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)