One of the things that made a huge impression was the visual of the end of a culture in Japan. After this Hatsumomo has to leave in disgrace. It happens when Hatsumomo discovers the Chairman’s handkerchief and tries to burn it.

The last difference was the okiya being set on fire by Hatsumomo, during her fight with Sayuri. Sayuri even mentions at one point, in the movie, that her and Hatsumomo were the same, and just want to be free to love. She was indeed petty and cruel but the movie definitely plays to Hatsumomo’s desire to love, which a Geisha is not allowed to do. In the book, Hatsumomo has Pumpkin become her sister just to spite Mameha and Sayuri.Īnother difference was the movie played more sympathetic to Hatsumomo than in the book. First, Pumpkin becomes Hatsumomo’s sister before Chiyo is named Sayuri and is taken under Mameha’s wing. They weren’t that critical in my opinion. There were a few differences in the movies. These women were so fantastic! They were all exactly what I pictured while reading the book. However, may I just say…the female actresses were ON FIRE! They were absolutely incredible!Īnd there is no way to forget, Li Gong as Hatsumomo. You can watch it on mute and still be intrigued! Wow! This was a completely beautiful film. But I felt slightly disconnected from Chiyo, since her introduction is so brief. I understand that they probably didn’t want to linger much on the beginning, since they had so much material to get in the film. The fishing house scene was very brief and there was not much detail about Chiyo’s life before the okiya. The book and the movie were quite similar.

However, I was thrilled to watch the movie again, after FINALLY reading the book. I really did love the book and found the world of the Geisha fascinating, I just wish that the book was written from a Japanese perspective. So I recently reviewed Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.

Geisha novel