Jump to content

Memoirs of a Geisha


Josh500

Recommended Posts

So I saw the trailer -- looks pretty good, I think. I'mdefinitely gonna watch this, if only because I'm partly Japanese myself.Oh, the music in the trailer wasn't by any chance by JW, was it? Sounded kinda wild, like, I dunno, African jungle music or something (perhaps Congo?). Does anyone know who wrote it for which movie?

I thought Steven Spielberg was executive producer, but is credited as producer -- I wonder what his involvement was, exactly, what with him being busy the entire time filming WotW, and now Munich. But I feel it . . . it's gonna be a great movie. Definitely a candidate for Best Picture 2005 and, possibly, Best Score, as well. What's your opinion?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 37
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

It's a long time since I've anticipated a score with such relish. Already I am imagining Perlman and Ma playing in octaves with each other, as in Tippett's Triple Concerto - another 'exotic' creation. I just hope there won't be too much chanting and gongs. That's a bit tiresome in Seven Years in Tibet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I saw the trailer -- looks pretty good, I think. I'mdefinitely gonna watch this, if only because I'm partly Japanese myself.

What's your opinion about Chinese actresses cast in the main roles? I could imagine that Japanese people would have preferred an entire Japanese cast.

I thought Steven Spielberg was executive producer, but is credited as producer

What's the difference between exucutive producer and producer actually?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a long time since I've anticipated a score with such relish. Already I am imagining Perlman and Ma playing in octaves with each other, as in Tippett's Triple Concerto - another 'exotic' creation. I just hope there won't be too much chanting and gongs. That's a bit tiresome in Seven Years in Tibet.

Williams created a musical atmosphere of pre-war Japan. At least expect gongs :mrgreen:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I saw the trailer -- looks pretty good' date=' I think. I'mdefinitely gonna watch this' date=' if only because I'm partly Japanese myself.[/quote'']

What's your opinion about Chinese actresses cast in the main roles? I could imagine that Japanese people would have preferred an entire Japanese cast.

It's a long time since I've anticipated a score with such relish. Already I am imagining Perlman and Ma playing in octaves with each other' date=' as in Tippett's Triple Concerto - another 'exotic' creation. I just hope there won't be too much chanting and gongs. That's a bit tiresome in Seven Years in Tibet.[/quote']

Williams created a musical atmosphere of pre-war Japan. At least expect gongs :)

Gongs or no gongs, I think the important thing is what JW DOES with the gongs. :mrgreen:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The movie looks like it will look good. But I can't say that the story seems particulaly compelling. It's interesting about Spielberg's credit changing this latye in the game. I assume it's because of the oscar chances. I believe he's only been producer on two films he didn't direct, Fievel Goes West and Poltergeist (well, he didn't recieve credit for directing), but now he's apparantly producing this, and he's credited as a full producer on Clint Eastwood new war pic. I don't know about most of the trailer's music, but I find it funny that they used The Last Samurai to end it.It seems to follow the same reasoning of using all these oriental actors to play Japanese- they figured 'It a score to a film set in Japan. That makes it Japanese enlough for us', ignoring the fact that Zimmer's score, while very good, has very little Japanese influences in it.

I still just can't help to think that this film should be in Japanese.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well,I'm still concerned that some "big orchestral cues" were replaced by "intimate pieces".I don't mind a few of these but I'd like a few big cues to sink my teeth in.

K.M.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The film looks stunning and the direction seems promising. The cinematography also looks great. So are you all saying that the music in the trailer WAS Williams? I have no problem with a Chinese actress in a Japanese role, she is a great actress and she can pull it off. Let's hope the movie retains the atmosphere, compelling plot and that skank bitch Hatsumomo that you can find in the novel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Toru Takemitsu should have been resurrected to score this. :)

Seriously though, I am looking forward to this film. I'm a little miffed at Hollywood's complete lack of contuinity in their casting choices though. Surely there are some very good Japanese actors that could fill the lead parts as opposed to Zhang Zihi (Chinese), Michelle Yeoh (Malaysian), Gong Li (Chinese) etc. etc. Ken Watanabe is in there which is good since he is Japanese, but aside from him, it seems the film is bereft of actual Japanese actors, at least in the major roles. Once again another example of Hollywood mashing a variety of cultural backgrounds into one homogenous grouping. Perhaps one day, a smart producer/director will realise that there is as much difference between Japanese culture and Chinese culture as there is between North American culture and Chinese culture.

Williams' score will still be excellent though. And of course that's the most important thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, Japanese music can be melodic although the scale system range isn't as broad as the Western 12 tone system. Much of traditional Japanese music is more textural-based. Listen to RAN and you'll hear a lot of percussion, shakuhachi, but not a lot of density in the score. It's very sparse. And this is the case with much of the music I've heard out of Japan. Keep in mind though that since the Meiji restoration period in Japanese history, they have embraced Western ideologies and culture hence there has been a very strong Western influence in their art/music. Akira Ifukube's music has strains of Stravinsky and Shostakovich. But the really amazing thing is that, despite the integration of Western music principles, Japanese composers still retain that element of their own identity. I think that's pretty amazing. It will be quite interesting to see how Williams approaches this score. While I like Seven Years in Tibet, it still sounded like a European score with a smattering of ethnicity mixed in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Goldsmith nailed the sound, but I don't find the score particulaly listenable on CD. Like many Goldsmith CDs, you can admire them intellectualy, but they just don't compel me to listen to them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel that way about Capricorn One, Planet of The Apes, The Mephisto Waltz, Tora, Tora, Tora! and many individual Goldsmith cues. Sure, I often feel like listen to the main titles, or certainly 'The Hunt', but I just don't feel like listening to the scores, ever.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, Japanese music can be melodic although the scale system range isn't as broad as the Western 12 tone system.  Much of traditional Japanese music is more textural-based.  Listen to RAN and you'll hear a lot of percussion, shakuhachi, but not a lot of density in the score. It's very sparse.  And this is the case with much of the music I've heard out of Japan.  Keep in mind though that since the Meiji restoration period in Japanese history, they have embraced Western ideologies and culture hence there has been a very strong Western influence in their art/music.  Akira Ifukube's music has strains of Stravinsky and Shostakovich.  But the really amazing thing is that, despite the integration of Western music principles, Japanese composers still retain that element of their own identity.  I think that's pretty amazing.  It will be quite interesting to see how Williams approaches this score.  While I like Seven Years in Tibet, it still sounded like a European score with a smattering of ethnicity mixed in.

They like Williams music a lot in Japan I think.

K.M.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Goldsmith nailed the sound, but I don't find the score particulaly listenable on CD. Like many Goldsmith CDs, you can admire them intellectualy, but they just don't compel me to listen to them.

But that's the point- Japanese music is very different from Western Classical music. For Seven Years in Tibet, I could understand why he retained the European harmonic language- because the central character was Austrian. But Memoirs centres around a Japanese character, hence, the music should be much more evocative of her culture. It will be interesting to hear what Williams comes up with that's for sure. I have no doubt that he'll produce an amazingly beautiful score though. Look at Angela's Ashes. Smaller film, awesome music. I think Williams actually excels at the smaller dramas as opposed to the spectacle/event films. Yes, there's more bombast and fireworks, but I find his more introspective, reflective cues that are overtly melodic more compelling as I get older.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

there is as much difference between Japanese culture and Chinese culture as there is between North American culture and Chinese culture.

I'm afraid that that's an overstatement, but that's for another thread.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, I don't doubt it. From the same year, I love The Phantom Menace, but it's a score like Angela's Ashes that really makes me proud to be a JW fan.

My comments were exclusively about Goldsmith. To date, I have yet to find a JW score I totaly dislike, save for Sabrina, and they all end up on my playlist every once in a while, save maybe for Heidi and some of the 60's comedies.

Morlock- who is dying to know what on earth JW did for this one (I suggest we should beat up Jeff Bond, who was at the recording. Or we should just ask him, whatever works best.)

Morlock2- who is also dying to know what the hell JW is gonnma give us for Munich, and doesn't even have the slightest clue about what it could be

Morlock3- who is really psyched to have 2 JW scores coming out that he has no idea what to expect from

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Morlock- who is dying to know what on earth JW did for this one

 Morlock2- who is also dying to know what the hell JW is gonnma give us for Munich, and doesn't even have the slightest clue about what it could be  

 Morlock3- who is really psyched to have 2 JW scores coming out that he has no idea what to expect from

Oh good, then you're different from the rest of us. :music:

~Sturgis

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Morlock- who is dying to know what on earth JW did for this one

Morlock2- who is also dying to know what the hell JW is gonnma give us for Munich, and doesn't even have the slightest clue about what it could be

Morlock3- who is really psyched to have 2 JW scores coming out that he has no idea what to expect from

:music:

I'm just glad we got that Fellowship box set coming soon...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's your opinion about Chinese actresses cast in the main roles? I could imagine that Japanese people would have preferred an entire Japanese cast.

It's probably about as big an issue as having a Scotsman play a Russian.

Neil

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm just glad we got that Fellowship box set coming soon...

I'm just glad we've got Doug Adams' in depth liner notes, with a track by track analasys, otherwise I'd probably never listen to it all the way through.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's your opinion about Chinese actresses cast in the main roles? I could imagine that Japanese people would have preferred an entire Japanese cast.

It's probably about as big an issue as having a Scotsman play a Russian.

Neil

Or an Australian play a Spaniard with a Roman name and a British accent.

Anyway, I found an interview with Rob Marshall about making the movie, and Oscar buzz surrounding it. It's here.

John Williams and the score is mentioned in the fourth clip, at the 5:50 mark. Based on the conversation, the interview was done a couple of months ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the link. Very interesting interview, IMO. The JW bit is always nice to hear. After that mention, I, of course, love Marshall. I still may hate the film, but a positive JW reference is enough for him to stay on the wedding list. Like Alan Parker and Chris Columbus- I'm not the biggest fan of their films, but their words about JW made me love the guys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was just watching the FX channel, and they had the trailer on! But it was longer and different than the one from the website. It was similar, but it was also extended a lot. It looks really cool! I hadn't seen a trailer for it on tv yet!

I didn't get to catch much of it because I was on the phone with my bf and I just happened to flip to the FX channel at the point where the lady with the cigareete says "Let me see her eyes..." and then saw the rest...

It looks realy great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's your opinion about Chinese actresses cast in the main roles? I could imagine that Japanese people would have preferred an entire Japanese cast.

It's probably about as big an issue as having a Scotsman play a Russian.

Neil

Or an Australian play a Spaniard with a Roman name and a British accent.

It's even worse on 1492: Conquest of Paradise, where they got a French actor, speaking english, playing an italian that is working for Spain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's your opinion about Chinese actresses cast in the main roles? I could imagine that Japanese people would have preferred an entire Japanese cast.

It's probably about as big an issue as having a Scotsman play a Russian.

Neil

Or having an American compose the Japanese score.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.