Memoirs of a Geisha

Year:

2005

Duration:

145 min | Philippines:140 min

Genres:

Drama | Romance

IMDB rate:

7.3

Director:

Rob Marshall

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 26 wins & 35 nominations

Details

Country: USA

Release Date: 2005-12-23

Filming Locations: American River, Sacramento, California, USA

Earnings

Budget: $85,000,000

Opening Weekend: $682,504 (USA) (11 December 2005)

Gross: $57,010,853 (USA) (12 March 2006)

Cast

Actor

Character

Kenneth Tsang

Ziyi Zhang

Memoirs of a Geisha

Suzuka Ohgo

Chiyo

Togo Igawa

Tanaka

Mako

Sakamoto

Samantha Futerman

Satsu

Elizabeth Sung

Sakamoto's Wife

Thomas Ikeda

Mr. Bekku

Li Gong

Hatsumomo

Tsai Chin

Auntie

Kaori Momoi

Mother

Zoe Weizenbaum

Young Pumpkin

David Okihiro

Shamisen Teacher

Miyako Tachibana

Dance Teacher

Kotoko Kawamura

Granny

Karl Yune

Koichi

Eugenia Yuan

Korin

Yôko Narahashi

Mameha's Maid (as Yoko Narahashi)

Michelle Yeoh

Mameha

Ken Watanabe

Chairman

Navia Nguyen

Izuko - Geisha in Green

Natsuo Tomita

Geisha in Lavender

Yûki Kudô

Pumpkin

Fumi Akutagawa

Yukimoto Teahouse Matron

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

The Baron

Koji Toyoda

Male Hairdresser

Rick Mali

Man in Grey Hat

Steve Terada

Boy on Bike

Laura Miro

Yukimoto Teahouse Geisha / Spring Festival Dancer

Diane Mizota

Yukimoto Teahouse Geisha / Spring Festival Dancer

Yasusuke Uike

Sumo Referee

Shûhei Mainoumi

Small Sumo Wrestler (as Shuhei Mainoumi)

Daisuke Dewaarashi

Large Sumo Wrestler

Kôji Yakusho

Nobu

Ren Urano

Sumo Ring Announcer

Ace Yonamine

Sumo Wrestler

Anthony Begonia

Sumo Wrestler

Albert 'Sumo' Lee

Sumo Wrestler

Dino Rivera

Sumo Wrestler

Randall Duk Kim

Dr. Crab

Takayo Fischer

Tanizato Teahouse Owner

Asako Takasue

Tanizato Teahouse Matron

Clarissa Park

Dancer at Party

Nobu Matsuhisa

Kimono Artist (as Nobuyuki Matsuhisa)

James Taku Leung

Kimono Factory Worker (as Jim Leung)

Chad Cleven

Drunken G.I.

Richard J. Bell

Drunken G.I.

Cameron Duncan

Drunken G.I.

Faith Shin

Little Kiko

Brannon Bates

Military Police Officer

Ted Levine

Colonel Derricks

Paul Adelstein

Lieutenant Hutchins

Shizuko Hoshi

Sayuri Narration

Michelle Aguilar Camaya

Spring Festival Dancer

Janelle Dote

Spring Festival Dancer

Kim Halzle

Spring Festival Dancer (as Kim Hazel)

Ashia Meyers

Spring Festival Dancer

Mitsuyo Miyazaki

Spring Festival Dancer (as Kiyoka Miyazaki)

Shiho Miyazawa

Spring Festival Dancer

Minae Noji

Spring Festival Dancer

Mami Saito

Spring Festival Dancer

Shannon Abero

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

Kiyoko Ando

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

Miki Fujita

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

Chieko Hidaka

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

Wendy Lam

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

Kana Miyamoto

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

Brooke Miyasaki

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

Nao Nojima

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

Shelly Oto

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

Nikki Tuazon

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

Addie Yungmee

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

Cassidy Adams

Student Dancer

Celena Ahn

Student Dancer

Allison Chan

Student Dancer

Deziree Del Rosario

Student Dancer

Emilie Endow

Student Dancer

Rosie Endow

Student Dancer

Hannah Hwang

Student Dancer

Emma Fusako Ishii

Student Dancer

Amy Saki Kawakami

Student Dancer

Stefani Lee

Student Dancer

Teanna Lee

Student Dancer

Melissa Morinishi

Student Dancer

Michelle Obi

Student Dancer

Kasey Okazaki

Student Dancer

Jacqueline Osaki

Student Dancer

Ayaka Oyama

Student Dancer

Jade Refuerzo

Student Dancer

La Na Shi

Student Dancer (as Meng Shi)

Stacy Suzuki

Student Dancer

Miwa Tachibana

Student Dancer

Jordan Tambara

Student Dancer

Shaye Uyematsu

Student Dancer

Etsuo Hongo

Shamisen Musician

Tateo Takahashi

Shamisen Musician

Masakazu Yoshizawa

Shamisen Musician

Kazumi Aihara

The Baron's Guest (uncredited)

Jennie Baek

Geisha (uncredited)

Yuki Bird

Wealthy Guest (uncredited)

Cabran E. Chamberlain

Businessman (uncredited)

Michael Chen

Rickshaw Driver (uncredited)

Maggie Hai-Uyen

Guest of the Baron (uncredited)

Halla

Maiko (uncredited)

James Huang

Spa Worker (uncredited)

Eiji Inoue

(uncredited)

Masa Kanome

Radio Caster (uncredited)

Branden Weslee Kong

Rickshaw Driver (uncredited)

Aurelie Kyinn

Wealthy Guest (uncredited)

Teddy Lau

Noodle Chef (uncredited)

Stacey Lee

Maiko (uncredited)

Jon Liggett

Drunken G.I. (uncredited)

Julia Ling

Spring Festival Dancer (uncredited)

Jia Mae

Sexy Geisha (uncredited)

Tohoru Masamune

Radio Announcer (uncredited)

Danton Mew

Takamaya Towel Servant (uncredited)

Doug Ming

Fisherman (uncredited)

Ryan Moriarty

Teahouse Patron (uncredited)

Tam Nguyen

Maiko (uncredited)

Sophie Oda

Kimono Factory Worker (uncredited)

Ricky Pak

Spa Patron (uncredited)

Steffinnie Phrommany

Geisha (uncredited)

Catherine Kim Poon

Geisha (uncredited)

Austin Michael Scott

Drunken G.I. (uncredited)

Cathy Shim

The Baron's Guest (uncredited)

Steve Sornbutnark

Attendee (uncredited)

Aaron Takahashi

Rickshaw Runner (uncredited)

Ray Tom

Spa Patron (uncredited)

Henry T. Yamada

Sumo Judge (uncredited)

Joseph Steven Yang

Spa Patron (uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

The elements are a running theme through this film and each of the four main Geisha have an elemental character. Sayuri is water, Mameha is wind, Pumpkin is wood and Hatsumomo is fire.

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The collars on the Geishas' kimono indicate their 'status' as a Geisha and give customers an indication of their ranking. A Maiko (apprentice Geisha) wears a red collar to symbolize she is in training while an accomplished Geisha will wear a white collar. This is where the phrase "turning the collar" comes from.

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The makeup the Geishas wear early in this movie is less traditional and more modern so that it translates to a more modern audience; a Geisha of the time rarely ever fully painted her lips, and would either paint the bottom lip, just the top, or partially the center of both. The full painting of lips did not come until after the forties and the fifties, with the increase of Western culture and style.

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Goofs

Spoiler: When Okaa-san says she wants to adopt Sayuri, which provokes Hatsumomo's anger, Okaa-san's cigarette keeps changing its own size, being at times totally consumed, and sometimes not.

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When Chiyo apologizes to Mameha about the kimono; when she first bows both sleeves of her kimono are behind her arms but in the next scene when Mameha kneels beside her, the right sleeve is on top of her arm instead of behind it.

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When Chiyo/Sayuri and Pumpkin are listening on Mrs. Nitta and Mameha's discussion of Chiyo's future, and the camera zooms in on the girls' eyes peering through the crack in the door, Chiyo's eyes move very fast and you can clearly see Chiyo's blue contact, since it does not move with the rest of her eye.

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Quotes

Auntie: You are to become geisha.

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Narrator (Old Sayuri): [during the war while young Sayuri is working for the kimono maker] A year without news, except news of death. Rumors of citites evaporating into clouds of smoke. And than another year and another... Nothing. Rice... Work... Rice... Work... Nothing. Is this interesting? Interesting? Yes No | Share this Share this: Facebook | Twitter | Permalink Hide options Sayuri Narration: [gazing at a ruined Hatsumomo in the streets] I could be her. Were we so different? She loved once. She hoped once. I could be her. I might be looking into my own future... Until the real future came falling from the air.

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Hatsumomo: How much longer is this bidding going to take? Beside who wants a plum when someone has already had a bite?

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Faq

Q

What becomes of Sayuri in her later life?

A

The novel provides a few more details into Sayuri's later life. The Chairman becomes her danna, but moves her into the country so Nobu will not have to see them together. He convinces Mother to release her from the okiya. They live happily for many years, with the Chairman spending a majority of his nights with Sayuri, until she is rumored to have had his illegitimate son, which jeopardizes the future of his business (whether she has truly had his child is never confirmed, though strongly implied). In order to protect his interests (and possibly their child), Sayuri suggests that the Chairman send her to America, where she sets up a small teahouse in New York and lives out the rest of her life in comfort.

Q

What was that stuff being combed into Sayuri's hair?

A

That was actually wax. Wax was usually combed into the hair of most geisha in order to maintain their hairstyles. However, because of its obvious texture, the use of wax for hairstyling proved to be an extremely painful process for almost all geisha.

Q

What became of Sayuri's sister?

A

Sayuri never saw Satsu (Samantha Futerman) again after she successfully escaped from the Miyagawa-Cho District. In the book on which the film is based, Satsu is implied to have returned to their village and then run away with the son of a local fisherman.

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