Prematurely crowned the jewel of Sony Pictures' winter offering, Memoirs Of A Geisha produced few sparks at the box office. Although sumptuously shot by Chicago director Rob Marshall, based off the best-selling novel written by Arthur Golden and featuring a stellar cast, the movie fell short of expectations. Harsh criticism for the stiff acting and melodramatic lines provided some explanation as to why the film did not do so well.
An intriguing development, however, has led to a more important question -- how significant is the nationality of the actors in a movie? More crucial than the usual gaffe of casting a comic actor in a serious role, Memoirs revealed the gravity of historical and cultural implications in casting decisions.
On Jan. 30, China banned the film from being shown within its borders. The government cited much criticism for the producers' decision to cast famous and popular Chinese actresses as Japanese geishas. They also alluded to the fact that the film takes place during period in which the Japanese committed atrocities against the Chinese. A disappointing showing stateside is one thing; a decree that your film will never be legally shown to one of its main foreign markets is devastating.
Many University students of Asian descent feel the public outcry in China and the government's subsequent decision are unwarranted. Former Japanese Club President Tai Aoki weighed in on the development.
"If the main reason the Chinese government banned this movie was not about the contents of the movie but the casting of Chinese actresses, then I think that is truly unfortunate."
Yes, the actresses are Chinese, but many felt they had the talent and the box office draw to justify their casting. Ziyi Zhang wowed audiences in 2000 with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Gong Li is arguably the most famous Chinese actress because of her internationally-acclaimed films. Michelle Yeoh is also well respected and had the honor of playing the first Bond girl of Asian descent. In other words, the producers brought together one of the strongest casts of talented Asian women today. The intent was to do the original novel justice, not to disturb an already delicate situation between China and Japan.
Michelle Nguyen feels the right actresses were chosen, but she also understands why the casting decision might have provoked resentment.
"On one side, I often think that people of Asian descent are just conflated into one, single group -- "Asian" -- when, in actuality, there are many different cultures within the Continent of Asia."
The situation has certainly frustrated the distributors of Sony Pictures, who admit the Chinese government's judgment will have distressing consequences. The country's more relaxed policy on movie piracy makes it easy to purchase DVDs for close to one dollar on the streets of Shanghai. Interestingly, there is great enough interest in the film that illegal sales are expected to be phenomenal.
These recent developments surrounding Memoirs Of A Geisha, although seemingly insular in nature, provide an important example for the film industry as it tentatively enters the potentially-lucrative Chinese market. It is a country rich with history, but that history also includes some troubling periods. Recognizing and respecting its historical traditions and its relations with neighboring countries is essential to making any formative steps forward.
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