A visually stunning adaptation of Arthur Golden’s best-selling novel.” (Barry Caine, OAKLAND TRIBUNE) The director of Chicago, Rob Marshall, transports us into a mysterious and exotic world that casts a potent spell. A Cinderella story like no other, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA stars Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, Michelle Yeoh and Gong Li. “Gorgeously photographed, meticulously directed and hypnotically acted. MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA is luxurious, ethereal and intoxicating. It will leave you breathless.

SET CONTAINS:
Given the film’s high number of technical Oscar nods, it’s not surprising that the DVD’s second disc contains a whopping 11 featurettes. Each one covers an aspect of Geisha’s lavish production, from set decorations to costume design to musical score (all of which were nominated). Another documentary, entitled “Sayuri’s Journey: From Book to Screen,” covers the adaptation of Arthur Golden’s bestselling novel, while “Geisha Boot Camp” shows the arduous training the actresses went through to inhabit the grace and delicacy of their characters (trivia: their on-set consultant is an American, the only foreigner ever to become a geisha). Also astonishing is footage of Ziyi Zhang learning to walk–much less dance–in 12-inch platform flip-flops for her showstopping “snow” number. The other featurettes range from the in-depth (a profile of director Rob Marshall, including his personal relationship with producing partner John DeLuca) to the baffling (an entire supplement devoted to sumo wrestling, which is only featured in one scene in the film, and sushi recipes from famed Chef Nobu, who makes a cameo appearance in Geisha).

Marshall also weighs in on a detailed feature commentary, one of two for the DVD. In it he defends his controversial choice to cast Chinese actresses (“It’s about who’s the best actress,” he says, mentioning how the search for talented women who could also speak English and dance well was no small feat) and gushes over Gong Li’s commitment to her role every time she appears onscreen. But his best behind-the-scenes tale is securing the right to shoot scenes at a Japanese temple because the head monk happened to be a big fan of Chicago. And all that jazz, indeed. –Ellen A. Kim