Well to me the trailor looks really good, and casting Gong Li as Hatsumomo was a stroke of genius, in my opinion, she's a very established actress and very beautiful.
Isn't it obvious that they didn't cast Japanese actresses because Japanese actresses are virtually unknown in the US? They wouldn't want a "newcomer" to star in a huge movie like this. However, Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li are both very well known and well received overseas, so I think they made a good choice when casting the two of them.

I heard it was rated pg-13...i don't think it would be rated R...when they want to show the explicit parts...it will probably all in shadow or something...

Quote by sadotsuWell to me the trailor looks really good, and casting Gong Li as Hatsumomo was a stroke of genius, in my opinion, she's a very established actress and very beautiful.
Isn't it obvious that they didn't cast Japanese actresses because Japanese actresses are virtually unknown in the US? They wouldn't want a "newcomer" to star in a huge movie like this. However, Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li are both very well known and well received overseas, so I think they made a good choice when casting the two of them.

While that's true, the movie also has Michelle Yeoh and Ken Watanabe, who are both pretty well known too. along with all the hype for the movie because of the novel, , i think the two of them would also have been able to draw audiences (especially fans of The Last Samurai). i saw the trailer for the movie (along with the Oprah clips today) and i must say that overall the movie looks like it'll be a big hit. beautiful scenery... *dreamy look* however going with my whole Ziyi Zhang thing... she just doesn't look right for the part...

well indeed that is strange a tale about a geisha is written by a non-jap and the actresses aren't jap either...could it be that japanese people are underrated or somewhat forgotten?

btw, why is everyone saying zhangziyi is a bad choice for the role?other than being chinese and not jap that is.

and can someone post in my gb where i can find the trailer?-waits in anticipation-

i wanna see that movie when it comes out! but i personally don't mind zhang ziyi playing sayuri...since i have not even seen the movie yet. i hope it's good. the movie poster was so pretty...has anyone here seen it? it is odd that the leads aren't japanese though, that's the only flaw(if you might call it that) so far. anyway, we'll all get to see what well or how badly zhang ziyi will portray sayuri.

I did read the book, and did not enjoy it too much...mainly because of all the sexual scenes...but I am still disappointed that Japanses actressess will not be playing roles in this film. Then again, these Chinese actressess my do a great job, so I guess I'm okay with it...

read the novel years ago ! Hope the movie is going to be as good as the book. A pity though for the chinese cast ' . There are so many gorgeous Japanese women, could'nt they really just find one of them?!

merged: 11-25-2005 ~ 04:42pm
zhang ziyi ...chinese magazines say she's so big-headed now that she's gone to Hollywood...
I personally don't like her. Prefer someone like Maggie cheung ^^

hmmmmm........ im predicting oscar quality stuff :/
its not gonna be released in my country till around next yr january i can't wait for it tho..... i nv read the book tho.... so i'm hoping this movie will be REALLY good

i've actually read this story on the book before, and i like it a lot. now i'm waiting for the movie to come out in my country. but still gotta wait till next year jan before i can watch. can't wait to watch it.

Well, can't say I'm really glad that someone from my country is playing the lead. (Michelle Yeoh's a Malaysian btw). I would prefer the geisha to remain as geisha from the book, not modern current geisha.

DOES ANYONE NOE WHERE TO GET THE SONGS OF THE MOVIE

yeah..I have to say they're not that suitable for this movie too...
geishas..they're supposed to be very beautiful n well to do right? when they're rich..in the old days..it means they're usually well fed too..
zhang ziyi looks...too skinny for a geisha and michelle is too haggard for the role too..
only gong li seems suitable
lol...yeah..japanese actor's probably the best for this role

yes itÅ› weird but i thought it was pretty good. i like zang ziyi so i dont really care. anyway, the scenery was unbelievable.

what the hell do you people have against Ziyi Zhang? She's overly talented so damn give it a rest.

I've read the book when it was released many years ago, and I would say it was one of the best if not revolutionary thing I've read. Arthur Golden has created the fictional life of Sayuri/Chiyou as a Geisha back in 1930, with what I thought was an excellent depiction of Japanese culture. I wouldn't have known how much truth was there in a 1930 Kyoto, but all I know was it was a good book.

Then the movie, which I've yet to watch, but already has struck many controversial arguments eversince the production. With costume that has been "sexed" up, wrong hair style, no white-chalky-make-ups, etc etc, and it was totally shot in America instead of Kyoto where most Geishas were based, and worst of all, none of the main geishas were Japanese! Imagine that?!

I was shocked to first hear the news that Zhang Ziyi will be playing Sayuri, and our very own Malaysian Michelle Yeoh as the mentor. Not that I'm against every Chinese actresses, but I think that there ought to be a limit to unreasonable casting.

Ok, enough said, maybe it's just a personal opinion, no offence!

Omg we realised that too! While we were watching trailer in Fun with Dick and Jane (don't watch that it's not worth 9 bucks). But yeah, I suppose in terms of asian actresses in the Hollywood business, those two have already made a name for themselves- and there aren't many that have. So people will recognise them from other cool movies like House of Flying Daggers. Not too mention they have the looks too.

But what annoys me is that my friend told me that the book suddenly became a topseller after only the covers were changed (new one has Ziyi Zhang). It's just disappointing that a great book such as this didn't get the publicity/readers it deserved when it first came out a few years back. (All the girls in english class read it back then- it was that good.)

Anyway. I'm looking forward to the adaptation when it comes to Australia. I'm sure it'll be interesting since the novel was so raw and cultural.

Zhang Ziyi? I think its sacrilegious to put a chinese in the role of a geisha

I like Zhang Ziyi very much and i'm glad they have chosen so beautiful actress. I don't mind she's not Japanese, her acting is very good. The movie is awesome! I loved it!

To tell you the truth. I have not seen the movie orread the book. I don't think I gonna. I not a big fan of zhang ziy, either. I agree with you why they couldn't they find any Japanese actresses? Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against Chinese people. Though my friend call me race when I told them about this. Which is odd, I big fan of them. A have a big collectiong of Chinese movie.

What I don't understand why they used Chinese actor... I mean..... why most of them are not Japanese actor? What are they trying to say here? I don't understand.

I do not think in a Japanese movie, or themed one, you need an actual Japanese. Whoever suits the part, who portrays it so intimently should get the role. I was drawn into the movie by its plot and by the characters. I did not care whether the actress/actor was Japanese or not, it depended on her/his acting skill. Though the characters resembled some Japanese.

Well said, starcle.

Honestly, I admit that my first reaction at hearing that Zhang Xiyi, Gong Li, and Michelle Yeoh were going to be playing Saiyuri, Hatsumomo, and Mameha, respectively, I felt the same way as most of you did: what were Chinese actresses playing Japanese geisha in a movie? Then, after re-reading the book, browsing through some reviews, watching the movie, and thinking about it some more, I became fine with it.

Why?

Think about it this way. If Jim Caviezel (an Irishman) can play Jesus and if Sir Ben Kingsley (who is only half-Indian) can play Mohatma Ghandi, why can't some Chinese actresses play Japanese characters?

ok, i would have posted this sooner, but it seems like people like to keep resurrecting my thread... so, i finally did see the film. (without going on a rant about what i actually thought of the film) i'm not saying that i have anything against other asian actresses playing the role of geisha... (Gong Li was brilliant as Hatsumomo) i just think that because of how well-known Zhang Ziyi is she was automatically sought out for the role, which means other lesser known asian actresses (who may have been able to portray the character better) may have been overlooked.

i think that with all the hype over the novel, it would have been a great opportunity for Rob Marshall to cast some lesser known asian actresses (such as the two girls who played Chiyo and Satsu) as lead actresses.

I'm fine that she's playing the role since it isn't a new thing to see a Chinese to play a Japanese role. I think the oddest part will be when you see the geisha open their mouth and start hearing them speak in English. That'd be odd even if the roles were played by native japanese.

And fireflywishes, Hollywood's first priority is making money.
If you ask an average american, how many japanese actresses are they familiar with? Compared to Japanese actresses, I would estimate, (although I am not terribly sure) that Chinese actresses generate more revenues than their counterparts and thus why getting the nod over Japanese ones.

Some people in Chinese discussion forums have already critized the selection, and I would imagine the same exists in japan.

Also, as Shinsengumi said, cross acting cultural roles have been very common in Hollywood, so I dont personally think it is a problem