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Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha
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Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha

2005
Romance, Drama
2h 25m
Set in a mysterious and exotic world which still casts a potent spell today, the story begins in the years before World War II, when a Japanese child is torn from her penniless family to work as a servant in a geisha house. Despite a treacherous rival who nearly breaks her spirit, the girl blossoms into the legendary geisha Saguri. Beautiful and accomplished, Saguri captivates the most powerful men of her day, but is haunted by her secret love for the one man beyond her reach. (Sony Pictures)

Directed by:

Rob Marshall

Screenwriter:

Robin Swicord, Arthur Golden

Starring:

Paul Adelstein, Yûki Kudô, Kaori Momoi, Michelle Yeoh, Gong Li, Ted Levine, Ziyi Zhang, Tsai Chin, Ken Watanabe, Kenneth Tsang, Koji Yakusho, Mako Sakurai

Genres:

Romance, Drama, History

Countries:

France, Japan, USA

Languages:

English, Japanese
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Memoirs of a Geisha

2005
Romance, Drama
2h 25m
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Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 47.58% from 4083 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

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mentaculusMentaculus
Rated 11 Jan 2009
44
18th
This movie felt like a cinematic California Roll - looks Japanese, tastes kinda Japanese, but really isn't even close. Beyond the offensive casting (furthering the idiocy that Asian actors can move freely between countries), the screenplay had nothing new, the villain had no real motivation to speak of, and it never delved as it could have into the gender culture of early 20th-century Japan. But it did have one of John Williams' best scores, and outstanding (Hollywood-looking) cinematography.
Rated 11 Jan 2009
beneBene
Rated 27 Jan 2009
7
1st
Well, casting Chinese actresses as Japanese women is at least keeping in spirits with a man selling off his fiction as a matter-of-fact-experience of a woman....screw this.
Rated 27 Jan 2009
andaghandagh
Rated 27 Mar 2010
0
0th
The cinematic equivalent of a fortune cookie. The problem here isn't casting Chinese actresses as Japanese characters (although Gong Li, one of the greatest actresses of our time, is wasted in a ridiculous 1-dimensional antagonist role). The problem is the absurd 'zen' dialogue coupled with the American story arc and the American behaviour of the movie's characters. The sole reason for this movie's existence seems to be to sell Japanese culture to Americans.
Rated 27 Mar 2010
walkaboutwalkabout
Rated 14 Aug 2007
65
53rd
it's a soap opera but the brilliance of all the technical aspects makes it a beautiful pic to watch. Zhang Ziyi carries the film very well indeed.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
rubanddugRubAndDug
Rated 28 Nov 2013
43
16th
Big twouble in widdle Twynatown! Arr of first harf takes prace in some heaviry Asian popurated part of Amewica. Who are these gwammaticarry cowwect, and Asian diverse, peopre so into pwostituting widdle girws? Is vewy hard to actuarry know! Then big war farrs fwom sky and irrogicaw women pick wice.
Rated 28 Nov 2013
tamcamTamCam
Rated 10 Jul 2013
15
2nd
Thank you for one more movie that reproduces stupid cliche stereotypes of a medieval-like Japan. It tells more about the Western gaze and the hungry search for exoticism than anything else. I was close to puking a dozen times or more while watching this peace of Hollywood trash.
Rated 10 Jul 2013
suture_selfSuture Self
Rated 25 Jun 2012
2
13th
Japanese soap opera written by Americans and acted out by people from China.
Rated 25 Jun 2012
pompousasspompousass
Rated 25 Dec 2010
0
12th
Nipponese bodice-ripper, from the best-seller by Arthur Golden, though it plays as if it could just as well have been by Danielle Steel, a Cinderella story of the rise and fall and rise and fall and rise of a blue-eyed geisha in pre-war and postwar Japan. "A story like mine," she starts out, meaning more than she means, "should never be told." Nor should it be illustrated with the frenzy, flamboyance, and insufficient illumination accorded it by the razzle-dazzle director Marshall.
Rated 25 Dec 2010
snallygastersnallygaster
Rated 20 Oct 2010
13
3rd
Some of the Hollywoodisms are so asinine it took me a second viewing to see past them at all. There's a core of a good story here and Mizoguchi & Naruse repeatedly showed how it could be done right. But that's as generous as I'm willing to be to this film.
Rated 20 Oct 2010
q31Q31
Rated 09 Apr 2010
93
70th
Beautifully filmed and gorgeously photographed. Although it's not really the sort of movie I usually enjoy, I did find it very interesting.
Rated 09 Apr 2010
jdelbalzo99jdelbalzo99
Rated 08 Feb 2010
60
31st
Probably one of the most beautifully shot movies ever.
Rated 08 Feb 2010
vodkapopvodkapop
Rated 12 Feb 2009
40
9th
didnt like the story.
Rated 12 Feb 2009
joshk84joshk84
Rated 27 Oct 2007
47
17th
It is an okay movie, but it is a little too strange for me.
Rated 27 Oct 2007
cclzaCCLZA
Rated 11 Oct 2007
50
23rd
Gong Li's scenes and performance are by far the most accomplished aspects of this movie. Excellent production values as well. It's sad the screenplay is so boring and mediocre.
Rated 11 Oct 2007
fabfunkfabfunk
Rated 14 Aug 2007
22
14th
About as Asian as "Mortal Kombat".
Rated 14 Aug 2007
akumaprimeAkumAPRIME
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
64th
Memoirs of a Geisha by AkumAPRIME Good movie, it got me into it. I didn't read the book first so I am unable to complain about minor inconsistancies. The 3 main actresses were good, and I felt emotionally involved with the character. It could have been cut about 15 minutes short, but other than that, I give it an A. While the movie was good, it didn't do a good job of convincing me that geisha are anything more than fancy shmancy whores. There was an implication that they were honorab
Rated 14 Aug 2007
thedenizenTheDenizen
Rated 14 Aug 2007
40
17th
Pretty but empty. Also, why are the Japanese women all played by Chinese actresses?
Rated 14 Aug 2007
glumpy99glumpy_99
Rated 05 Apr 2023
51
11th
Attractively filmed and elegantly designed saga is beautiful on its surface, but the screenplay is more a silly soap opera than anything particularly edifying, and while there were no doubt considerable commercial considerations, the decision to film in sometimes *very *broken English torpedoes any residue of reality and authenticity; this makes the film dramatically inert and difficult to become invested in (not to mention very long winded).
Rated 05 Apr 2023
ysincYSinc
Rated 11 Feb 2023
65
41st
+music
Rated 11 Feb 2023
neyoneyo
Rated 29 Jan 2023
99
89th
Beautifully directed and creatively pictured. Makes you watch the story from beginning to end by every minute.
Rated 29 Jan 2023
shalevshalev
Rated 23 Aug 2022
81
56th
It follows the book quite closely, and the art is beautiful
Rated 23 Aug 2022
gencayGencay
Rated 10 Apr 2022
53
25th
Akıcı, merak uyandırıcı bir konusu yok. Japon ve geyşa kültürünü yeterince verememiş, yüzeysel kalmış diye düşünüyorum. Mekanlar çok güzeldi, bazı sahneler de görsel olarak hoş olmuş.
Rated 10 Apr 2022
croweycrowey
Rated 15 Nov 2021
55
45th
The book was much better.
Rated 15 Nov 2021
metismetis
Rated 06 Aug 2021
88
87th
?????????????????????????????????????????????????/??????????????????
Rated 06 Aug 2021
war_machineWar Machine
Rated 13 May 2021
75
66th
9-sisnotchosen+topgeishasomean/tricks+ratsshewithbf+saysisranawaywithout-rentsdied+Losspoemscratchedoutcuzcanonlyfeel+Sayuri+bidforvirginitylool+guymolestsbutdoesntrape-couldruineverything+butshehighestsaleyet-soinheritplanworked/rivalmad+warchangedeverything+shittygeishasforUSlol+triedtomakeclingyseebanginguy-exfriendbroughtchildhoodcrushlol+hewantedherthewholetimelmaopassionatemakeoutlikeitwassetup/notgross
Rated 13 May 2021
backwardsuitbackwardsuit
Rated 05 Jan 2021
41
8th
Boring western orientalist melodrama with no respect or understanding of the culture its depicting. The superficially pretty cinematography and music only emphasize the vacuousness of the story.
Rated 05 Jan 2021
kitty19Kitty19
Rated 19 Jan 2019
40
11th
Great book. But the movie wasn't very good.
Rated 19 Jan 2019
buddhaloubuddhalou
Rated 10 Jan 2019
60
28th
Beautiful costumes, beautiful sets, beautiful cinematography; truly a gorgeous movie. That being said, it wasn't enough to carry me through two and half hours of a screenplay and characters worthy of a bad romance novel.
Rated 10 Jan 2019
deusanatoliaDeusAnatolia
Rated 14 Aug 2018
88
72nd
The book was pretty amazing, the concept of a geisha is still shit but great movie
Rated 14 Aug 2018
ehk2ehk2
Rated 05 Jan 2016
7
10th
how do they heat those Chinese houses, ups, sorry Japanese houses?
Rated 05 Jan 2016
leekennleekenn
Rated 02 Jan 2015
91
96th
This film is wholly developed and certainly left me moved. The cinematography, firstly, is absolutely STUNNING - I have seen very few films which could match this for pure beauty. The plot is touching, and although not perhaps the most believable, hues the story as a whole with a beautiful sense of purpose and meaning, something I often feel modern filmmakers almost deliberately try to avoid. Finally, Ken Watanabe surely deserves a mention for his wonderful performance.
Rated 02 Jan 2015
ottott
Rated 29 Oct 2014
25
9th
Say no to explotation
Rated 29 Oct 2014
shaunnn1212shaunnn1212
Rated 11 Jul 2014
88
31st
Rob Marshall's "Memoirs of a Geisha" is a very underrated film. It's a mastery of visual storytelling and beauty. Zhang Zyi's performance is also excellent.
Rated 11 Jul 2014
m3tanm3tan
Rated 06 May 2014
50
46th
Chinese actresses in all the major roles is one of many shortcomings of this mediocre adaptation of the book...
Rated 06 May 2014
glm01glm01
Rated 19 Oct 2013
77
55th
76.500
Rated 19 Oct 2013
overratedoverrated
Rated 16 Sep 2013
36
28th
Some nice photography and Ken Watanabe do not float the boat.
Rated 16 Sep 2013
ribcageribcage
Rated 29 Aug 2013
79
75th
hate to compare flicks to books, but having read the book this came out lacking a lot of depth. still a beautiful movie, but doesn't give the emotion it could have
Rated 29 Aug 2013
thedailynathanTheDailyNathan
Rated 09 Jul 2012
83
68th
A classic love story, set to the backdrop of Japanese geisha culture. While this culture is featured as the primary draw of the film, it's not detailed very well - we get a couple of scenes of dancing, but aside from that it just serves as context for the primary soap opera story. And soap opera it mostly is. Though it's a well-crafted one, the movie boils down to contrived conflicts. Gong Li has the one great performance as authentic villain. Didn't care for the English and the broken accents.
Rated 09 Jul 2012
bakcheiabakcheia
Rated 08 Jan 2012
75
62nd
Beautifully shot, though somewhat empty.
Rated 08 Jan 2012
nathandarkoNathanDarko
Rated 30 Dec 2011
90
79th
Absolutely stunning. And I again fell in love with Gong Li, like thousand times before. Highly recommendable movie.
Rated 30 Dec 2011
bookhouseboybookhouseboy
Rated 19 Sep 2011
38
44th
#11#, story, reviews, Gong Li!, casting.
Rated 19 Sep 2011
zayankZayanK
Rated 01 Jul 2011
40
16th
No.
Rated 01 Jul 2011
nathan_sNathan S
Rated 29 Jun 2011
2
21st
Unoffensive, but it just didn't rope me in.
Rated 29 Jun 2011
kiralioKiralio
Rated 11 Jun 2011
40
30th
2/5
Rated 11 Jun 2011
botelhudobotelhudo
Rated 27 Apr 2011
75
60th
Epic melodrama with three of the best (and beautiful) asian actresses of our time: Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh and Gong Li. The direction is sensible and competent, but overly cautious. Sometimes such caution makes the movie seem moralistic, as if deny what the characters say. The result is a luxurious - but superficial - film with an engaging story, accessible to large audiences, made with calculated doses of emotion and full of beautiful images.
Rated 27 Apr 2011
undersmilesundersmiles
Rated 13 Feb 2011
80
71st
The Chairman could be Chiyo's dad, but at the same time he treated her with respect compared to his brother and all the other suitors. They did a great job casting the characters, they all have chemistry with each other. I love the scenery also.
Rated 13 Feb 2011
buttercupbuttercup
Rated 26 Jan 2011
6
35th
an average screenplay with flat characters, yet it was visually attractive making it worthwhile to see.. directing could've been a lot better. also, all those sophisticated manners of saguri and "geishas are of another kind" discourse that has been brought before our eyes quite a lot throughout the film were nothing but annoying to me.
Rated 26 Jan 2011
tsvetetsvete
Rated 07 Jan 2011
88
50th
~8-9
Rated 07 Jan 2011
glmglm
Rated 02 Jan 2011
55
21st
54.750
Rated 02 Jan 2011
b_dawk20B-Dawk20
Rated 20 Nov 2010
90
75th
Enjoyability 22/25 Visuals 13/15 Audio 7/10 Acting 9/10 Story/Plot 21/25 Production Values 9/10 Intuitiveness/Ambitiousness 4/5 Bonus 5/10
Rated 20 Nov 2010
velvet_croweVelvet Crowe
Rated 19 Nov 2010
30
22nd
Nauseatingly pretentious non-sense that constantly wants to assert that geishas are the embodiment of Japanese beauty rather than prostitutes yet the film betrays this by portraying geisha's as sex workers. Its depiction of Japanese culture is westernized non-sense, where it was clear there was no consultation for authenticity and a lot of it hinges on western stereotypes of Asian people that come across as hard to take seriously, especially given how ham-fisted its portrayal of morality is.
Rated 19 Nov 2010
slantmagSlantMag
Rated 17 Oct 2010
5
2nd
"More like Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey's Memoirs of a Geisha." - Ed Gonzalez
Rated 17 Oct 2010
sarealbasarealba
Rated 07 May 2010
85
75th
the english bothers me, but it is still a lovely movie.
Rated 07 May 2010
funkyastroFunkyAstro
Rated 04 Apr 2010
80
80th
Quite monotone, yet appeasing. I don't understand why there are so many complaining that there were Chinese actors in this film. Just to let you in on a little secret, actors often play roles that are outside their heritage. You all didn't seem to mind when Christian Bale played an *American* Psycho... Seriously, who ever said this was supposed to be a documentary about Geishas anyway? I thought this was a pretty beautiful story equaled by its cinematography.
Rated 04 Apr 2010
tweedaleTweedale
Rated 16 Dec 2009
7
59th
My god, the cinematography and the soundtrack. Just wow. Other than that, fairly standard.
Rated 16 Dec 2009
arr0nat3darr0nat3d
Rated 01 Nov 2009
95
73rd
the book was MUCH better, but nice try anyways.
Rated 01 Nov 2009
chemical404chemical404
Rated 06 Oct 2009
39
23rd
Eye candy without any substance. Doesn't feel authentic one bit. Random Japanese words in English dialogs doesn't help. Casting actors from all of Asia as Japanese seems at very least ignorant. Ziyi Zhang acting isn't too good anyway.
Rated 06 Oct 2009
myszatekMyszatek
Rated 08 Sep 2009
73
47th
The movie is amazingly beautiful when it comes to visual experience. The story is interesting but quite forgettable
Rated 08 Sep 2009
anselmi86Anselmi86
Rated 02 Aug 2009
46
20th
Visually arresting at a few points, but certainly not worth all of the Oscars it won. Overall, it's hurt by poor direction and a very strung-out and weak story.
Rated 02 Aug 2009
begoniabolbegoniabol
Rated 30 Jul 2009
60
48th
Not as good as I expected it to be
Rated 30 Jul 2009
pigletPiglet
Rated 17 Jun 2009
40
7th
I'm sorry but when you make a movie about geishas, you don't cast chinese women in all the female parts. Amateurs.
Rated 17 Jun 2009
martrynmartryn
Rated 10 May 2009
71
53rd
Movie has some potential, but the premise of a girl who falls in love with a man when she's like 12, and then grows up still in love with him... because he gave her an ice cream? The fuck? Yeah... not what I was looking for in a movie, which makes the entire thing fall apart at the end of the film, while I'm sitting there hoping the resolution will be more to my liking. It wasn't.
Rated 10 May 2009
karlakarla
Rated 12 Apr 2009
100
73rd
beatiful drama,deep and intriging
Rated 12 Apr 2009
tink85tink85
Rated 09 Apr 2009
100
90th
Great movie, great story, is one of those movies that i watch after reading the book and doesn't disappoint me.
Rated 09 Apr 2009
sakuragirlsakuragirl
Rated 02 Apr 2009
68
43rd
kitabindan sonra eksik lezzet...
Rated 02 Apr 2009
ewaltersewalters
Rated 12 Mar 2009
88
94th
Captivating, truely an exceptional film.
Rated 12 Mar 2009
melvin_smifMelvin Smif
Rated 15 Feb 2009
55
60th
A beautiful movie to watch that suffered from dragging drastically in the middle until it leads to the ineveitable, and highly predictable ending you picture from the moment the Chairman meets our female hero on the bridge.
Rated 15 Feb 2009
fudgiebfudgieb
Rated 31 Jan 2009
84
52nd
So well done...but so slow. I recommend you start this movie at around 7:00 right after you take a 5 Hour Energy shot.
Rated 31 Jan 2009
eric_janeric-jan
Rated 25 Jan 2009
75
74th
Moving story, some beautiful scenes of Japan.
Rated 25 Jan 2009
moraesfelipemoraesfelipe
Rated 30 Dec 2008
45
23rd
This could be a masterpiece, but the irregular direction by Rob Marshall almost ruined everything. Only Ziyi Zhang's great acting makes Memoirs of a Geisha a worthy-viewing movie.
Rated 30 Dec 2008
fragglerockrFragglerockr
Rated 27 Dec 2008
80
35th
beautiful
Rated 27 Dec 2008
bluewasabiibluewasabii
Rated 13 Nov 2008
65
33rd
meh
Rated 13 Nov 2008
essoEsso
Rated 02 Nov 2008
68
6th
exotic
Rated 02 Nov 2008
enderender
Rated 12 Oct 2008
32
20th
Not even close to the book in terms of not making you fall asleep.
Rated 12 Oct 2008
green_goblinGreen Goblin
Rated 11 Oct 2008
52
47th
Sort of too long. It has a lot of plots. It's not bad, though.
Rated 11 Oct 2008
cussotcussot
Rated 03 Sep 2008
40
1st
Beautiful junk - what a waste of filmic talent.
Rated 03 Sep 2008
fgbowenfgbowen
Rated 03 Sep 2008
98
23rd
A beautiful film, but not a 100, Alas. (In my opinion.)
Rated 03 Sep 2008
torustorus
Rated 23 Aug 2008
55
51st
Has nice moments
Rated 23 Aug 2008
diegozflixsDiegozFlixs
Rated 19 Jul 2008
90
77th
love the cultural aspects of this movie and hot Asian women..haha
Rated 19 Jul 2008
lemonadkinslemonadkins
Rated 15 Jul 2008
77
9th
why the hell would they use Chinese actors to play Japanese people?
Rated 15 Jul 2008
davageydavagey
Rated 02 Jul 2008
74
80th
Good, but long.
Rated 02 Jul 2008
marc_dipaoloMarc DiPaolo
Rated 15 Jun 2008
60
3rd
Just rent Raise the Red Lantern. Give this a miss.
Rated 15 Jun 2008
spaceflohspacefloh
Rated 18 May 2008
75
91st
eng; [Die Geisha]
Rated 18 May 2008
since91since91
Rated 29 Apr 2008
95
73rd
Highly recommend it to you. You learn so much about Japanese culture.
Rated 29 Apr 2008
mayaMaya
Rated 12 Apr 2008
100
99th
Truly a masterpiece, although I wish they had spoken in japanese and not english. It would have made it more athuentic.
Rated 12 Apr 2008
ilikeitwhenuilikeitwhenu
Rated 25 Feb 2008
90
92nd
Wonderful movie. A peek into the life of the secret society of the Geisha. Oddly enough, the book was written by an American gentleman. It's a love story and a story about discovering one's identity in a world where individuality is frowned upon.
Rated 25 Feb 2008
phaedrusphaedrus
Rated 14 Feb 2008
50
19th
Wrong. But Zhang Ziyi is in it. So it levels out at 50.
Rated 14 Feb 2008
johannaJohanna
Rated 31 Jan 2008
65
18th
You could enjoy the evening with this movie but it didn't leave any marks on you after that
Rated 31 Jan 2008
wardmobwardmob
Rated 25 Nov 2007
90
86th
Not as good as the book but still good
Rated 25 Nov 2007
runtrunt
Rated 01 Nov 2007
78
38th
A beautiful film
Rated 01 Nov 2007
travelboundTravelBound
Rated 30 Oct 2007
70
7th
A great read! The movie just doesn't do the book justice.
Rated 30 Oct 2007
guddibiguddibi
Rated 21 Oct 2007
55
18th
good budget, average movie
Rated 21 Oct 2007
granolaheadgranolahead
Rated 19 Oct 2007
75
38th
Herrro? Ruv me Rong time.
Rated 19 Oct 2007
nandorizzinandorizzi
Rated 08 Oct 2007
90
94th
Great narrative of the story, of the acting of the actors and director, of the photography and distinction for the soundtrack, very good.
Rated 08 Oct 2007
kriss2006kriss2006
Rated 29 Sep 2007
75
58th
very well done, a bit surprising at time - the happy end does not fit with Japan and the world of Geishas, but it does not really matter (after happy end happend only... at the end!)
Rated 29 Sep 2007
lifeandalllifeandall
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
37th
Good story and probably some of the best cinematography I've ever seen. A little bit too long though.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
medMed
Rated 14 Aug 2007
40
12th
Very pretty to look at shame about the total lack of substance.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
glentotglentot
Rated 14 Aug 2007
68
6th
nice sets and costumes
Rated 14 Aug 2007
thedicemanTheDiceman
Rated 14 Aug 2007
50
35th
Not bad.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
emptysetEmptySet
Rated 14 Aug 2007
48
65th
Petty things bothered me about this movie. I would have preferred more Japanese people playing Japanese roles, especially when they were speaking. The use of token Japanese phrases for greetings and such didn't add to the atmosphere at all, they seemed terribly out of place. As for the story, they didn't butcher too much from the original book. They did however cut out some of the more racy scenes which could have helped develop the characters in the movie better.
Rated 14 Aug 2007

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