MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (2005): 3 stars out of 4. Starring Ziyi Zhang, Gong Li, Michelle Yeoh and Ken Watanabe. Based on the book by Arthur Golden. Directed by Rob Marshall. Rated PG-13.

        The best parts of Memoirs of a Geisha are those in which director Rob Marshall concentrates on the body discipline of these alluring women — how they move their hands, tilt their heads, lower their eyes, walk and smile.

        Other aspects of the movie, unfortunately, lack this cinematic poetry and play like an overwrought MGM women's melodrama from the 1930s.

        The movie version of Arthur Golden's best-seller is fundamentally a Cinderella story, complete with a wicked stepsister and a Prince Charming.

        As Ziyi Zhang's Sayuri says in her opening narration, 'My world is as forbidden as it is fragile; without its mysteries, it cannot survive.”

        Neither wife nor prostitute, the geisha is an artist, trained in dance, voice and music. She's a skilled conversationalist who can create an allure merely by flicking her fan.

        The movie, however, can only capture that magic in bits and pieces. Unfortunately, something is patently off-kilter.

        Whereas the movements of a geisha are supposed to be delicate and subtle, the movie is busy and loud, as though Marshall was back on the musical stage.

        The three lead female performers — Ziyi Zhang, Gong Li and Michelle Yeoh — are Chinese actresses of worldwide renown. Zhang's Sayuri is as exquisite as a porcelain doll. Yeoh as her mentor is charming, pragmatic and sly.

        Their talents are brought to the fore by Marshall.

        But in the case of Gong Li, the acting is too broad. As Sayuri's major rival, she is the piece's villain, but her Hatsumomo lacks any subtlety. She does everything but chant 'Mirror, mirror on the wall. ...”

        Ken Watanabe portrays The Chairman, the man of Sayuri's dreams. It is for his sake that she works hard to perfect her talents as a geisha. Watanabe plays a man of dignity, strength and honor, and he does so in such a quiet, casual manner that it makes it so easy to understand Sayuri's attraction to him.

        Where Marshall's talents come to the fore are in those scenes that depict the talents of the geisha — most notably Sayuri's snow dance sequence.

        He falters, though, in situations where a dramatic punctuation is needed. At times he either misses the beat, or allows it to rise to the point of hysterics or camp, such as most of those involving the tantrums and machinations of Hatsumomo.

        Geisha offers a colorful glimpse that is as alien to most Western audiences as the dark side of the moon. It is an tender love story wrapped around a tale of survival and self-discovery.

        The feature has its flaws and drawbacks — its nearly 2 1/2-hour running time drags in a few instances — but it is a sumptuous experience.

        If nothing else, it may pique your curiosity enough to read the book.

        Bob Bloom is the film critic and DVD reviewer at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be reached by e-mail at bbloom@journalandcourier.com or at bob@bloomink.com. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier Web site: www.jconline.com
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