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 The Novel vs. The Movie

The Novel vs. The Movie

One of the first questions people ask me when I tell them I am a fan of Memoirs of a Geisha is, "Did you like the movie or the book better?". And while I am a fan of both the novel and the movie, out of the two there is of course a preference. The movie was great and I am a fan of its director and many of the actors and actresses featured in it, but of the two I still prefer the novel.

Why the novel?

I've always been a fan of reading. You really get the chance to use your imagination when reading, and more often than not I found that what my imagination can picture from a book is more powerful than someone else's vision of the same thing in movie format. The first time I can remember preferring the novel to a movie was when I was around eight years old, having just finished the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. I had never seen the movie before, and so in my own imagination I was able to picture things happening in the various scenes of the book that were much more than what was put to paper. Even when I saw the original movie for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I didn't like it as much as the book. Not that the movie wasn't great, but it wasn't the same as what my imagination could come up with. And in almost every case (the only exception I can think of is the movie adaptation of the novel Gone With the Wind -- the movie was much more interesting than just reading the book) novels are more interesting to me than movies.

That being said, I don't think one can objectively define why they think reading a novel is "better" than watching a movie adaptation of the novel. I am personally biased towards reading since I have enjoyed it since a very young age and have been a voracious reader all of my life. But, not everyone loves to read, and having the patience to be a reader and use a dictionary all the time when there is a new word you don't understand is certainly an acquired habit. Personally, my hope is that someone who watches the movie will be inspired to read the novel, since the latter has so much more backstory and information than could possibly be fit into the movie adaptation.

Are there differences between the novel and movie?

There are several, but very few of them are differences serious enough to alter the plot of the story. In this section I am going to highlight some of the more major differences, but there are probably even more than I have listed that are of such small detail that I haven't noticed the differences between versions yet. You'll have to read the novel and watch the movie to do your own comparison.

Hatsumomo

In the novel, Hatsumomo does not have a danna because of her bad relationship with the mistress of her primary work location, the Mizuki Teahouse. As the book explains, if a geisha has damaged her relationship with the mistress of a teahouse, IE: the person who would take any questions about the 'availability' of a geisha, she will never gain independence from an okiya since the mistress will forever tell clients that the geisha in question is 'otherwise engaged' -- meaning she already has a danna. In Hatsumomo's case, she has no danna, which is why she is dependent on the Nitta okiya's collection of kimono to continue her career as a geisha.



In the movie, Hatsumomo is alluded to having a danna called "The General". He is seen with Hatsumomo during Sayuri's famous 'Snow Dance' sitting next to her. There are several references to "Hatsumomo's General" in the movie. Whether or not he is actually Hatsumomo's danna is disputed, since Mother says during Hatsumomo's outburst at Sayuri's adoption to Hatsumomo "You have never even had a danna, you took that no-good Koichi...not like a geisha, like a common prostitute".

Mameha

In the novel, Mameha is not viewed as having a romantic attachment to her danna, Baron Matsunaga. Their relationship is purely financial for her side, despite the fact that she pays respect to the three jizo statues she paid to have erected in honor of the departed souls of the children she would have had with the Baron. The subject of Mameha's abortions in the novel sparks controversy over whether or not Mameha had a romantic attachment to her danna, but I don't think that she did. Just because she is respectful of her culture's mechanisms in honoring aborted children does not mean she is necessarily depressed that the Baron did not want children with her. It is likely that Mameha herself did not want children, and may have preferred to continue her career as a geisha without the nuisance of raising children, especially given that the Baron is not exactly an ethical creature, as seen by his behavior around Sayuri. We know that Mameha is neglected by the Baron for another geisha closer to him in Tokyo, and we know that the personalities of Mameha and the Baron clash, particularly over pieces of art. The Baron is very disrespectful of Mameha's appointment to have an abortion, bringing it up in public and laughing it off by saying "We can't have any little barons running around, can we?" in front of a group of people at a party. Mameha is not seen as being particularly upset at the reality of the situation, but more because it is an awkward situation for her to be in while entertaining at an after party with Sayuri.

Specifically, Mameha is never viewed as jealous over the Baron's attentions to Sayuri. She is simply worried that the Baron could manipulate her and ruin her future career as a geisha. When Mameha questions Sayuri about the events at the Baron's mansion, she simply believes Sayuri's explanation of what happened and warns her to be more careful. There is no scene of outburst questioning Sayuri's integrity like there is in the movie.



In the novel, the reverse is true. Mameha has a deep emotional attachment to the Baron. They are not seen having any kind of disagreement, and the mention of Mameha's need for abortion is hardly detectable. Mameha is devestated when the Baron commits suicide at the end of World War II, and she is very jealous of Sayuri when the Baron bids the highest for her mizuage. She is furious about what happened at the Baron's mansion between the Baron and Sayuri, and does not believe Sayuri's version of the scenario. Toward the end of the movie Sayuri accuses Mameha of having loved the Baron, but Mameha simply replies "I never allowed myself that priviledge" -- with tears in her eyes, meaning that it is clearly a lie.

Sayuri

In the novel, Sayuri has a very clear relationship with The Chairman at the end of the story. She lives as his mistress in New York, and the two of them have a son together. She is given her own teahouse in New York to entertain at, and lives out her life with The Chairman at the Waldorf Hotel.

The movie is not so clear. The Chairman and Sayuri reunite at the end of the movie, and he forgives her for her indiscretions with the American at the hot springs resort, while explaining his decades-old love for her. But there is no mention of their future life together, or of the son they eventually produce. In fact, the only evidence that exists that the movie has the same ending as the novel is a picture from the Photobook of a scene that was never actually shown in theatres, on DVD, or otherwise.



Of course, Sayuri's danna, General Tottori is completely ignored in the movie version, as well as her lover at the silk factory, probably because it would otherwise confuse the viewer's notions about Sayuri's undying love for The Chairman.

There is lots of missing information that can be found in the book that does not appear in the movie, primarily because of time restraints that the movie must adjust for. The book has time and space to go into deep detail with character development, explanations of Japanese culture that apply to a geisha's life, and so forth. The movie does not, and must condense the plot of the story as much as it can to fill a 2 and a half hour time slot. It's not easy to make an almost 500 page novel into a two hour movie, especially since the book spans decades and the movie is shown to span maybe one decade at most.

Just to entertain everyone, here is a list I found on Wikipedia of all of the differences in the movie from the novel. Enjoy!
  • In the novel, the Chairman gives Chiyo the money for ice, and she buys it herself. However, in the film, the Chairman buys it with her.
  • Nobu has only one arm in the book, yet he has not lost a limb in the movie. His face still remains scarred, though.
  • In the book it is frequently said that maids also live in the Okiya along with the protagonists, while in the movie, maids are seen only on the day of Chiyo's debut as Sayuri.
  • The fire scene (Sayuri's room bursts into flame after a scuffle between her and Hatsumomo) that leads to Hatsumomo's downfall doesn't happen in the book. The book portrays the downfall of Hatsumomo as a slow downward spiral culminating with a final push from Mameha and Sayuri. Hatsumomo was finally expelled from the Okiya when she attacked an important client one night. In the novel, it is rumored that Hatsumomo ended up being a prostitute, while in the movie her fate is never mentioned. The last scene of Hatsumomo in the film, is when she leaves the Okiya after Sayuri and Mother put out the fire, with Sayuri looking at her out the window as she leaves.
  • In the novel, Sayuri does not discard the Chairman's handkerchief, which is how she finally reveals her true identity to the Chairman. In the movie, it is almost burned when Hatsumomo puts it above a candle, leading to the fire scene when Sayuri stops her. After Pumpkin betrays her, Sayuri lets it fly away in the wind.
  • Hatsumomo's cruel nickname for Chiyo/Sayuri, "Little Miss Stupid," is not used in the film, nor is Pumpkin's geisha name, Hatsumiyo.
  • In the novel, it is Sayuri who gives Pumpkin her nickname, but in the film, Auntie and Mother are already calling her by that name when Sayuri arrives at the Okiya.
  • In the novel, it is also Sayuri who gives Dr. Crab his nickname, prior to the way the doctor looks like in the novel.
  • In the film, it isn't revealed how Granny dies. Instead, it is said that she has died when Mameha arrives at the Okiya to discuss Chiyo's geisha training with Mother. In the book, she actually is killed from electrocution by a heater ironically sold to the Okiya by the Iwamura Electric Company. Mameha, visiting the Okiya to pay her respects, finally finds the blue-eyed girl described to her by the Chairman.
  • The transitions between the different stages of a geisha's career are rushed in the film; the mizuage does not signify the 'graduation' from maiko to geisha in the book, whereas it does in the film - after her mizuage, when Sayuri returns to the Okiya, Mother tells her she is a full geisha now.
  • Little mention is made in the film of Sayuri's career as a full geisha.
  • In the novel, Sayuri and her sister are sold off after Chiyo runs into Mr. Tanaka Ichiro, a man whose family owned a store called the Japan Coastal Seafood Company. Struck with awe at her eye color, Mr. Tanaka convinces Chiyo's father to sell his two daughters. The movie skims over these details, and skips to the part where the two girls are torn from their family in the beginning of the film at night in Yoroido. Mrs. Tanaka and Kuniko, their daughter, do not appear in the film, as well as the village of Senzuru.
  • In the novel, the man Nobu introduces to Sayuri is a Japanese Minister, Sato. Minister Sato is substituted for Colonel Derricks in the film.
  • In the novel, it is unclear as to whether or not Mameha learns of the Baron's undressing of Sayuri, whereas she openly does in the film.
  • In the novel, Sayuri actually has two danna, though not at the same time: General Tottori and then the Chairman. Sayuri eventually joins the latter in New York City, permanently residing there and running a teahouse while the Chairman comes and goes. She moves to New York City in order to prevent the Chairman's future son-in-law from not marrying his daughter, the son-in-law believes that there is a possibility that Sayuri has produced an illegitimate son with the Chairman. (Sayuri insinuates that she has, but says it would be in the best interest for everyone if she did not say anything.)
  • When she falls off the roof of the Okiya after attempting to run away with Satsu, Chiyo is not beaten. Auntie stays with her while she is lying in bed and reads Mr. Tanaka's letter for her. However, Chiyo does get beaten when Hatsumomo accuses her of stealing money, just before Mother slaps Hatsumomo for having a boyfriend in the Okiya.
  • Instead of Granny who usually does the beating, Mother does it. As usual, Auntie interferes, so Chiyo does not get beaten very badly.
  • When Mother and Auntie learn of Mameha's kimono being ruined, Mother pours a bucket of water on Chiyo before beating her badly. Auntie then takes over the beating so that Chiyo does not suffer the same fate as her. In the novel, the bucket of water is poured over Chiyo after her runaway attempt.
  • When Sayuri embarrasses Hatsumomo, the joke is not about her hair. Instead, when Hatsumomo says 'I was a maiko myself once,' Sayuri responds by saying, 'Of course, but it's been such a very long, long, long, long time.'
  • When Sayuri has to cut herself to be able to talk with Dr. Crab, she and Mameha do the wounding themselves whereas Mameha recruits a maid and the cook from her old Okiya to help her create a wound on Sayuri's leg, in the book.
  • Even before Mameha visits Mother to talk about Chiyo's training, Pumpkin has already become a maiko while in the book, Pumpkin has yet to become a maiko.
  • Mameha's mizuage cost ¥10,000 in the movie and was either ¥7000 or ¥8000 in the book. Also in the book, Sayuri's mizuage cost ¥11,500, but it is ¥15,000 in the movie.
  • In the book, Chiyo/Sayuri is the year of the monkey, but in the movie, she is the year of the rooster.
  • In the movie, after World War II, Pumpkin is influenced by American culture already - she drinks sake a lot, speaks like an American, and enjoys jazz music.
  • The film does not end with Sayuri migrating to New York with the Chairman. Instead, the ending ends with her and the Chairman kissing and strolling together along the river, implying she is still a geisha.
  • In the novel, when Hatsumomo is trying to get Chiyo thrown out of the Okiya for stealing, she plants money on her, and then claims Chiyo has stolen her obi brooch, only for the brooch to be found hidden years later. In the film, there is no brooch.
  • Sayuri's dance occurring before her mizuage, which is based on the story of a courtier whose wife dies of cold as her husband goes to meet his mistress, is actually performed by Mameha in the novel. Sayuri's dance involves a maiden who falls in love with an enchanted dolphin prince.
  • The hanamachi ('flower town,' a town where geisha live and entertain) in which the Nitta okiya is situated is not named in the movie--Sayuri and the other geisha are only described as living in Miyako (Kyoto). In the novel, we are informed that the Nitta okiya is in the Gion hanamachi.
  • Hatsumomo interacts with the Baron, Mameha's danna, in the movie, whereas she never meets him in the novel. Also, on the same occasion, a dance Sayuri performs in the teahouse with Mameha on shamisen does not appear in the novel.
  • Sayuri and Mameha never confront Dr. Crab about Hatsumomo's lies about Sayuri. Instead, after Sayuri's dance, which the Doctor attends, she asks him never to believe Hatsumomo.
  • Uchida, Mameha's friend who is an artist, does not appear in the movie. The poster of Sayuri in the lead role in the dance is instead shown when Hatsumomo hears rumors about it. It is implied that Sayuri does not know about it, because when Hatsumomo angrily tears the poster from the wall and shows it to Mother and Auntie, Sayuri takes it and looks at it with a puzzled expression.
  • Mrs. Kishino, the old woman living in the Tatsuyo, does not appear in the film. Satsu's new name, Yukiyo, also does not appear in the film.
  • In the novel, when Hatsumomo follows Sayuri with the intention of ruining her career as a geisha, she is heard telling an embarrassing story (in which she pretends that the subject is Sayuri) to a client while in Sayuri's presence. This is not seen in the film.
  • The "Urgent Appointment" that Mameha cannot miss is really a scheduled abortion. It is mentioned in the novel after the Baron asks why Mameha cannot go to the Baron's annual party.
  • In the movie, Sayuri's relationship with Nobu is seriously downplayed. Also, when the war comes, it is not the Chairman who rescues Sayuri it is Nobu. At the end of the war, the movie shows Nobu with the piece of concrete from his factory; the concrete was given to Sayuri in the novel as a gift symbolizing Nobu's intention to become her danna and Sayuri gives him a fan in return. This scene is not depicted in the movie.
For those of you who haven't already, I really encourage you to read the novel! It gives you a much deeper understanding of Sayuri's story, not to mention it'll entertain you for longer than a couple of hours!
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