Memoirs of a Geisha
Academy Award × 3
Rent/Purchase
In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.
What critics thought
Western critics were divided but leaned negative, broadly admiring the film's visual opulence and individual performances — particularly Gong Li — while finding the story beneath the surface too thin and soap-operatic to justify the spectacle. The casting of Chinese actresses in Japanese roles provoked sharper backlash in China and Japan, where reviews were more hostile. Audiences, especially in the United States, responded more warmly than critics did.
“the plot loses what little momentum it had and breaks down into one pretty visual after another”
John Lyttle·New Statesman
“Li may be playing the loser of the piece but she saves this film”
The Evening Standard
“she exudes a heartbreaking innocence and vulnerability”
The Journal
“the geisha world is drawn with such intimate detail that it seems timeless until the war, and with it the modern world comes crashing in”
Daily Record
Genres
Drama, Romance
Cast & Crew
DirectorRob Marshall
StarringZhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Michelle Yeoh, Ken Watanabe, Suzuka Ohgo
ComposerJohn Williams
Memoirs of a Geisha
Academy Award × 3
In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.
What critics thought
Western critics were divided but leaned negative, broadly admiring the film's visual opulence and individual performances — particularly Gong Li — while finding the story beneath the surface too thin and soap-operatic to justify the spectacle. The casting of Chinese actresses in Japanese roles provoked sharper backlash in China and Japan, where reviews were more hostile. Audiences, especially in the United States, responded more warmly than critics did.
“the plot loses what little momentum it had and breaks down into one pretty visual after another”
John Lyttle·New Statesman
“Li may be playing the loser of the piece but she saves this film”
The Evening Standard
“she exudes a heartbreaking innocence and vulnerability”
The Journal
“the geisha world is drawn with such intimate detail that it seems timeless until the war, and with it the modern world comes crashing in”
Daily Record
Genres
Drama, Romance
Cast & Crew
DirectorRob Marshall
StarringZhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Michelle Yeoh, Ken Watanabe, Suzuka Ohgo
ComposerJohn Williams
Rent/Purchase