Culture
Romantic drama
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005): Ratings, Box Office & Plot
Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 romantic drama directed by Rob Marshall. It is based on Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. It runs 2 hours 25 minutes and earned $162.2 million worldwide on a $85 million budget. It won 3 Oscars, including Art Direction and Cinematography, and 7 awards in all. Critics gave it 35% on Rotten Tomatoes and 54 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.8/10.
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- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 25m (145 min)
- Director
- Rob Marshall
- Original language
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English - Studio
- Columbia Pictures
- Budget
- $85M
- Based on
- Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
The story
What Is Memoirs of a Geisha About?
The premise of Memoirs of a Geisha without spoilers, adapted from Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
During pre-war Japan, a young girl is taken from her family and enters a traditional geisha house, where she’s trained in the arts and customs of the geisha world. As she matures into the alluring Saguri, she finds herself entangled in complex relationships and fierce competition amongst her peers. Navigating a world of beauty, elegance, and hidden agendas, she strives to capture the attention of influential figures while secretly yearning for a forbidden love.
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Crew
The Director of Memoirs of a Geisha
Directed by Rob Marshall.
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Director Rob Marshall
From the director
More from Rob Marshall
More films directed by Rob Marshall, best-rated first: Mary Poppins Returns, Into the Woods, The Little Mermaid and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Ratings
Memoirs of a Geisha Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Memoirs of a Geisha 35% on Rotten Tomatoes and 54 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.8/10.
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IMDb 6.8 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 35% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 83%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 54 Metascore
User score 7.0
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 77% User score
See on TMDB
Plot
Memoirs of a Geisha Plot Summary
What happens in Memoirs of a Geisha from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In 1929, two sisters, Chiyo and Satsu, experience life-altering events when their impoverished father sells them in Kyoto. While Satsu faces the grim reality of forced prostitution, Chiyo finds refuge with Kayoko Nitta, affectionately known as “Mother.” She runs an okiya, a place where young girls are groomed to become geishas. As Chiyo adapts to her new life, she encounters various vibrant characters, including Pumpkin, another aspiring geisha, Hatsumomo, a vicious senior geisha, and Auntie, one of the okiya’s kind-hearted matriarchs.
Full summary
The whole story of Memoirs of a Geisha, scene by scene
Box office
Memoirs of a Geisha Box Office & Budget
Memoirs of a Geisha grossed $162.2 million worldwide on a $85 million budget, 1.9 times what it cost. $57.5 million came from the US and Canada and $104.8 million (65%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$162.2M
1.9× its budget
- US & Canada
- $57.5M
- International
- $104.8M
- Budget
- $85M
US & Canada 35%
Rest of the world 65%
Awards
Memoirs of a Geisha Awards & Nominations
Memoirs of a Geisha won 3 Oscars, including Art Direction and Cinematography, and 7 awards in all.
7 wins18 nominations5 ceremonies
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BAFTA 2006 3 wins · 6 nominations- Won Best Cinematography
- Won Best Costume Design
- Won Best Original Music
- Nominated Best Actress in a Leading Role – Ziyi Zhang
- Nominated Best Makeup and Hair
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Oscars 2006 3 wins · 6 nominations- Won Art Direction
- Won Cinematography
- Won Costume Design
- Nominated Music (Original Score)
- Nominated Sound Editing
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Critics' Choice 2006 1 win · 3 nominations- Won Best Composer – John Williams
- Nominated Best Picture
- Nominated Best Soundtrack
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Golden Globes 2006 2 nominations- Nominated Best Original Score – Motion Picture – John Williams
- Nominated Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama (Actress)
Show all 5 ceremonies Show fewer ceremonies
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Actor Awards (SAG) 2006 1 nomination- Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Videos
Memoirs of a Geisha Trailers & Videos
3 videos: 1 trailer and 2 featurettes.
- Featurette Memoirs of a Geisha Wins Costume Design: 2006 Oscars
- Featurette Memoirs of a Geisha Wins Art Direction: 2006 Oscars
Quiz
How Well Do You Know Memoirs of a Geisha?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What happens to Chiyo and Satsu at the beginning of the film?
Cars
Cars in Memoirs of a Geisha
4 cars on screen, including the 1953 GAZ 69 AM and the 1936 Maybach SW 38.
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1953 GAZ 69 AM Minor role -
1936 Maybach SW 38 Minor role -
Willys MB 'Jeep' Minor role -
1964 Simca Marmon MH 600 Background role
Details
Memoirs of a Geisha Also Known As
28 alternative titles, including “サユリ” and “นางโลม โลกจารึก”.
- Also known as
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- サユリ
- นางโลม โลกจารึก
- Memorias de una geisha
- Die Geisha
- Memorie di una geisha
- Mémoires d'une geisha
- Мемуары гейши
- Memórias de uma Gueixa
- Geishan muistelmat
- Egy Gésa emlékiratai
- Wyznania gejszy
- 艺伎回忆录
+16 more Show fewer
- En geishas memoarer
- Gejša
- Bir Geyşanın Anıları
- Mit liv som geisha
- Αναμνήσεις Μιας Γκέισας
- זכרונותיה של גיישה
- 게이샤의 추억
- Мемуари гейші
- Мемоарите на една Гейша
- 藝伎回憶錄
- Geišos išpažintis
- SAYURI
- Мемуары гейшы
- Hồi Ức Của Một Geisha, გეიშას დღიურები
- Memòries d’una geisha
- Memoari jedne gejše
Seen Memoirs of a Geisha?
From the blog
Articles About Memoirs of a Geisha
Our article about Memoirs of a Geisha: “Lost in Translation: How Movies Change in Different Cultures”.
FAQ
Memoirs of a Geisha FAQ: Box Office, Awards & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, box office, ratings, the book behind it, awards and post-credit scenes of Memoirs of a Geisha, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Memoirs of a Geisha?
Memoirs of a Geisha runs 2 hours 25 minutes (145 minutes).
When was Memoirs of a Geisha released?
Memoirs of a Geisha was released on December 9, 2005.
Who directed Memoirs of a Geisha?
Memoirs of a Geisha was directed by Rob Marshall.
More films by Rob Marshall How much did Memoirs of a Geisha make at the box office?
Memoirs of a Geisha grossed $162.2 million worldwide ($57.5 million domestic, $104.8 million international) on a budget of $85 million.
How is Memoirs of a Geisha rated?
Memoirs of a Geisha has 6.8/10 on IMDb, 35% on Rotten Tomatoes, 54 on Metacritic and 77% on TMDB.
Is Memoirs of a Geisha based on a book?
Yes. Memoirs of a Geisha is adapted from Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.
What awards did Memoirs of a Geisha win?
Memoirs of a Geisha won 7 awards from 18 nominations, including Best Cinematography at the BAFTA 2006.
Does Memoirs of a Geisha have a post-credit scene?
No. Memoirs of a Geisha has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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