have no one heard of this book and seen the preview of the movie? Well people that I know who have read this book and heard about the movie coming out are not to happy about how the chinese chick is going to play a japanese girl role. So I was wondering what do you ladies or guys think about the chinese chick playing a japanese chick roles? As for me I do not mind. I just can not wait to go and watch the movie since I am reading the book and her life seem to be a sad life so far.
memoris of a Geisha
- Thread starter hill
- Start date
It's called marketing people, its all about the money. Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh are about the only 2 Asian women white people are familiar with, excluding Asian-American stars. If you put some Japanese girl in there, there might not be a big enough draw.
Besides as wrong as it is some people still hold the attitude that all Asians look alike or that there isn't a difference between Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thailand etc.
Me? Don't really care as long as they can act.
Besides as wrong as it is some people still hold the attitude that all Asians look alike or that there isn't a difference between Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thailand etc.
Me? Don't really care as long as they can act.
it's not just the lead role that's being played by a chinese girl, it's basically the whole main cast. And yeah, Americans are only familiar with Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh, and Gong Li...if they were to put a bunch of Japanese actresses, I'm pretty sure no one is going to go see it since they don't know any of them. Well, maybe those who have read the book will. I haven't read the book myself but I do know others who have. They said that it was interesting.
Credited to TIMEASIA
Purists may complain that the three main geishas are played by Chinese women speaking English, which they were taught to intone in a lightly Japanese accent. It is a shame that a film with so specific a setting could not have leading ladies steeped in that culture. But there's a bald fact that is evident to anyone familiar with today's East Asian films: China is rich in top actresses, and Japan isn't.
"My philosophy in casting," says Marshall, "is that I cast for the role, period." (He notes that in Chicago he had Queen Latifah play a character that, in the 1920s, when the film is set, would not have been black.) So Zhang, Gong Li and Yeoh were chosen to lead Geisha's female cast. They are supported, and sometimes upstaged, by two seasoned Japanese actresses—Kaori Momoi, as Mother, the okiya proprietress, and Youki Kudoh, as Sayuri's friend and sometime antagonist Pumpkin—and one entrancing newcomer, Suzuka Ohgo, who plays Chiyo-Sayuri as a young girl. The main male roles were taken by Japanese actors: Watanabe, Koji Yakusho as his proud, disfigured friend Nobu and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as the manipulative Baron.
Lucy Fisher, one of the film's producers, was aware of grumbling about the casting of Chinese actresses as the most prominent geishas. Some of these barbs made it to the set. According to Fisher, Watanabe overheard one such comment. He turned around and stated, "There is no actress in the world who could play this part better than Zhang Ziyi." As Fisher recalls: "That was a happy day for everybody." Watanabe sees Geisha not as a documentary but as fiction woven by its director. "Although it is a period piece based in Japanese culture, what was most important was how Rob envisioned it. So I told myself not to be concerned about the details of the Japanese or geisha culture but try to help Rob create what he envisioned."
Purists may complain that the three main geishas are played by Chinese women speaking English, which they were taught to intone in a lightly Japanese accent. It is a shame that a film with so specific a setting could not have leading ladies steeped in that culture. But there's a bald fact that is evident to anyone familiar with today's East Asian films: China is rich in top actresses, and Japan isn't.
"My philosophy in casting," says Marshall, "is that I cast for the role, period." (He notes that in Chicago he had Queen Latifah play a character that, in the 1920s, when the film is set, would not have been black.) So Zhang, Gong Li and Yeoh were chosen to lead Geisha's female cast. They are supported, and sometimes upstaged, by two seasoned Japanese actresses—Kaori Momoi, as Mother, the okiya proprietress, and Youki Kudoh, as Sayuri's friend and sometime antagonist Pumpkin—and one entrancing newcomer, Suzuka Ohgo, who plays Chiyo-Sayuri as a young girl. The main male roles were taken by Japanese actors: Watanabe, Koji Yakusho as his proud, disfigured friend Nobu and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as the manipulative Baron.
Lucy Fisher, one of the film's producers, was aware of grumbling about the casting of Chinese actresses as the most prominent geishas. Some of these barbs made it to the set. According to Fisher, Watanabe overheard one such comment. He turned around and stated, "There is no actress in the world who could play this part better than Zhang Ziyi." As Fisher recalls: "That was a happy day for everybody." Watanabe sees Geisha not as a documentary but as fiction woven by its director. "Although it is a period piece based in Japanese culture, what was most important was how Rob envisioned it. So I told myself not to be concerned about the details of the Japanese or geisha culture but try to help Rob create what he envisioned."
KawaiiTennyo
THE KT OF SARNIES
memoirs of a geisha is my FAVORITE book .. i can't beleive they let zhang zii star as her GRrRness.. she's in every one of the asian movie .. she's chinese not japanese!! this only goes to show why everyone thinks all asian are chinese!! imam watch the movie .. i dont have a high expectation of i though.. i though yankumi frim gokusen would've been the perfect actress for it she's pretty enough to catch people's attention to watch the movie!!
pii-nky
sarNie Juvenile
yea, i saw it all over my magazine with Zhang Ziyi (VOUGE). She's real pretty and a real good action movie fighter i guess. And of course, Michelle Yeoh; she's an old, but waayy good actress! 
I'm planning to go watch it. seems intresting. She did good in House of Flying Daggars.
I'm planning to go watch it. seems intresting. She did good in House of Flying Daggars.I think it does not matter who acts as the main Geisha and whether they are Japanese or not because asian people confuse all other people as white when they are either Italian, french, english, or american.
There is always a racist barb somewhere but if you are selling a movie for Americans, it is important to sell it with feature, those who people are fimilar with.
I think it is okay for Zhang Z. to play the role because she has talent but I'm just bored with too much of her in movies, she seems to be the only asian actress when there should be more out there. Oh well, at least the movie should be good!
There is always a racist barb somewhere but if you are selling a movie for Americans, it is important to sell it with feature, those who people are fimilar with.
I think it is okay for Zhang Z. to play the role because she has talent but I'm just bored with too much of her in movies, she seems to be the only asian actress when there should be more out there. Oh well, at least the movie should be good!
KawaiiTennyo
THE KT OF SARNIES
i went to see it on sunday! it was pretty good.. if you read the book it's totally like the book except of course the book is better.. =)
First, memoirs of a geisha is my favorite book! Group of my friends went to watch it first and told me not to wasted my money on it, but i didn't believe them and went to watch with my older sister...boy... I was wrong its suck big time!... the movie is embarassing and disappointment, I do not agree with casting a couple of well-known Chinese actresses as lead for this movie. I know that they are good actress, but they should've cast Japanese actress instead. Because I feel that there culture conflict, I feel that a Japanese actress can protray the characters better. And more important, the movie should never ever have been written in english. It should be in japanese dialogue and subtitling the movie in english instead. I think I would like the movie, if they with by the book.
Group of my friends went to watch it first and told me not to wasted my money on it, but i didn't believe them and went to watch with my older sister...boy... I was wrong its suck big time!... the movie is embarassing and disappointment, I do not agree with casting a couple of well-known Chinese actresses as lead for this movie. I know that they are good actress, but they should've cast Japanese actress instead. Because I feel that there culture conflict, I feel that a Japanese actress can protray the characters better. And more important, the movie should never ever have been written in english. It should be in japanese dialogue and subtitling the movie in english instead. I think I would like the movie, if they with by the book. I agree by casting Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh who are much well known they draw in a larger audience.
I was watching Michelle on the view and she made a really good point. Why does it matter if they play a Japanese character versus getting a japanese actress? Why is everyone making such a big deal i say? American actors play German, British, Italian, etc. all the time and other actresses/actors vice versa.
What makes this any different when a chinese actress portrays a japanese women.They are actressses, this is what they do. I say is she does a good job that's all that matters.
I was watching Michelle on the view and she made a really good point. Why does it matter if they play a Japanese character versus getting a japanese actress? Why is everyone making such a big deal i say? American actors play German, British, Italian, etc. all the time and other actresses/actors vice versa.
What makes this any different when a chinese actress portrays a japanese women.They are actressses, this is what they do. I say is she does a good job that's all that matters.
I read the book also, and it was great. The movie was good too! I don't know what all the fuss is about casting Chinese to play Japanese. This book was written by a caucasian and it's fiction! This is not a documentary people!! Of course this movie is geared toward the American audiences and big names starz are needed. They did the right thing casting Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, and Gong Li as they are great great actresses in their own right!! These three ladies are "actors," and that is what they are hired to do!! To act as whatever role they get!!!! I don't understand why people think casting a Japanese woman would make this movie any better?? How can a japanese actress feel the culture more better when that person is just an actress. It's not like that particular Japanese actress was once a Geisha or something, she would still have to do her studies and go through all those training as what Ziyi, Michelle, and Gong Li did. If you want a true, deep feeling acting, then you would probably have to cast a REAL Japanese Geisha to play the role!!! As I mentioned, the book is fiction, and this is not a documentary. All I could say is that these three ladies did a fine job!!!! For those of you who haven't seen the movie, go watch it!!! This is also a movie that can break the steretypes of typecasting asians in movies. The doors will open soon, where people will see asians can act in drama too, not only in actions!!!!