Memoirs of a Geisha Blu-ray delivers great video and superb audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
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 Sayuri (Ziyi Zhang). Beautiful and accomplished, Sayuri captivates the most powerful men of her day, but is haunted by her secret love for the one man (Ken Watanabe) who is out of her reach. Based on the internationally acclaimed novel by Arthur Golden.
Based on the sweeping, critically-acclaimed novel of the same name by author Arthur Golden, director Rob Marshall's Memoirs of a Geisha was plagued by controversy from the very beginning. Not only did the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker cast Chinese actresses in crucial Japanese roles, he did so at a time when tensions between China and Japan were bringing politics and art into fierce opposition. The resultant firestorm undermined the integrity of the production and burdened the film with an undue amount of pressure. Yet despite the anger and bitterness that met its release, the film's detractors could not have been prepared for its real offense: reducing a beloved, richly-textured novel into a flat, uninspiring epic that failed to capture the qualities that made its source so moving.
Striking production design isn't enough to offset Marshall's bland character development...
Sold into slavery at the age of nine, a young girl named Chiyo Sakamoto (portrayed first by Suzuka Ohgo and later by Zhang Ziyi) soon finds herself working in a geisha house at the mercy of a cruel taskmaster named Mother (Kaori Momoi) and a jealous colleague named Hatsumomo (Gong Li). Struggling with severe depression, her spirits are lifted when she meets the Chairman (Ken Watanabe), a kind businessman who leaves the girl determined to one day become a geisha herself. When Chiyo eventually comes under the tutelage of a rival headmistress named Mameha (Michelle Yeoh), she quickly becomes one of the most envied entertainers in the region. But her inevitable reunion with the Chairman is threatened by the outbreak of World War II and the ever-changing face of a nation in peril.
Compelling as it may sound, Marshall has unfortunately focused all his efforts on fashioning an accurate portrayal of early-20th century Japan instead of fleshing out his characters or infusing them with the same complexity and authenticity exhibited by their page-bound counterparts. While his priorities result in beautiful, at-times gorgeous cinematography, it's tough to praise a film's lush design when its populous is so hollow and soulless. To their credit, Ziyi, Yeoh, and Watanabe do their best with what they're given, but Marshall tries to preserve so many details and subplots from the original novel that he loses sight of the central themes and conflicts that made the story resonate with readers in the first place. Gone is the haunting sense of lost innocence, gone is the heartbreaking sorrow of a young girl, and gone is the unnerving contrast that accompanied Golden's descriptions of geisha life. The visuals accomplish plenty, but without compassion for the characters, what's the point?
As it stands, Memoirs of a Geisha is little more than a diluted adaptation of a notable literary masterpiece; a pale imitation of the intriguing period piece that could've been. When I first read Golden's novel eight years ago, I could picture every frame of a movie that could capture his every intention and his characters' every thought. What I couldn't picture was a film that stripped his prose of its essence; a sweeping portrayal of a nation that loses sight of its people. Perhaps casting Chinese actresses in Japanese roles was the first sign of Marshall's disregard for the reality of the tale... maybe he never really understood what made the book so special. Either way, Memoirs of a Geisha is a disappointing and underwhelming bust that never rises above the splendor of its visuals.
To that end, Sony has given Memoirs of a Geisha a sumptuous 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that renders Marshall's misfire with ease. A vibrant palette is paired with exacting detail to deliver a vivid, three-dimensional presentation of cinematographer Dion Beebe's engaging photography. Contrast is bright and inviting, skintones are natural, and blacks are deep and inky. The film's many nighttime sequences are host to frequent crushing that blots out some of the finer background textures, but any loss should be attributed to Marshall's tone and not some mysterious technical mishap. Thankfully, the image is quite clean and, aside from a bit of artifacting that pops up in establishing shots, I didn't detect any distracting distortion or interference. Edge enhancement is occasionally present but kept to an absolute minimum, source noise is nowhere to be found, and banding is never a problem. More importantly, grain has been reduced without sacrificing the clarity or integrity of the picture -- in fact, the overall presentation has a slick, polished appearance that preserves every inch of the film's magnificent production and costume design.
While shadow delineation is too oppressive and intentionally-softened shots are too prevalent to warrant a higher score, I can't imagine anyone will be disappointed with what they see. The film itself may not pack the emotional punch I had hoped for, but this transfer pays a fitting tribute to the world Golden crafted in his novel.
As satisfying as its video transfer is, Memoir of a Geisha's uncompressed PCM 5.1 surround track is even more impressive. Far from being the chatty, front-heavy bore I expected, the mix establishes a series of involving sonic set pieces that the sound designers match with an equally immersive soundfield. Falling rain, thunderous drums, and hushed whispers emerge from every speaker, LFE support looms naturally in every shot, and the track's achingly precise directionality is thoroughly convincing. Moreover, pans are swift and transparent, dialogue is crisp and perfectly prioritized, and interior acoustics are realistic and believable. If I have any complaint, it's that the film's soundtrack is pushed a bit too far into the background of the soundscape. There are times when it rushes forward just as it should, but still others where it lingers at a distance when I wanted it to overtake the imagery more aggressively. Still, it's unlikely that this admittedly minor flaw is a technical shortcoming. All things considered, Memoirs of a Geisha sounds wonderful and will draw viewers in even when the film is so intent on pushing them away.
The Blu-ray edition of Memoirs of a Geisha includes all of the special features that appear on the 2-disc SE DVD. While the video content is merely presented in standard definition, the package as a whole is quite thorough and extensive (particularly the two-hour documentary). Fans of the novel and the film will find a surprising amount of material to dig through on this one.
Audio Commentaries: On the first of two audio commentaries, director Rob Marshall and co-Producer John DeLuca sit down for a dry, informal chat about the production, its various controversies, the cinematography, and the process of adapting Golden's novel for the screen. The second commentary is certainly more lively, but ultimately rather shallow. It places production designer John Myhre, costume designer Colleen Atwood, and editor Pietro Scalia center stage and allows them to discuss their craft, the visuals of the film, and the tone each of their departments help set for the production. Both tracks will probably only appeal to the most devoted fans, but they're still just as informative as anyone could ask for.
Production Featurettes (SD, 114 minutes): Next up is an eleven-part behind-the-scenes documentary that delves into every aspect of the film. From Novel to Screen digs into Arthur Golden's book, the Road to Japan follows the production team as they scout locations, Geisha Boot Camp explores the training given to the lead actresses, Building the Hanamachie sees the construction of an entire village, The Look of a Geisha digs into the film's visualization of Chiyo's profession, Music of Memoirs visits composer John Williams, Dance introduces the film's involving choreography, The World of the Geisha is another historical featurette, The Way of the Sumo investigates the traditional wrestling of Japan, Rob Marshall's Story includes interviews with the cast and crew about the director, and A Day with Chef Nobu Matsuhisa is an aimless look at a cameo in the film.
Photo Galleries: A collection comprised of production stills, costume illustrations, candid behind-the-scenes shots, and more.
Chef Nobu's Recipes: Three recipes from renowned LA chef Nobu Matsuhisa.
Even though I didn't enjoy director Rob Marshall's limp adaptation of Memoirs of a Geisha, I have to admit Sony has delivered a tempting disc. The Blu-ray edition features an excellent video transfer, a near-reference level PCM audio track, and more than seven hours of supplemental materials for fans of the book and film. I can't recommend the flick on its own merits, but this is a fantastic release that should please anyone who had more love for Marshall's vision than I did.
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