As Asian culture is a minority culture (in the West), it has a good reason for them to defend it. In general, Japanese culture is a sensitive one and that’s why Japanese tend to demand a higher level of authenticity. It’s a minority issue for Asian Americans, as well.

For Japan on the other hand, it’s about survival of old Japanese culture.

The fact the episode with her sister happened at all forced her to make a choice. She made the decision to leave her family, but she still had to choose in the first place.

Of course she had the option to leave – it wasn’t pre-war Japan! Just because she enjoyed the dancing et al doesn’t change the circumstances that led her to the geisha life in the first place.

Incidentally, it must be extraordinarily challenging to try and direct a movie like that when the language is for the most part totally foreign. (Unless there’s something about Eastwood’s linguistic abilities of which I’m not aware.)

Forgive my ignorance, but I had no idea that Clint Eastwood had made a movie completely in a foreign language. (I’ll have to look it up when I have time.) I thought of Mel Gibson because of Passion and Apocalypto (which I enjoyed quite recently).

All this talk of criticizing a movie because of the inaccuracies in how it portrays a given culture is quite interesting. Nevertheless, I can’t help but feel that it reveals a certain degree of insecurity on the part of critics. If I wanted to see authentic Japanese culture captured accurately on celluloid, I would rent a decent movie produced with an all-Japanese cast and crew (such as the aforementioned Tasogare).

Come to think of it, they should have just made Memoirs as an animated film. Think of the possibilities!

Watanabe Ken now has a face of Hollywood star and he adapted himself in American way for the sake of success. I don’t know whether he understands these movies might be hurting some delicate part of the Japanese culture. Maybe Geisha thing is a kind of touching my Japanese part so much, as it is nowadays almost lost culture in Japan.

I know only Kagurazaka in Tokyo where old Japan is still preserved. There are narrow streets, you will pass fences made of black boards with the sound of shamisen performances coming from behind. Many visitors come in search of this sort of atmosphere, as this is the area with a number of establishments where many people engaged in cultural activities which have been patronizing.

Thanks, Everlong. I am intentionally writing the thing with some exaggeration, so that Americans understand how bizarre and annoying Hollywood Movies(or books) sometimes appear to foreigners. “Last Emperor” was my favorite movie, but it’s the same story for Chinese people.

Regarding Golden’s book, I thought that the book itself was an enjoyable read, but that the movie brought out a lot of the story’s oddities. Only after watching the movie did I realize that the heroine Sayuri was in a way, an obsessive stalker. I think that most fiction written about a culture foreign to the author will contain exotic or superlative elements, Memoirs included. Overall I wouldn’t say the book was an unfaithful portrayal of Japanese culture (most errors seem to be of the minor rather than major sort). Also, most people I know who read the book became further interested in Japan, so it served as sort of a stepping stone into Japan.

As for the movie, I enjoyed it although I made it a point not to fixate on anything too “un-Japanese.” I figure, I never paid attention to an American (or European) actor playing a different nationality on TV, or in any other movie, I sure as hell won’t ruin my experience and do so because the actress happens to be Asian. However, reading the book and watching the movie brought out a lot of the central storyline’s weaknesses, as well as a lot of character flaws I never previously paid much attention to, especially in regards to Sayuri and the Chairman.

As for the nationality question. I think my thoughts are best described by Kaminoge’s post. There is next to no criticism (scorn is more appropriate) when an actor of African or Caucasian descent plays a role different from that of his nationality. Perhaps it has to do with the criticizer’s level of interest in a culture which elevates his/her level of scrutiny? Americans and most Europeans I’ve met tend not to be as protective about the inappropriate, often incorrect portrayal of European and African cultures as displayed on TV or most movies. Yet I notice strangely that many Asians (myself included) and other people interested in Asian culture, demand a higher level of authenticity when the subject being portrayed is Asian. Asians seem to do it all the time, but seem more sensitive when the role being portrayed is their own nationality. I’ve cringed many a time when seeing how Chinese programs portray foreigners and their cultures. I’ve laughed till it hurts when I see how Chinese culture, or America is portrayed on Japanese dramas. The inordinate level of scrutiny given to Zhang Ziyi’s role in Memoirs though, really surprised me given how conventional the practice of playing another nationality is.

As for another actress who could play a geisha, it would take a great deal of training to mold any actress into the appropriate demeanor. Frankly most Japanese women I’ve seen and know would not be able to play the role of geisha, (geisha being are almost as foreign to their daily lives as they are to any non-Japanese). In my mind being Japanese would not de-facto make an actress more appropriate for playing a geisha. Having seen the movie and read the criticism, I also have yet to read any substantive critique of Zhang Ziyi’s portrayal; if anything the flaws were inherent in the scripting and direction, and not in her acting abilities. As for appropriate Japanese actresses, I’m sure Japan as many capable actresses, but they probably would not be of idol-level status. Look at Rinko Kikuchi, she played her role very well in Babylon, but is a virtual unknown in Japan. As for Anna Tsuchiya, I think she is a very bad candidate. As a poster stated, not only does she not look Japanese (she looks more Russian than Japanese), she also exudes too much of a brusque modern female quality. Her Oiran movie also hardly looked culturally authentic and I’d say it probably had more inaccuracies in terms of history, culture, and mannerisms, than the Memoirs movie. I would actually root for Inoue to play a geisha, not only does she have a certain (not manufactured plastic) quality to her, she has the demeanor to play one. In the end, as others have pointed out, international recognition probably was an important factor in the selection of the actresses.

Watanabe Ken was made a global star by that Tom Cruise movie; he even got an Oscar nod. From what I understand, Watanabe now lives in Los Angeles, and is really gunning for an Oscar.

“Last Samurai” was bizarre; I kept wondering why there was no bamboo in any of the “nature” shots. That said, I really liked Watanabe Ken and Sanada Hiroyuki’s presence. They have greater profiles than they used to, and since both are great actors, I’m pleased they have had the exposure. I particularly liked Sanada Hiroyuki in Tasogare Seibei (sp).

I also recently laughed a lot at the portrayal of westerners all throughout Hana Yori Dango. So the strange stereotyping does work in reverse.

As for Memois–I STILL haven’t seen it! There are still too many other things sitting in my queue that have take priority.

Recently Anna Tsuchiya played a lead role as Geisha in another movie, no matter how she looked more like a white girl and way too modern. She might be a quite different character than “Sayuri”. Yes, Yuuki Kudo was actually in the movie“Memoirs of a Geisha”.

Zhang Ziyi had been chosen as the lead role because of her appearance, youth and English ability. So far it was all right. But the cultural aspect was missing (as the whole thing). When she doesn’t appear as Japanese Geisha (at least for me) it’s wrong.

Always the same stereotypes in Hollywood Movies. For example, “Last Samurai” was in an alien style, too. Bizarre mixture of China, Japan and oriental nowhere land. The texture of the film was like a grotesque reptilian to me. How long does it last ? New Zeitgeist, please.

Iwasaki’s parents always gave her the option of leaving the okiya. She was never under any pressure from her parents to stay. Actually, it’s very obvious that they were incredibly upset by her own desire to stay (even she recognises this). Her father even tries to gently coerce her into coming back home, but she still wants remains in the okiya. She may have originally gone their because she thought it would keep Madam Oima from upsetting her parents any more, but that’s not the reason she stayed. And her decision upset her parents even more.

As she started herself: “In the midst of this drama, I decided to go live with Auntie Oima in the Iwasaki okiya. I made the decision independently, of my own free will.” (pg. 67) When it comes time for her to be adopted by the Iwasaki family, she again chooses to stay even though she knows it will hurt her family: “I had already made up my mind what I was going to say, but I felt awful when the words came out of my mouth. I felt terrible about hurting my parents. But I said what I said because I loved to dance. That is what tipped the balance in the Iwasakis’ favor. The dance had become my life, and I couldn’t imagine giving it up for anything or anyone.” (pg. 105-106)

RYO, er, don’t you mean Clint Eastwood, not Mel Gibson? Granted they both have made films completely in a foreign language.

I agree about the subtitles. Unfortunately I guess the studio thought Americans couldn’t cope…..

Nix, “What fresh hell is this?!” is the exact my feeling for “Memoirs of a Geisha” as a film. For me, Ziang Zyi doesn’t look like a Japanese Geisha at all.

Kaminoge, I don’t mind her nationality. It’s about cultural adaptability. Among capable Japanese actresses, Anna Tsuchiya 土屋あんな was a good candidate. She is young and beautiful. She speaks English. Or Yuuki Kudo 工藤夕貴. Her English is very good. But she might be a bit old.