Visually splendid 'Geisha' succeeds as work of art

Awash in exquisite craftsmanship, Rob Marshall's bittersweet fable "Memoirs of a Geisha" is an emotionally discreet mural staged within misty interiors and against rainy, smoky and snowy landscapes.

Robin Swicord's screenplay is based on Arthur Golden's 1997 bestseller about a Japanese tradition that, after centuries, has passed into the past.

"A story like mine should never be told ... I certainly wasn't born to the life of a geisha," says Sayuri (voiced by Shizuko Hoshi only in the narration).

When their mother dies in the 1930s, the 9-year-old Chiyo (Suzuka Ohgo) and her sister are sent away to Kyoto's Gion district by their aging father and soon separated forever, not unlike the sisters in "The Color Purple."

Of the two, only Chiyo is accepted at the okiya -- a geisha household -- run by the severe "Mother" (Kaori Mamoi). The haughty, mean-spirited Hatsumomo (Gong Li) is the okiya's most coveted geisha. Geishas are raised to be neither wives nor courtesans but rather artists -- social companions "to be judged as a moving work of art."

Chiyo and fellow girl resident Pumpkin initially are abused as slaves in the okiya, but by 15 Chiyo begins her formal training as a geisha henceforth known as Sayuri (now played by Ziyi Zhang).

When the kindly geisha Mameha (Michelle Yeoh) begins mentoring Sayuri, their roles as rivals to Hatsumomo crystallize. Hatsumomo chooses her own protege, poor Pumpkin (Youki Kudoh), and the two teens are pitted against each other in the manner their mentors have been.

Geishas are to practice social graces with a calculated calm that makes no allowance for affection to bloom into love, much less romance.

It's a principle that will affect Sayuri's relationship with someone called only The Chairman (Ken Watanabe), a considerate man for whom she pines quietly, and with his friend and business partner Nobu (Koji Yakusho) who, if she's willing, and even maybe if she isn't, would be her danna -- her patron.

"Agony and beauty for us lie side by side," Mameha tells Sayuri. "We don't become geishas to pursue our destinies but because we have no choice."

A formally beautiful movie, "Memoirs of a Geisha" never is as compelling as it strives to be, but it offers many affecting moments, some involving the direction Pumpkin's life takes.

If the film comes up somewhat short as a cohesive experience, it is likely to be prominent in the hunt for Oscars for Colleen Atwood's costumes and makeup, John Williams' score, Patrick Sullivan's art direction, Dione Beebe's cinematography, Pietro Scalia's editing and Marshall's meticulous direction.

Featured background performances by violinist Itzhak Perlman and cellist Yo-Yo Ma contribute to the film's satiny texture.

Will it matter that the film's three central Japanese roles are played by the Chinese Zhang and Li and the Malaysian Yeoh• To the vast majority of moviegoers, not in the slightest. Which won't stifle in the slightest the debates about nontraditional casting.

Additional Information:

'Memoirs of a Geisha'

Critic's rating: three and a half stars

Director: Rob Marshall

Stars: Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, Gong Li

MPAA rating: PG-13 for mature subject matter and some sexual content.