Hollywood:Starting out as an MV director

Chiyo never got to see her sister, Satsu.

Her second attempt to escape also ended in failure, and she could only learn from Mother's mouth that Satsu had escaped alone.

At the same time, she received a letter from home. In it, she learned that her father and mother had both passed away.

At this moment, Chiyo finally gave up all hope.

However, because she had disgraced the okiya, Mother stopped her geisha training and instead made her work to repay her debts.

It was during this time that she met the Chairman.

When Ken Watanabe's portrayal of the Chairman appeared on the screen, William couldn't help but sigh in admiration. "Truly charming."

"Yeah, I really liked him in The Last Emperor," Phoebe Sona agreed.

"So did I," Fernando shrugged on the other side.

"Looks like we share the same taste," William chuckled before continuing to watch the film.

On the bridge, the Chairman comforted Chiyo, gave her a handkerchief, and bought her a shaved ice.

This made Chiyo's eyes light up, and she began to admire the Chairman.

Hope was rekindled in her life once more.

William watched her run through the orange torii gates, the camera following her footsteps as she passed through layer upon layer of gateways, as if stepping into a new life.

"Good," William wrote in his notebook, making a note for his future review.

Time passed in the film. After a beautiful transition scene, Chiyo had grown up.

She continued to work diligently, while her former companion, Pumpkin, had already debuted as a geisha.

Through the gap in the door, she peeked at Pumpkin's face, now enhanced by makeup and appearing exceptionally beautiful, her heart filled with envy.

Just then, the door suddenly opened—it was the Chairman.

Chiyo met his gaze and fled in panic, but the Chairman kept his eyes on her retreating figure.

A few days later, Mameha, played by Michelle Yeoh, suddenly paid a visit. She used the promise of profit to persuade Mother and took Chiyo away.

Thus, Chiyo's life as a geisha began.

She learned the fan dance with Mameha, practiced graceful steps, mastered the language and etiquette that geisha relied on to please the powerful—everything necessary to survive in their world.

Until finally, she made her grand debut.

William watched her perform a stunning dance on the screen. Although he wasn't familiar with Japanese culture, he could still appreciate the beauty of it.

But the dance was soon interrupted by Hatsumomo's arrival. She mocked Chiyo at the banquet.

Chiyo, however, fired back with sharp words of her own.

The story progressed little by little, with Chiyo and Hatsumomo clashing at various occasions.

Until one day, Hatsumomo secretly spread rumors among the patrons, calling Chiyo a common whore. That was when their conflict truly erupted.

Hearing the film discuss the practice of auctioning off a geisha's virginity, William clicked his tongue in amazement.

At the same time, he wrote in his notebook:

"A geisha's virginity is more valuable than her life itself. This is an essential step in achieving the ideal geisha status. Only through ambitious men can they find any semblance of stability in this chaotic world."

To change this perception and increase Chiyo's value, Mameha secured her the lead performance at a grand geisha showcase.

This enraged Hatsumomo, but there was nothing she could do.

Then came the night of the performance.

After a series of geisha dances, Chiyo made her entrance as the grand finale.

As the melancholic sound of a flute filled the air, the lights dimmed, leaving only a single silver-white spotlight.

Chiyo stepped into the light, wearing a white kimono, holding a translucent blue umbrella, and walking in towering wooden sandals so high they left the audience in stunned silence.

She then tilted her head slightly, revealing her striking makeup.

Her face was as pale as snow, her black eyeshadow thick and dramatic—haunting, yet breathtakingly beautiful.

As the music rose and fell, she began to dance, snowflakes drifting down from above.

Amidst the swirling snow, Chiyo performed a frenzied dance. Her movements were wild, her body swayed intensely left and right, her tear-filled eyes reflecting the image of a lost soul searching for her destiny in the snow.

The audience watched in astonishment as she balanced atop her towering wooden sandals, feeling the immense strength hidden within her seemingly fragile frame.

On the screen, Zhang Ziyi herself watched her own breathtaking performance, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Because she thought of everything she had endured.

She felt that none of it had been in vain.

All thanks to Ethan.

Yes, Ethan had significantly improved this dance sequence. It was now longer, more difficult, and far superior to the original.

Because this scene was meant to be the film's peak in visual spectacle, color, and lighting. After this, the entire movie would shift into a sorrowful tone.

Two minutes later, as the dance ended, thunderous applause erupted in the theater.

The film critics in the screening room also joined in admiration.

"Beautiful… absolutely beautiful," William murmured.

With the film's visual artistry, color composition, and cinematography, there was no doubt that it would receive numerous award nominations.

Now, he just had to see how the rest of the story unfolded.

William shifted his gaze from his notebook to the screen, where Chiyo was receiving applause and flower petals.

After performing that dance, she became the center of attention for all men, and her mizuage (the auctioning of her first night) was about to take place.

However, at that moment, she received an invitation from the Baron.

The Baron was the one who had purchased Mameyu's mizuage, bidding the highest price of ten thousand yen.

The film was set during World War II, when the exchange rate between yen and the US dollar was approximately 2.5 to 1, meaning that Mameyu's mizuage was valued at four thousand dollars.

This was an exceptionally high price and was also the reason why geishas regarded Mameyu as a legendary figure.

Chiyo accepted the Baron's invitation—or rather, she had no way to refuse it.

But before meeting him, she saw the Chairman.

In truth, she still loved the Chairman, but this was a man's world, where love was merely another form of transaction.

For instance, the Chairman had continuously pushed Chiyo toward his friend, Nobue, played by Ken Watanabe.

Since Nobue had once saved the Chairman's life and was fond of Chiyo, the Chairman, though reluctant, chose to bring them together.

At the Baron's estate, the Chairman remained as charming as ever, making Chiyo's heart flutter.

However, neither of them spoke of their feelings, nor did they take any further steps.

That night, when Chiyo was alone with the Baron, she realized he only wanted to take her first night.

Fortunately, she resisted and cried, causing the Baron to lose interest.

After returning from the Baron's place, Chiyo's mizuage finally reached a price.

Fifteen thousand yen—six thousand dollars.

It was even higher than Mameyu's, signaling that Chiyo was destined to become a legend.

Meanwhile, Hatsumomo was driven mad. She couldn't believe that Chiyo had gained such favor. Jealousy and resentment twisted her expression.

What infuriated her even more was that the okiya's mistress suddenly announced that Chiyo, not Pumpkin as previously planned, would inherit the okiya.

The inheritance of an okiya determined a geisha's fate in old age. By owning one, she could train future geishas and secure her livelihood.

Without it, and without a man to support her, a geisha's fate was nothing more than wandering the streets.

William watched as Hatsumomo confronted and cursed the mistress, each of her words stabbing into Hatsumomo's heart like steel needles.

He gradually began to understand the helplessness of geishas.

But after everything was settled, Hatsumomo appeared in Chiyo's room, and a fierce argument erupted between them. In the struggle, Hatsumomo set the room on fire.

Ultimately, the fallen Hatsumomo left the okiya, disappearing from the place she had relied on for survival.

Meanwhile, Chiyo replaced her and became the most outstanding geisha in the city.

Here, Ethan had added many new scenes to depict Chiyo's life after becoming a legendary geisha.

Her demeanor and expressions gradually resembled Mameyu's—reserved yet proud.

However, everything was reduced to ashes when Western forces arrived.

All dreams and prosperity were shattered by the director's ruthless portrayal. Geishas, once exalted, became nothing but pitiful women.

Fortunately, Chiyo was lucky. With the Chairman's help, she escaped the city.

The two of them stood in silent gaze before the carriage, just like their first meeting on the little bridge years ago.

Chiyo left the city and spent a year in a quiet mountain village.

Until the war ended, and she saw Nobue again.

He had come to bring Chiyo back to assist him—because of his business, because of the Americans.

To put it bluntly, he needed Chiyo's charm to help secure a deal.

After telling her many things about what had happened, he mentioned the Chairman.

He was dead. He had perished in the war.

Chiyo was devastated. She and the Chairman had ultimately missed their chance.

Yet, even so, she agreed to return, wanting to repay Nobue and revisit the place where she had grown up—the okiya.

But upon her return, she found that everything had changed.

The streets were filled with prostitutes wearing kimonos and white makeup, brazenly claiming to be geishas, offering services to American soldiers in broad daylight.

Even the once-legendary geisha Mameyu had fallen into despair, losing her grand house and all her precious ornaments.

Pumpkin, too, had degenerated from a geisha into a loose woman, drinking and flirting with soldiers.

Only the okiya's mistress remained unchanged, continuing to live a carefree life.

For her, after all, nothing had changed—except that the women under her care had gone from geishas to prostitutes.

Under Nobue's arrangements, Chiyo met with a senior officer of the American military and successfully won his favor.

Then, in the privacy of a room, as she engaged in shameful acts, Nobue finalized the contract.

Watching Zhang Ziyi's tears on the screen as she was violated, William felt as though his heart had shattered.

It was the look of someone who had lost all care for the future. Perhaps from the moment she learned of the Chairman's death, Chiyo had lost all hope in life.

The story had finally reached its conclusion.

Chiyo stood on the edge of a cliff, her expression desolate, as she let go of the handkerchief the Chairman had given her. The wind carried it farther and farther away, just like their love, just like the former glory of geishas.

Then, the narration began—it was Chiyo's aged voice.

She said that the reason she became a geisha was because of the Chairman's arrangement—he had asked Mameyu to train her.

She said that the Chairman had loved her too, but he never confessed because of Nobue.

She said that the Chairman had always been protecting her from the shadows. Even that time with the Baron, when he failed to take her, it was the Chairman who had intervened and convinced him to let it go.

But all of that was in the past. Chiyo, now surrounded by American soldiers and businessmen, had inherited the okiya but could not escape the fate of all geishas.

As the screen gradually faded to black and the credits rolled, William sat in silence, struggling to compose himself.

Assistant director Robert and the cast stood up, and the entire theater erupted into applause.

"Ethan has created a brilliant yet tragic film," William murmured, joining in the applause.

The next day, media outlets published critics' reviews of Memoirs of a Geisha.

William's personal website and his associated magazines also released his critique.

"To start, my final verdict: this is a tragedy of an era, a reflection of that time's reality."

"Now, for the rating: on a scale of 10, I'd give this film an 8.7. Outstanding visual and auditory presentation, excellent character development, a brilliant ending—but a pacing that isn't quite perfect."

"Ethan's use of color remains as dazzling as ever, yet never chaotic. His long takes are masterfully placed, and the most striking scene for me was the silent stare between Chiyo and Hatsumomo in the rain—an incredible use of unspoken tension."

"The dance sequences were also stunning. I must praise the actors, especially Zhang Ziyi's Snow Dance of Madness—it was utterly breathtaking."

"As for the story, I liked the ending. Chiyo ultimately couldn't escape the constraints of her time and became just like the okiya's mistress. It's a cycle, breaking away from the usual romantic tropes."

"But the pacing felt drawn out. The two-and-a-half-hour runtime was quite long—cutting down some side characters' scenes might have improved it."

Fernando's review in The Hollywood Reporter differed from William's.

"I found the pacing appropriate. The geisha world and its environment required careful exposition. A faster pace would have hindered audience immersion."

"I loved the cinematography and vibrant colors, but I disliked the ending. I believe the protagonist should have broken free from societal constraints rather than becoming a pawn for businessmen."

Meanwhile, Phoebe Sona of Film Art focused on the acting.

Though critics had differing perspectives, all gave it an 8 or above.

As the reviews surfaced, eager moviegoers prepared to see for themselves.

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