A Geisha (1953)
"Gion bayashi" (original title)

In the post-war Gion district of Kyoto, the geisha Miyoharu agrees to apprentice the 16 year-old Eiko, whose mother was a former geisha who had just died. After a year of training they have... See full summary »

Director:

Kenji Mizoguchi

Writers:

Matsutarô Kawaguchi (novel), Matsutarô Kawaguchi (screenplay),

Stars:

Michiyo Kogure, Ayako Wakao, Seizaburô Kawazu

2 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Michiyo Kogure	...	Miyoharu
Ayako Wakao	...	Eiko
Seizaburô Kawazu	...	Kusuda
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Saburô Date	...	Imanishi
Kyôko Hisamatsu	...	Young girl
Sumao Ishihara	...	Kokichi
Kanae Kobayashi	...	Hairdresser
Keiko Kobayashi
Midori Komatsu	...	Oume
Kanji Koshiba	...	Kanzaki
Kazuko Maeda	...	Maid
Ryusuke Maki
Tokiko Mita	...	Apprentice geisha #1
Kikue Môri	...	Domestic arts teacher
Chieko Naniwa	...	Okimi

Storyline

In the post-war Gion district of Kyoto, the geisha Miyoharu agrees to apprentice the 16 year-old Eiko, whose mother was a former geisha who had just died. After a year of training they have to find a large sum of money before Eiko can debut. Miyoharu borrows the money from the tea-house owner, Okimi, who in turn obtains the money from the businessman Kusuda. Kusuda fancies Eiko himself and wants to give Miyoharu to Kanzaki in order to close a large business deal. However both geishas have minds of their own and, going against tradition, want to be able to say no to clients.

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Plot Keywords:

geisha | post war | biting | attempted rape | debt | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

11 June 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Geisha

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daiei Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1975)

User Reviews

lacks the strength of Mizoguchi's historical dramas

In fact Mizoguchi's historical dramas like "Saikaku ichidai onna" deserve more attention than this movie.

The fate of the two Geisha' is described too much in a text book manner "let's see the culture clash" in post war Japan. Thus the protagonists lack any psychological depth and they are rather symbols for tendencies than persons. Similar sujets have been dealt with by Ozu with much more artistic skill and of course, humour.

As a "typical" Japanese film , however, it is produced with enormous diligence regarding the mise en scene.

Therefore (7/10)