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Memoirs of a Geisha Blu-ray
Sony Pictures | 2005 | 145 mins | Rated PG-13 | Sep 25, 2007
Memoirs of a Geisha(2005)Drama | Romance     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. For more details about Memoirs of a Geisha on Blu-ray, see the Memoirs of a Geisha Blu-ray Review Starring: Zhang Ziyi, Ken Watanabe, Michelle Yeoh, Koji Yakusho, Youki Kudoh Director: Rob Marshall Memoirs of a Geisha Blu-ray, Video Quality  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. Memoirs of a Geisha Blu-ray, Forum Discussions
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