Maihime (1991)

Director:

Masahiro Shinoda

Writers:

Hans Borgelt, Ogai Mori (story),

Stars:

Hiromi Gô, Lisa Wolf, Brigitte Graham

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Hiromi Gô	...	Oota Toyotaro
Lisa Wolf	...	Ellis Weigelt
Brigitte Graham
Haruko Kato	...	Toyotaro's mother
Mareike Carrière	...	Baroness Von Bülow
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hans-Uwe Bauer	...	Fritz Krüger
Christoph Eichhorn	...	Von Meintheim
Brigitte Grothum	...	Anna Weigelt
Jun Hamamura	...	Hofmarschall
Gregor Hansen	...	Hannes Seeger
Daijiro Harada	...	Meiji-Kaiser
Takuzô Kadono	...	Soejima Wasaboro
Silke Klan	...	Emma
Sairi Komaki	...	The geisha
Andreas Mannkopff	...	Tonio Busch

Storyline

Details

Country:

Japan West Germany

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

20 April 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Dancer

Company Credits

Production Co:

Agfa Gaevert, Asahi Shimbunsha, Deutsche Film (DEFA)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Cinemania (2002)

User Reviews

An alien in Berlin, as Sting might sing

"Maihime" is more or less the slightly "cleaned up" autobiography of the rather self-conscious but none the less famous Japanese writer Mori Ogai during his stay in Berlin around the turn the 19th to 20th century. While studying medicine with the best of German professors at the request of Emperor Meiji, he falls in love with a German ballet dancer. While the ending of the movie is bad enough (not from a cinematographic point of view), reality seems to have been even worse and the movie follows the autobiographer's trend in making him seem a victim of circumstance rather more than might perhaps have been appropriate. Nevertheless, it gives an interesting insight to a foreigner's life in Imperial Berlin (and back then it probably did not get any more foreign than being Japanese). Just beware that this movie was actually made in the then still existent German Democratic Republic and is therefore not free of some rather surprising (considering the original writings) references to class struggle as well as a slight anti-war tint, which probably never crossed Mori Ogai's mind either. Interesting to watch for all those interested in Second Reich Germany or Japanese Literature. Perhaps (but not necessarily) a tad boring for everybody else.