VOGUE VOL. 180, NO. 5 2015
3/ Editor’s Desk
5/ Introduc4on
7/ Key Scenes
11/ Similari4es
13/ Strength vs. Weakness
5/25/15
“This is why dreams can be such dangerous things: they smolder on like a fire does, and sometimes they consume us completely.” ― Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha
VOGUE
2
Editor’s Desk Introducing “Memoirs of a Geisha” Name: Ashiwini Allen Age: 18 School: Coppell High School
Name: Alice An Age: 18 School: Coppell High School
Name: Macy Toronjo Age: 17 School: Coppell High School 5/24/15
Elements
3
Introduction
Theme Statement: As oneself acquires more knowledge, the greater the sacrifice it is to accept responsibility. “Characters”
“Plot”
-‐ Most of the characters were the same but Mr. Tanaka was removed from the movie. -‐ DepicFon of Sayuri was slightly different from the novel.
-‐ BoLom line plot was the same with the similar scenes but some of the scenes were removed to make the movie more dramaFc.
“SePng”
“Conflict” -‐ Most conflicts from the novel appeared in the movie. There were a numerous conflicts between characters and inner conflicts as well.
-‐ The seMng for both movie and novel was Kyoto.
Key Scenes
What are some scenes removed from the novel? In the novel, Sayuri’s narrative begins during her childhood and the humble life she and her family lived in their hometown, Yoroido. On the other hand, the movie skipped the hometown beginnings of the protagonist Sayuri and progressed quickly to her initiation into geisha life as evident by how she and her sister, Satsu, were sold by their father to a man named Tanaka then shortly into the Nitta okiya. •
Deleting childhood scene removes all the emotions from the audience because they do not realize motivation of Chiyo becoming a geisha and the importance of family. • In the beginning of the film, Chiyo and her sister Satsu were taken away from their family. If you didn’t read the book, then the beginning would have been very confusing. In the film, all of her childhood experiences were taken out, probably in order to shorten the film and make it more concise. • The Granny is barely shown in the film, compared to the book where she is mentioned and has many lines for the most part. Even though the film did show the yellow discolorations on her face, it never explained what they meant. The movie skipped all through Granny’s appearances, which thus skipped over the symbolism. • In the novel when Chiyo arrives at the Okiya she is sent to geisha school, although in the book it took her many months of hard work until Mother allowed her to attend geisha school.
Key Scenes
The movie portrays Hatsumomo leaving the burning the okiya destitute after a forlorn and vain fight against Sayuri over the latter’s handkerchief given by the chairman, whereas the novel depicts Hatsumomo, unwilling to accept defeat, went nuts on a client. Days later, bringing with her some precious things, she was thrown out of the okiya and was left to wander in the streets. For a time, she became a prostitute in the Miyagawa-cho district, and from hence, she was heard no more. •
Burning a house puts an effect of intense feeling so that audience can really feel the jealousy and her desperate mind not being an owner of a geisha house. Since she sacrificed her whole life to the geisha house where she lost her love, money and innocence, Hatsumomo bursted out her emotions by burning a house of her life. This section tells the audience that Hatsumomo could not take her full responsibility although she was recognized as one of the most famous and attractive geisha in her area where she obtained all of her knowledge. Her character contrasts with Sayuri who keeps silence as she becomes the best geisha in Kyoto. • In the novel Granny’s worst fear was that the Okiya was going to some how burn down. In the film they described it as being Mother’s fear. • There was irony in the novel when Granny died. She was very afraid of fire, ironically she died because she got electrocuted because of her electric heater. Although the book left that part out, along with many other parts that had Granny in it.
Key Scenes
In the film, when the war broke out, all the okiyas in the Hanamachi were closed and the geishas were brought to Osaka. The Chairman helped Sayuri and Mameha escape by giving them new occupations and identities. However, in the novel, it was Sayuri herself who importuned help from Nobu-san after her previous danna (the General) refused to be of assistance. Nobu in turn offered Sayuri a safe haven to stay while the war is going on and while his company was unpopular. •
Putting herself in her own position shows stronger character of Sayuri in the novel. In the film, Sayuri is portrayed as innocent individual who is very reserved to herself.
In the motion picture, Nobu-san went to Sayuri’s hideout, pleaded with her to put on her kimono once more to charm a certain American named Colonel Derricks, who could grant Iwamura Electric a contract . Sayuri no longer wants to become geisha due to the traces of the war carved in her visage. Despite this, she still complies upon hearing the Chairman’s request. On the contrary, in the novel, Nobu-san beseeches Sayuri to entertain the Japanese Deputy Minister Sato who would subsidize his company. Also, Sayuri wants to return to her old life as a geisha in Gion even without Nobu’s supplication. She’s just waiting for Mother to once more open the doors of the okiya. •
The director used American general Colonel Derricks, instead of Japanese Deputy Minister in order to make Sayuri not to reject the asking. This change provides more drama into the plot line, creating happenstantial meeting. • In the novel Sayuri seems much more independent and knows what she wants in life. Although, in the movie it almost seemed like she was made to do things, instead of wanting them for herself.
Key Scenes
The story in the movie ends with the Chairman and Sayuri unmasking their unfeigned yearning and love for each other, whilst the novel ends with Sayuri retiring from geisha hood upon the Chairman’s request and with her moving to New York City to open a teahouse for businessmen and to establish a life of her own— a life away from mayhem and controversies.
•
Since the movie is more focused on romance rather than individual development, ending the the movie with love is more dramatic and fit in the film. However, the novel makes Sayuri to be more independent character with the ending of creating a own business. • The movie portrays the Chairman and Sayuri as star-studded lovers with probable hopes of finishing out the movie as classic as any challenging love story can be. Compared to the book, the movie demonstrated a developed sense of mutual understanding between their relationship and the audience’s understanding of the relationship. It took out the hardships of moving away from insanity and chaos from the war and the aftermath of the geisha hood. • The director made these changes because we wanted more of a fairytale ending. Audiences tend to like the stereotypical fairytale ending, much more than an ending that is reality.
SIMILARITIES Little Chiyo went up to straighten Hatsumomo’s room. She was fascinated with Hatsumomo’s belongings and went on touching them. Hatsumomo caught Chiyo in the act and she then reproved the latter for her “fishy” stench. She also told Chiyo of Satsu (Chiyo’s big sister) arrival the other day. Chiyo begged to know where Satsu is, but Hatsumomo rebuffed and asked her to leave at once. This part of the novel is virtually the same with what happended in the movie in a sense that the point of view (Chiyo as the first person); the setting (okiya, in Hatsumomo’s room) including the atmosphere; the conflict (Hatsumomo reprimanding Chiyo); and the essence of the dialogue are identical although some superfluous lines were omitted.
On their way to the Geisha school, Pumpkin found a piece of squid that was left out during the night on the ground. To Chiyo’s surprise, Pumpkin eagerly picked the leftover and gobbled it up, sparing none. Then they hurried off to school. The situation reflected in the novel is identical with that in the film. Elements such as the characters, setting (place, weather and social conditions), and the structure are matching. Pumpkin may have condensed the conversation but the soul is still there. Some narrations from the first person may be absent, but the theme is self-evident in the character's’ body language. When it was good and black, she dipped a brush in it and smoothed its tip against the stone-so that all the ink was absorbed in the brush and none of it would drip. Then she put it into my hand, and held my hand over the lovely kimono, and said to me: “Practice your calligraphy, little Chiyo.” Hatsumomo and her friend, Korin arrived at the okiya under the influence of liquor. Hatsumomo unwrapped a package which turned out to be a kimono of her enemy, a geisha named Mameha. She then demanded and assisted Chiyo in doodling any marks on it. The geishas found it amusing and afterward, they along with Chiyo left for Mameha’s abode. This plot is closely the same with one scene in the movie, along with the dialogue in its passive form. The character of Hatsumomo as the protag
This fragment of the novel is overridingly similar to a scene in the movie, wherein while Chiyo was weeping by the bridge, the Chairman approached her, cheered her up and offered her some shaved ice. From that moment, Chiyo found new meaning for her existence— to be geisha to have a place in the Chairman’s world. Chiyo rushed to the temple , offering her penny and praying for her destiny. The setting itself, the portrayal of the characters, the action and character plot , and some parts of the dialogue from the novel were also brought to life in the film adaptation.
Review
Strength of Novel “Originally published in 1997, Mr. Golden's celebrated venture into higherend chick lit centers on Sayuri, who survives a childhood of suffering to become a famous entertainer. Narrated in the first person, the book is embroidered with vaguely ethnographic exotica, Japanese words and phrases and a great deal of hothouse intrigue about who did what to whom and where. To the non-Japanese eye, the life of the geisha may appear intoxicatingly exotic, perfumed with face powder and the mildest suggestion of sex, but at least in the film, which is credited to the screenwriter Robin Swicord, the whole thing plays out like "As the Okiya Turns," complete with devious rivals, swoonworthy swains, fabulous accouterments, a jaw-dropping dance number recycled from Madonna's Drowned World tour and much clinching, panting and scheming.”
Weakness of Film “Mr. Marshall can't rescue the film from its embarrassing screenplay or its awkward Chinese-Japanese-Hollywood culture klatch, but "Memoirs of a Geisha" is one of those bad Hollywood films that by virtue of their production values nonetheless afford a few dividends, in this case, fabulous clothes and three eminently watchable female leads. Although it's always a pleasure to see these three in action, and there's something undeniably exciting about the prospect of them storming the big studio gate, the casting of Ms. Gong and Ms. Zhang ends up more bittersweet than triumphant. Ms. Zhang, for one, shows none of the heartache and steel of her astonishing performance in Wong Kar-wai's "2046." When her character crumbles with desire in that film, Ms. Zhang's face seems to break into pieces - you can scarcely believe she could put it whole again. Here, you can hardly believe it's the same actress.”