Memoirs of a Geisha

Looks like they're finally making this trashy-Western-romance-novel-transposed-into-Japanese-setting into a movie.

IMDB - 'Memoirs of a Geisha' (2005)
Japan Today - Watanabe to star in 'Memoirs of a Geisha'

Spielberg was originally set to direct. He's producing, and Rob Marshall is directing.

I like how the IMDB says Sayuri "transcended her roots", rather than "she was kidnapped, forced into slavery, and finally 'rescued' by a businessman who liked her beauty and slave-abilities".

I have nothing against the geisha, but this book is dressed-up trash. The only thing it has going for it are the geisha secrets it reveals, which are quite interesting...and apparently used without permission, as I heard from my former Japanese instructor, and as explained in this article. (I'd believe the geisha over Golden...personal prejudice, I guess.)

Apparently Peter MacIntosh, who I've heard of before and whose geisha tours I'm very much interested in taking, helped Rob Marshall scout locations for the film. This seems weird in light of the lawsuit...however, you'll note from the previous two articles that they did not, in fact, find a Japanese woman to play the main character. Make of that what you will.

At any rate, I'll see the film. Even if it is based on a cheap romance novel, it's sure to have some very pretty setpieces and costumes.