geisha philosophy

the movie was better than i had expected.. it was quite beautiful visually, with wonderful shots of stunning scenery and the zen-like japanese architecture, not to forget the stunning kinomos (which i feel seems to reflect the moods of the wearer).

the chinese actresses were really good, despite having their lines in english. michelle yeoh made her character strong and resolute, zhang ziyi was trying hard to be pretty and was slightly convincing as the lead actress, but i think the best was gong li.. could almost see the daggers shooting out from her eyes! and her clothes are the nicest..

as Hatsumomo (gong li) flees the scene of the burning okiwa, chiyo had the proper sense to see that she could very well be just like her in the future. they had so much in common, they both had their hearts set on someone, and they both had strong desire to be the best geisha (in order to get what they want), and both had strong pride, though chiyo had to swallow it at the beginning when she was just a slavegirl.. but she had the insight to see the danger of being too obsessed and egocentric.. i think that's really cool, one of the key scenes of the movie for me..

some nice quotes:
sayuri: "a geisha can never ask for more.." (i love this the most!! short and simple, yet encapsulates exactly how she felt then..)

"she paints her face to hide her face. her eyes are deep water. it is not for geisha to want. it is not for geisha to feel. geisha is an artist of the floating world. she dances, she sings. she entertains you, whatever you want. the rest is shadows, the rest is secret."

pumpkin: "a long time ago, you took something away from me, the only thing i ever truly wanted. well, now u know how it feels." (oh!! the dagger is so deeply stabbed in the back..)

chairman: "kindness we receive in our lives are never enough."

next movie to watch: Munich, by steven spielberg.