It may be hard out here for a pimp, but it ain't much easier for a geisha – Chicago helmsman Rob Marshall's highly anticipated and controversial adaptation of Arthur Golden's acclaimed novel Memoirs of a Geisha landed in theaters late in 2005, amid cries of foul from the Japanese – in lieu of casting the main roles with native actors, the team behind Memoirs of a Geisha took this very Japanese story and populated it with Chinese thespians. While this minor controversy likely didn't make much of a dent in the stateside box office, this sumptuous costume drama still didn't have any sort of tremendous impact, although it was eventually nominated for six Oscars at the 2006 ceremony (the film won three awards, all in technical categories).

The considerable cultural faux pas aside, Memoirs of a Geisha is, at least in my opinion, much ado about nothing; the art of being a geisha is such an austere, mythic world that it may be nigh impossible to make a compelling movie about the ages-old traditions associated with being a geisha. Breathtakingly photographed but dramatically inert, Memoirs of a Geisha centers on the story of Nitta Sayuri (played by Suzuka Ohgo as a child, Ziyi Zhang as an adult), who transcended her modest roots to become one of Japan's most celebrated geisha – along the way, she's mentored by Mameha (Michelle Yeoh), locks horns with rival Hatsumomo (Li Gong) and pines for the love of The Chairman (Ken Watanbe). It's a sweeping, romantic story that spans several decades – from the late Twenties to the early Fifties – and purports to peel back the facade of the hellish, mysterious world of servitude and tradition that is the world of geisha.

Robin Swicord's adaptation of Golden's source material has been lauded by those who've read the novel (I have not) as being quite close to the book, eliminating some of the less necessary narrative elements – that said, the story still unfurls at an occasionally ponderous pace, particularly towards the final 20 minutes. Dion Beebe's cinematography is occasionally gasp-inducing (a young Sayuri running down a corridor of bamboo poles, Sayuri's striking debut as a geisha) and never anything less than stunning; the visuals are as much a character as any of the actors. Speaking of the actors, the main trio – Zhang,Yeoh and Watanabe – do the best they can with what they're given, but the constraints of the narrative only allow for so much.

Memoirs of a Geisha will likely delight fans of richly textured costume dramas, but for a compelling, dramatically satisfying cinematic experience, you'll want a little more substance. It's hard out here for a geisha.

The Video:

A visually resplendent 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer gives exquisite digital life to Dion Beebe's Oscar-winning cinematography – sparkling, crisp and devoid of any noticeable defect, this image looks great in the numerous low-lit scenes as well as the brighter sequences. A fantastic visual representation.

Matching the lush picture step for step is the sterling Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack; alive with surround activity and immersive, this is one vivid mix. Thunderous and delicate in equal measure, Memoirs of a Geisha sounds every bit as gorgeous as it looks. A French Dolby Digital 5.1 track is included, as are English and French subtitles.

As befits a "prestige" picture, Memoirs of a Geisha arrives on DVD with a pretty stuffed two-disc edition (despite this being a Sony title, you get the sense that this set will be the last ... for awhile). Aside from the film, a pair of commentaries are included on the first disc: director Rob Marshall and producer John Deluca sit for a track, with Oscar winner Colleen Atwood, production designer John Myhre and editor Pietro Scalia contributing their own track. Trailers for The Da Vinci Code, The White Countess, The Frank Capra Premiere DVD Collection, Rent, The Legend of Zorro, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Cutting Edge: Going For The Gold and Fun With Dick and Jane round out the first disc.

The second disc houses 11 behind-the-scenes featurettes, playable separately in fullscreen, including the 16-minute "The Look of a Geisha," the nine minute "The Music of 'Memoirs,'" the 12-minute "Geisha Bootcamp," the eight minute "A Geisha's Dance," the 14-minute "Sayuri's Journey: From The Novel To The Screen," the five minute, 30 second "The Road To Japan," the 12-minute "Building The Hanamachi," the eight minute, 30 second "The World of the Geisha," the six minute "The Way of the Sumo," the 10-minute "Director Rob Marshall's Story," the nine minute "A Day With Chef Nobu Matsuhisa" and three text screens of "Chef Nobu's Recipes" for mushroom toban yaki, broiled cod in miso sauce and new style sashimi. Photo galleries complete the disc.

Memoirs of a Geisha is visually astonishing but dramatically inert, a prime example of style over substance. The actors acquit themselves well, but there's a sense of "so what?" that you can't shake even as the cherry tree blossoms litter the screen and you swoon at the stunning kimonos. Sony's two-disc set provides some welcome context and boasts near-reference quality audio/video. Recommended.