Memoirs of a Geisha Complete DVD Specs

Memoirs of a Geisha was awarded a 2006 Golden Globe® for Composer John Williams’ “Best Original Score.â€?  The DVD includes a rich line up of bonus features, such as audio commentaries with Director Rob Marshall and Choreographer John DeLuca, as well as 11 in-depth featurettes which capture the mesmerizing Japanese culture, including, “Sayuri’s Other Journey: From the Novel to the Screen,â€? “Geisha Bootcamp,â€? “The Music of Memoirsâ€? and more.

Set in a mysterious and exotic world which still casts a potent spell today, Memoirs of a Geisha begins in the years before World War II when a young Japanese girl, Chiyo (Suzaka Ohgo) is torn from her penniless family to work as a servant in a geisha house.  Despite a treacherous rival, Hatsumomo (Gong) who nearly breaks her spirit, the girl blossoms into the legendary geisha Sayuri.  Beautiful and accomplished, Sayuri captivates the most powerful men of her day, but is haunted by her secret love for the man, known as Chairman (Wantanabe), who is beyond her reach.

Memoirs of a Geisha was produced by Lucy Fisher, Douglas Wick and Steven Spielberg and written by Robin Swicord (screenplay; Little Women).  The film’s Academy Award® nominations include Best Achievement in Art Direction – John Myhre (Art Direction) and Gretchen Rau (Set Decoration), Best Achievement in Cinematography – Dion Beebe, Best Achievement in Costume Design – Colleen Atwood, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) – John Williams, Best Achievement in Sound Editing – Wylie Stateman and Best Achievement in Sound Mixing – Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell, Rick Kline and John Pritchett.

DVD BONUS Features: Accurately displaying the exotic culture of Japan and the Geisha lifestyle, the DVD contains the following added value.

• 11 Featurettes
• Sayuri’s Other Journey: From the Novel to the Screen – Novelist Arthur Golden and the filmmakers discuss the eight year journey of turning the best-selling book into an award winning film.
  The Road to Japan – The filmmakers travel to Japan to experience the places in Kyoto that are featured in the book and discuss the challenges of shooting in some of Japan’s most sacred locations.
• Geisha Bootcamp – A behind the scenes look at how the actresses learned the art of becoming a geisha
• Building the Hanamachi – Recreating the entire village of old Kyoto in a pasture in Southern California
• The Look of a Geisha – The most famous geishas were considered to be the supermodels of their time.  Learn the ancient secrets and modern twists to creating their hair, makeup and wardrobe for the film.
• The Music of Memoirs – John Williams, Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman discuss the creative process of composing the Golden Globe ® winning score.
• A Geisha Dance – Follow the entire process of staging the geisha dances, from research through conception, casting sessions, rehearsals, filming and the final version of the movie.
  The World of Geisha – A look at the history of this secret world, from its ancient origins up to the geisha of today
• The Way of the Sumo – Explore the fascinating history of this ancient sport and meet some of today’s Sumo Wrestling champions.
• Rob Marshall – An in-depth look at Director Rob Marshall
  A Day with Chef Nobu Matsuhisa – World renowned Chef Nobu Matsuhisa discusses his role in the film and shares some of his favorite recipes.
• Director Rob Marshall and Choreographer John DeLuca Audio Commentary
• Production Audio Commentaries – featuring Colleen Atwood (Costume Design), John Myhre (Production Design), Pietro Scalia (Editor)

Memoirs of a Geisha has a run time of 145 minutes and is rated PG-13 for mature subject matter and some sexual content.