Memoirs of a Geisha

This tale of the career of a Geisha controversially features Chinese actresses, speaking English, playing Japanese women. It's as inappropriate as getting, say, an Australian to play William Wallace... ahem. Controversy aside, the cast here are all excellent. Zhang Ziyi takes the lead as the girl who becomes a Geisha, but Michelle Yeoh and Gong Li take the acting honours as her mentor and rival respectively. It's a superbly well-mounted film, convincingly recreating pre World War Two Japan on some excellent sets. This story isn't for everyone  it's like an old fashioned women's picture, heavy on drama and light on explosions - but the film moves through its 145 minutes with grace and elegance enough to win over most audiences. [Keir Hind]