Sunday, September 30, 2007
Loss
In Memoirs of a Geisha, the protagonist says, "There is a poem called Loss. It consists of three words which the author has crossed out. You can't read Loss. You can only feel loss."
It's a good movie, though I find it ironic that a Chinese actress plays the main role of a Japanese geisha. I've seen her in Hero. As a matter of fact, ethnic Chinese actresses play the three main Japanese geishas in the movie. It turns out that there was an artistic reason for casting Chinese actresses to play the three parts. If Hollywood was playing to the Chinese demographic, it backfired because the Chinese government denounced it, although the denouncement might have been free advertising and spurred more people to view the film. I find that rather shrewd and cynical. Shrewd in the sense of profit, and cynical to think that Americans and others would not notice the difference between Japanese and Chinese women. I wonder if such a subtle lack of detail will keep the movie from becoming a film classic.
It's a good movie, though I find it ironic that a Chinese actress plays the main role of a Japanese geisha. I've seen her in Hero. As a matter of fact, ethnic Chinese actresses play the three main Japanese geishas in the movie. It turns out that there was an artistic reason for casting Chinese actresses to play the three parts. If Hollywood was playing to the Chinese demographic, it backfired because the Chinese government denounced it, although the denouncement might have been free advertising and spurred more people to view the film. I find that rather shrewd and cynical. Shrewd in the sense of profit, and cynical to think that Americans and others would not notice the difference between Japanese and Chinese women. I wonder if such a subtle lack of detail will keep the movie from becoming a film classic.
Labels: emotional loss Hollywood casting
