Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 American epic period drama film directed by Rob Marshall and adapted by Robin Swicord from the 1997 novel of the same name by Arthur Golden.

It stars Zhang Ziyi in the lead role, with Ken Watanabe, Gong Li, Michelle Yeoh, Youki Kudoh, Suzuka Ohgo, and Samantha Futerman.

Production was split between southern and northern California and a number of locations in Kyoto, including the Kiyomizu temple and the Fushimi Inari shrine.

The acting, visuals, sets, costumes, and the musical score (composed by Spielberg's long-time collaborator John Williams) were praised, but the film was criticized for casting some non-Japanese actresses as Japanese women and for its style over substance approach.

Chiyo is taken in by Kayoko Nitta, or "Mother", a local okiya owner; Satsu, deemed unattractive, is sent to a brothel instead.

Auntie takes up the responsibility in punishing Chiyo, as ruining Mameha's kimono has cost Mother money.

As the noise wakes the rest of the okiya, Koichi runs away and Hatsumomo tries to frame Chiyo for stealing to distract from her tryst.

Due to her accumulating costs, Mother stops investing in her geisha training, making Chiyo a servant to pay off her debts.

Mother immediately names Sayuri as her adopted daughter and the heiress to the okiya, crushing Pumpkin and enraging Hatsumomo.

The following year, Steven Spielberg planned to make Memoirs of a Geisha as the follow-up to Saving Private Ryan, bringing in his company DreamWorks.

Spielberg's DreamWorks partner David Geffen attempted to persuade him not to take the project, feeling it was "not good enough for him".

Anthropologist Liza Dalby was also brought in to aid in the production as an advisor,[8] though she later commented that "while the director and producers often asked my opinion on things, most of the time they went ahead and followed their own vision", calling the film a "wasted opportunity" to display geisha society accurately.

The music was composed and conducted by John Williams, who won his fourth Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.

The Blu-ray version received positive reviews, for the video and audio quality and for porting over every single extra from the 2-Disc DVD release.

Illinois' Daily Herald said that the "[s]trong acting, meticulously created sets, beautiful visuals, and a compelling story of a celebrity who can't have the one thing she really wants make Geisha memorable".

[12] The Washington Times called the film "a sumptuously faithful and evocative adaption" while adding that "[c]ontrasting dialects may remain a minor nuisance for some spectators, but the movie can presumably count on the pictorial curiosity of readers who enjoyed Mr. Golden's sense of immersion, both harrowing and [a]esthetic, in the culture of a geisha upbringing in the years that culminated in World War II".

The film was facing off against King Kong, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Fun with Dick and Jane during the Christmas holiday.

[19] The Journal praised Ziyi Zhang, saying that she "exudes a heartbreaking innocence and vulnerability" but said "too much of the character's yearning and despair is concealed behind the mask of white powder and rouge".

[21] Eighteen days later, The Evening Standard put Memoirs of a Geisha on its Top Ten Films list.

[25] The Chinese government canceled the film's release because of such connections, and a website denounced Zhang Ziyi as an "embarrassment to China.

Some Japanese expressed offence at the three main female roles being played by Chinese actresses; others took issue with the portrayal of geisha in the film, deeming it inaccurate and Westernised.

[29] Other Asians defended the casting, including the film's main Japanese star Ken Watanabe, who said that "talent is more important than nationality.

[33] Various newspapers such as the Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post and the Shanghai Youth Daily expressed fears that the film could be banned by censors, with concerns that the casting of Chinese actresses as geisha could create anti-Japanese sentiment, and stir up resentment surrounding Japan's wartime actions in China — in particular, the use of Chinese women as sex slaves for Japan's occupying forces.

[36] The film was originally scheduled to be approved in November 2005,[37] but in January 2006, the SARFT failed to issue a screening permit.

[40][41] The film received six Academy Award nominations and won three for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Costume Design.

[42] Williams won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and Zhang was nominated for Best Actress in Motion Picture – Drama.