong star Yeoh. "I had to play a mentor to Sayuri, the epitome of a geisha. Please forgive me if I didn't do a good job."
Gong Li said she didn't think she could do it at first, but after a six-week geisha boot camp during which the women learned shamisen, dance and language, she found it an unforgettable experience.
Watanabe and Momoi were both cautious at first about the authenticity of the project.
"We talked with Rob in great detail about whether this would be a culturally and historically accurate film or a concept film," Watanabe said. "Since it is a fantasy world, the details were not as important as they would have been in something like 'The Last Samurai.'"
Momoi was at first shocked when she found out the leads wouldn't be Japanese actresses. "Then I realized that the book is told through the eyes of an American and further filtered through an American director's lens," she said. "I wanted to play up my nationality. There were some details that were wrong, such as the makeup wasn't thick enough on the geisha, but in the end, I think this modern twist on geishas will appeal to younger audiences."
Marshall hastened to add that he tried to pay great respect to Japanese culture. "It is beautiful and mysterious," he said of the geisha world. "A lot of people still don't know what geisha really are. Golden wanted to lift that veil in his book and in our movie, we honor a world that has beauty, joy and heartbreak."
"Memoirs of a Geisha" will have its world premiere in Japan in December.
I wish they would have made this more culturally accurate, even if it is fantasy. The idea of have three non-Japanese women playing Japanese women is quite ignorant to the culture and actually quite American. It has an effect similar to how the Hispanic community reacted when Jennifer Lopez played the Mexican Selena. I hope it turns out the same, where the actress(es) put in extra effort to incorporate their character's ethnicity into their performance leaving the audience enthralled by the movie. Even though they overlooked many talented Japanese actresses, I do want to see this movie.
Director Rob Marshall (of "Chicago" fame) and seven cast members were on hand to celebrate the end of shooting, most of which was done in Los Angeles. The final scenes were filmed in Kyoto.
Producer Steven Spielberg sent a video mesage saying he thought Arthur Golden's book was one of the most culturally appealing stories he had ever seen and expressed confidence that it would appeal to audiences in any country.
The project attracted controversy early on with the casting of three non-Japanese actresses — Ziyi Zhang, Gong Li and Michelle Yeoh — in the lead roles. The Japanese cast includes Ken Watanabe, Koji Yakusho, Kaori Momoi, Yuki Kudoh and youngster Suzuka Ogo.
Set in 1920s Japan, "Memoirs" tells the story of Nitta Sayuri, who is taken from her home at the age of nine and sold to a geisha house. We follow her transformation as she undergoes training to become a geisha, learning dance, music, wearing kimono, elaborate makeup and hair, how to pour sake and so on — all the while attracting the amorous attentions of two jealous men.
"It was an exquisite journey making this film," said Marshall. "We had to film most of it in Los Angeles because we couldn't find any places here that still looked like 1920s and 1930s Japan. We ended up building a little Japan in Ventura, California. For the final scenes, we filmed in Kyoto temples that had never allowed filming before."
Both Yeoh and Gong Li were initially intimidated when Marshall asked them to play geishas, as was Ziyi who plays Sayuri. "It was like a fantasy world to me," said Hong Kong star Yeoh. "I had to play a mentor to Sayuri, the epitome of a geisha. Please forgive me if I didn't do a good job."
Gong Li said she didn't think she could do it at first, but after a six-week geisha boot camp during which the women learned shamisen, dance and language, she found it an unforgettable experience.
Watanabe and Momoi were both cautious at first about the authenticity of the project.
"We talked with Rob in great detail about whether this would be a culturally and historically accurate film or a concept film," Watanabe said. "Since it is a fantasy world, the details were not as important as they would have been in something like 'The Last Samurai.'"
Momoi was at first shocked when she found out the leads wouldn't be Japanese actresses. "Then I realized that the book is told through the eyes of an American and further filtered through an American director's lens," she said. "I wanted to play up my nationality. There were some details that were wrong, such as the makeup wasn't thick enough on the geisha, but in the end, I think this modern twist on geishas will appeal to younger audiences."
Marshall hastened to add that he tried to pay great respect to Japanese culture. "It is beautiful and mysterious," he said of the geisha world. "A lot of people still don't know what geisha really are. Golden wanted to lift that veil in his book and in our movie, we honor a world that has beauty, joy and heartbreak."
"Memoirs of a Geisha" will have its world premiere in Japan in December.
I wish they would have made this more culturally accurate, even if it is fantasy. The idea of have three non-Japanese women playing Japanese women is quite ignorant to the culture and actually quite American. It has an effect similar to how the Hispanic community reacted when Jennifer Lopez played the Mexican Selena. I hope it turns out the same, where the actress(es) put in extra effort to incorporate their character's ethnicity into their performance leaving the audience enthralled by the movie. Even though they overlooked many talented Japanese actresses, I do want to see this movie.
