Memoirs of a Geisha

This film based off the novel by Arthur Golden is one of my absolute favorites.

The actors were also dressed by one of my favorite costume designers, Colleen Atwood.

Colleen has also worked on Chicago, Alice in Wonderland, Sleepy Hollow & Snow White and the Huntsman.

"Audiences who are perchance knowledgeable in kimonos will note that Atwood has taken liberties with her designs. In an interview with LA Times, Atwood noted “the subtlety of an actual geisha dress wouldn’t have the right impact on film...We were taking an art form that is a huge part of Japanese culture but it was important to remember that we were making a movie based on a book of fiction, written by a guy, about a geisha. It is not a documentary film.” Atwood’s decision to alter the costumes was also because she wanted to create a shape more palatable to modern audiences. “We wanted to see a shoulder, have the illusion of a waist and have a sense of breasts beneath the kimono. We are trying to honour the form but make it more accessible, so we made the obi fit tight against the body to sort of glam it up”.

Each character also had their own color pallette: "Kimonos that were resplendent in vibrant reds, striking blues and dazzling greens defined Gong’s Hatsumomo while Yeoh’s Mameha, who is the epitome of the perfect geisha, was attired in serene colours that match her cool demeanour. Sayuri’s, played by Zhang, transformation is depicted by the change in her kimonos from basic, modest cotton to rich, elegant silk." 

 This film is a beautiful look at 1930s/1940s Japan, with magnificent use of colour and light.