Dear Mr. Spielberg,
When I read in the papers that you're adapting Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha for big-screen, I felt an insane urge to whack you with a jackfruit. Yes, I'm angry at you. Whatever were you thinking when you casted Michelle Yeoh, Zhang ZiYi and GongLi into the three main female roles of the story? Asians might all look and sound the same to you, but really, you think we audiences won't notice this jarring inconsistency?
You don't simply get Chinese actresses to fill in lead roles in a culture-heavy movie, especially when these actresses are international Chinese actresses, famous for their iconic cheongsam/kungfu roles. If keh leh feh characters (minor characters) I can forgive lah!In addition to that, Zhang ZiYi looks silly in the kimono, like a mega-blur Ah Moi with big hair clad in ill-fitting cushion covers. She just doesn't look the part. And Ken Watanabe as the Chairman?....Eh, don't tell me you watched The Last Samurai and decided to like him? Lucky you didin't cast Maggie Cheung, Faye Wong and Tony Leung after watching 2046 or I really beh tahan.
Aiyah, Mr. Spielberg. I also dunno what else to say lah. I still hope your movie is good in the end, because it couldn't be worse than The Last Samurai, where all the Japanese samurais die heroically but not Tom Cruise who received a few months (??) worth of crash course in bushido. (Someone seppuku him)
Byebye,
Ah Lian
"Memoirs of a Geisha" was a book I really enjoyed, with all it's dramatic elements and dreamy lyrical writing, which is just like watching a high-budget TVB movie. WHen I heard ZhangZiYi is to be casted as Sayuri, I freaked out. Then I found out that Michelle Yeoh is playing Mameha?!?! What the hell?! Desperately, I googled for the role of Sayuri's arch-rival Hatsumomo. GongLi woh. (But actually I'm not worried about GongLi because she's a much accomplished actress)
Still, I don't feel good about this. Chinese casts into Japanese roles. My world is black. This is going to be a crappo movie, where blur American directors put the wrong people in the wrong roles, just because these people are big names in Cannes. Japan no more lengluis isit? If Spielberg's lazy, can't he at least cast a J-pop starlet or something? Aiyoh...why like that. And I'm not even talking about Ken Watanabe yet. I feel he's too young and looks kinda harried for the role of the strong and quiet Chairman.
I remember feeling this level of scorn when Quentin Tarantino had Lucy Liu play the Yakuza woman boss, Oren Is Shit, in Kill Bill. But at least he had the insight to get Chiaki Kuriyama of Battle Royale fame to play the very horrifically delectable GoGo Yubari to distract me with her hawt hawt bloodlust. (Japanese schoolgirls, they are crazy!!)
It's not that I'm anti-chinese/pro-Japanese. I just want the good points of the story be preserved, especially the details of the costume, makeup, mannerims and setting. Let's hope Mr. Spielberg does not decide to take a few "creative liberties" with the story, just to make it more palatable for the West.
You can tell that more than a few Japs are miffed from the MonkeyPeaches site:
Hong Kong newspaper The Sun reported that Japanese studio Toei, set to collaborate the production of Memoirs Of A Geisha in Japan, might refuse to lease its set to the Americans. According to the paper, Toei was not happy about the fact that the cast of Memoirs Of A Geisha, a story supposed occurred in Japan, consists with too many Chinese and not enough Japanese. It was just like "changing a Kyoto's temple into a grand Chinese restaurant."
Both the movie and the book it is based on are in fact western interpretation of Japan's geisha culture. The Japanese are especially upset that geishas are portrayed as prostitutes. In fact, they are entertainers and could even be seen as artists.
Anyway, here's the list of the cast in Michelle Yeoh's website: Clickie
6 comments:
Sometimes i hate mr spielberg.
man.... that sucks. I don't know what's on the mind of these americans. It's pretty obvious that when you look at Zhang Ziyi or Michelle Yeoh, one cannot help but say "but... they're Chinese?" I mean, what the hell was that? I hope your letter gets to mr. spielberg. he's a great director and all, but yeah, sometimes he needs to get a whack in the head.
I was thinking about Kill Bill too while reading this. At least in Kill Bill, they had the excuse that Lucy Liu was half-chinese. Still, how could she have become the head of the Yakuza (beheading non-withstanding)?
Anyway, even if let's say that Michelle Yeoh and ZhangZiYi can pass for Japanese in terms of looks, it would still not be right when they start to speak in Japanese. Unless they are really fluent in it, Japanese people will find it hard to suspend their disbelief by the accent and the speed of which the main characters would probably be speaking.
That reminds me of John Lone (of The Last Emperor fame) who was cast as a Ninja Master in one movie (forgot which but I think it included Christopher Lambert). Whenever he spouts Nihonggo, he speaks real slow. Very odd. I also think it also makes it harder for the actors to act with their voices because by adding emotion to the dialogue, they might sound unnatural in the language they are speaking.
Anyway, enough of me. Just want to say I agree with Ju.
I think what my brother was talking about is The Hunted. Both John Lone and Joan Chen were kinda freaky whenever they tried to speak Japanese. It's also funny because looking at them, they're very much Chinese. I can't believe that John Lone's character killed a skilled Samurai Master. Sheesh
Hi there,
I just ran across your site and enjoyed reading through everything.
I'm trying to get a blog going on my site too. But I dont think i have the patience to do it!
--Amy
My comedy writing Site
to be honest, three chinese women as japanese, the hollywood must be so lazy looking for japanese people. f**K hollywood, the white people doing our asian thingy are very ignorant towards our culture. This is the first time i am mad with a film cultural insenstivity. i am chinese but i want to see at least a japanese star to be the leaad. Come on, so many J-pop superstars!!! And speaking of the many American Japanese living in the US!Hollywood stupidasssss!
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