It is said that before the film started shooting, the crew was ready to select Japanese actors, and the director and some crew members also specially rushed to Japan to cast their roles. But I interviewed many Japanese actresses, and none of them were suitable. Japanese actresses give Americans the impression that they are "too modern", and the role of geisha requires a certain degree of dance skills, while Japanese actors who "interview" generally fail.
Later, the crew hoped to invite real Japanese geisha to perform the play, but the number of geisha in Japan was far less than that in the era described in the film. Although these geisha are well trained and have a good dance foundation, they can't perform.
Dance and performance can't have both, so the crew had to settle for the second best and focus on the whole of East Asia. Zhang Ziyi's performance and dance in House of Flying Daggers finally conquered the director's heart, so he finally chose Zhang as the leading role.
As for Gong Li, there is no doubt that because of his acting skills and international fame, Gong Li didn't play many roles in the play, while China actors could play better with Zhang, so he chose Gong Li.
Gong Li's choice is my guess.
But one thing is certain: Hollywood's choice of China actors as geisha is by no means an insult to China people.
So when it comes to why Zhang wants to play a geisha, we must first understand what a geisha is:
Geisha was born in Tokyo and Osaka in the17th century. The original geisha were all men. They live in brothels and casinos and perform dances and musical instruments. /kloc-In the middle of the 0/8th century, the geisha profession was gradually replaced by women, and this tradition has been passed down to this day.
Geisha are not prostitutes. Their deal is to satisfy men's dreams-pleasure, romance and possessiveness. Usually they deal with rich and powerful people in the upper class. In expensive restaurants and teahouses, business men like to invite a geisha to accompany them, pour wine and serve, and adjust the atmosphere. It costs at least 1 10,000 dollars. Today, there are still a few women who join the geisha industry with romantic fantasies and love for traditional art, but before World War II, most geisha were forced to engage in this profession for a living.
Most female prostitutes engaged in geisha industry are beautiful and delicate, with gorgeous costumes and erudite books, especially good at singing, dancing and playing the piano. Their main business is drinking and having fun with their guests. Geisha industry is a performing art, not to show off pornography, not to sell yourself. But the bread here contains elements of female music in male huan, so it is called a geisha. Geisha is elegant but not vulgar, not only because it is different from prostitutes, but also because it is not excessive. Strangers are difficult to get involved in, and most of them are introduced by acquaintances or celebrities. Geisha mostly entertain guests in art galleries, but sometimes they are invited to accompany guests in teahouses and restaurants. According to industry regulations, geisha are not allowed to get married during their work and life, otherwise they must retire first to keep their "pure" image.
The geisha industry in Japanese history is quite developed. As a concentrated area, Kyoto was once full of art galleries with tens of thousands of artists. However, the geisha industry suffered a great blow after World War II. Only after the economic recovery, with the warming of the company's public relations industry and the prosperity of tourism, geisha flourished for a period of time. From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, there were still hundreds of geisha. However, with the bursting of the bubble economy, the company's business has decreased, and the geisha industry has once again fallen into a trough. It is estimated that there are only about 200 geisha in Kyoto at present, and the opportunity to accompany guests is greatly reduced. It can be said that "there are fewer and fewer cars and horses at her door". Some art galleries were used for other purposes, clothes and musical instruments were sold or rented, and geisha were transferred to nightclubs as waiters. The decline of geisha industry has become an indisputable fact.
Geisha in the traditional sense was not considered indecent in the past. On the contrary, many families are proud that their daughters can enter the art world. Because this not only shows that this family has a high cultural quality, but also has enough funds for her daughter to study art. Although this concept is not excessive today, geisha is still good in people's minds. In fact, being a geisha is really not easy. Generally speaking, it is very difficult to learn art from the age of 10 and complete the courses from culture, etiquette, language, decoration, poetry, piano and harp to bow and pour wine in five years. /kloc-you can go to the sea from the age of 0/6, first as a "dancer" and then as a geisha, and you can work until you are 30 years old. No matter how old you are, you can continue to work, but if you want to be demoted, you can only serve as a foil for young and famous geisha. As for the way out of old age, most of them are not optimistic. It is ideal to marry a rich man and live a stable life, but this is rare. It is also good for some people to use their skills to set up art schools or classes. If you have the opportunity to enter the company as a young lady, although it is only a "vase", you can still show your former style. Of course, many people degenerate into prostitution and even become prostitutes, which is very unfortunate.
The decline of geisha has also prompted some reforms to meet the requirements of the times, such as hiring women from places outside Kyoto, making a new face, setting up bars in teahouses to attract late-night visitors, and so on, which have not improved much. Because in the eyes of modern young men and women, geisha is out of date.
What makes Japanese men most satisfied is the conversation art of geisha. They know all about international news and gossip. They know how to cater to men's self-esteem, are good at observing words and feelings, and understand men's emotions. Their work is actually very tense, while men are completely relaxed.
It costs a lot of money to train a geisha, but once he becomes famous, the asking price is also very high, especially the young and beautiful senior geisha is more valuable, and ordinary people are afraid to ask for it, but the giant businessmen have money and spend less, and the big companies are willing to pay a lot of money. When the economy is booming, big companies always use geisha as a means of public relations to attract business.
Although geisha is still in decline, the scenery is no longer there. Decline is a trend, and extinction is only a matter of time. It is worth noting that geisha who are still engaged in this industry have not lost confidence. They think geisha is the "face" of Kyoto and Japan and should be preserved. They even travel around to improve their social status. Some people put it more clearly: geisha is the symbol of Kyoto, and traditional ancient culture must be protected. In recent years, there is still a tit-for-tat struggle between the decline and prosperity of geisha and the preservation and abolition.
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Geisha is not a prostitute, but is essentially different from a prostitute. Although geisha's job is "drinking and having fun with guests", Americans deliberately exaggerate this part in this film. Judging from the film, the geisha played by Zhang is really not "noble", and it can even remind people of the phenomenon of "keeping a family" in China. Even in the Japanese mind, such a geisha image is not in line with reality.
As for why Zhang wants to play a geisha, I think it is nothing more than to make money and cooperate with a famous director to improve international popularity (the director is an Oscar gold medal director and the producer of this film is Spielberg), and everyone can guess.
Personally, I think this statement is exaggerated. First of all, it is an ordinary American blockbuster, not to mention which country it is dedicated to. On the other hand, I think Zhang Ziyi's consciousness has not reached the level of "devoting himself to art".
Finally, the nude photos of Zhang Ziyi circulated on the Internet are fake. The so-called "stills" come from Daughton Digging Sichuan Pornography, Japan. The woman in the photo is not Zhang Ziyi at all, but Japanese actress Keiko Matsuzaka.