Memoirs of a Geisha

This is one of those films that once you start watching it you just can't look away, the artistry within it is amazing. From the sets to the costumes this is a visually stunning film, the effort that was applied here is evident from the opening scenes. Based on the novel by Arthur Golden the world of the Geisha is opened to bear all for the world to see. All of the acting is superb and flawless, as the characters grow in age, as well as wisdom, you are taken on a journey that you will not soon forget.After a nine-year-old girl with stunning beauty is sold to a Kyoto Geisha house, she must endure harsh treatment and a world at war as she blossoms into the Geisha she is destined to become. Some of the punishments that are handed out during the film are a little extreme but for the time frame and the situations that are being played out they work. The sets look like they were taken right from that time in Japanese history, they look so authentic that you would almost believe that they were always there. The love story that this played out here is drawn out through the whole movie, and in true movie magic when the story is completed there is a happy ending.
After watching this movie I noticed in the credits that the film was based on Golden's book and was amazed that so much information about a completely female world, and point of view, was actually written by a man. The massive amount of research that must have gone into this story shows and it is understandable why this was such a well-received movie by the audience and the critics. This is definitely a movie to sit and watch with a loved one, the story is compelling and thought provoking about a life that we, as outsiders, until now knew very little about.