Geisha movie stirs a debate Zou HanruChina Daily Updated: 2005-11-11 05:56
"Memoirs of a Geisha" is eagerly awaited in China, but perhaps for all the
wrong reasons.
This epic love story, directed by Oscar nominee Rob Marshall ("Chicago") and
co-produced by Steven Spielberg, gives us an insight into the life of a
well-known geisha (or yiji in Chinese). But the mysterious and erotic world of
the traditional Japanese artiste-entertainers hasn't caught the attention of the
people.
In fact, their obsession is with a totally different aspect of the film: the
casting of China's most recognizable actresses Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li in a movie
that is essentially about Japan and its culture. Zhang portrays the leading
character, the legendary geisha Sayuri, while Gong plays Sayuri's scheming
rival, Hatsumomo.
The debate over Zhang's role in the film first started online, perhaps with a
photograph of Sayuri and her lover, The Chairman (Japanese actor Ken Watanabe),
cuddling and kissing on a tatami. That set the tongues, especially in Internet
chatrooms, rolling.
"Why did Zhang accept the role of a Japanese 'prostitute'?" "Why did she
allow a Japanese man on top of her?" These are some of the more common questions
asked in the chatrooms. The responses were equally strong, the gist of which
would be: "It's an insult to national pride."
Let us remind ourselves that it's not so easy to hurt China's national pride.
But we will come to that later.
First, let's deal with "Memoirs" and Zhang's role. The accusation against
Zhang reminds us of some Chinese actors who played the "bad guys" in films in
the 1950s and 1960s. These dedicated professionals were not only married to the
art of acting, but also were perhaps model citizens. But they were persecuted
all the same by some misdirected people during the "cultural revolution"
(1966-76).
The people, unjustifiably angry with Zhang today, are committing the same
mistake as their predecessors. Apart from mistaking geishas for prostitutes,
they have also failed to distinguish between acting and real life.
It's Zhang the actress, not Zhang the person, who kisses and cuddles Watanabe
to bring Sayuri's character to life. And it's exactly what Konstantin
Stanislavsky required actors and actresses to do in his "method" school of
acting: reaching "believable truth" through "emotional memory."
Vsevolod Meyerhold disagreed with Stanislavsky's "method" and devised his own
"biomechanic" mode of acting, seen in films such as "Strike" and "Battleship
Potemkin" of the great Sergei Eisenstein. It's true, Jerzy Grotowski and Antonin
Artuad wanted an actor to resent the complete psychological and emotional
essence of his being in front of the spectators. It's also true that Bertolt
Brecht wanted his actors to create a distancing effect: to merely demonstrate
the actions of the characters they portrayed, rather than to identify with their
roles.
The acting method or mode may differ, but the actor could be played by
anyone.
China and Japan share a long history and, from Buddhism to scripts, our
culture has greatly enriched theirs. This history also has its dark chapters,
especially the years of Japanese occupation and their atrocities.
But we also share an economic past and present, with the two of us becoming
increasingly interdependent. This should logically lead to increasing cultural
exchanges. And "Memoirs" somehow provides a chance to serve that purpose.
Outside China, "Memoirs" has created a controversy of a different kind. Why
did Marshall cast non-Japanese actresses in the roles of geishas? (Malaysian
actress Michelle Yeoh plays the guiding mother figure, Mameha.)
Spielberg and the other two co-producers have responded with another
question: "Should the historical turbulence between China and Japan prevent her
(Zhang) from being cast in roles she completely commands with elegance, talent
and grace?" The instant reaction to Spielberg's question would be "yes." But we
will change that once we think of it as a cultural exchange that can help heal
historical wounds.
Coming back to national pride, many may again question that if it's not
feeble enough to be hurt by Zhang's portrayal of a geisha, how can cultural
exchanges heal the wounds of history.
Well, our national pride is born out of rich history and civilization, our
heritage, our culture, our scientific, technological and economic advancements.
National pride should suffer if evidence points to any of them not being true.
A Zhang Ziyi and a Gong Li playing the role of a geisha can, and should,
never be a matter of national pride or shame.
It's acting, and as Brecht said, action reveals the character, not the actor.
Email: zouhr@chinadaily.com.hk
(China Daily 11/11/2005 page4)
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