I've always wanted to know about Geishas and the women of old Japan, ever since I first saw pictures of them in high school. Something about their style and how different they were from modern women never failed to intrigue me. And when I grew up, I collected paintings and prints of them which I still have, and read any novels or articles that promised to tell me their secrets. Despite numerous attempts I never really penetrated their personalities until this obscure movie.
I only DVRed it thinking it was just another period piece with samurais and bloody battles that would be fun to watch. It was not that at all. In fact there are no sword fights. It's all about the women (not Geishas) in a red light district in Japan in a village by the sea, and especially two of them, Kikuno and O-Shin, both of which are perhaps the most endearing and unforgettable women I've ever encountered in film. And this despite the fact they are playing prostitutes sometime in the 18th century.
Their facial expressions, their hand and body movements, the way they walk and laugh, it all had me so enthralled I barely saw the time go by. And yet this movie was created in 2002. How did these modern Japanese actresses resurrect these women so completely and convincingly? I have no idea, but I admit it doesn't matter. The only female performance I find even remotely comparable is of Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara. But despite Scarlett's undeniable beauty and spirit she can't hold a candle to the sheer magnetism and humanity of O-Shin or the more dignified and mature Kikuno.
My only regret is that I hadn't seen this film earlier, and that I will now have to buy this film on DVD because there is no way I can bear deleting it. For me it's a gem of the highest order though I admit I've always wanted to know women like these, and if you've had no similar notion, it might not be your cup of tea. All I can say is I do now feel as if I've been transported back to another time and place and spent time with women who have always caught my attention, and I am completely satisfied that I have gotten very close to the myth if not the reality.
Which is not to say I now know everything. Despite having watched their every move here, I still can't say I understand them, not really. I feel I could happily spend a great deal of time with them, there is something unusually pleasurable about them, but they will always be mysteriously beyond my grasp. It's even more exasperating given I can't think of any modern women inhabiting the same emotional space they do. And I have no idea why.
I only DVRed it thinking it was just another period piece with samurais and bloody battles that would be fun to watch. It was not that at all. In fact there are no sword fights. It's all about the women (not Geishas) in a red light district in Japan in a village by the sea, and especially two of them, Kikuno and O-Shin, both of which are perhaps the most endearing and unforgettable women I've ever encountered in film. And this despite the fact they are playing prostitutes sometime in the 18th century.
Their facial expressions, their hand and body movements, the way they walk and laugh, it all had me so enthralled I barely saw the time go by. And yet this movie was created in 2002. How did these modern Japanese actresses resurrect these women so completely and convincingly? I have no idea, but I admit it doesn't matter. The only female performance I find even remotely comparable is of Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara. But despite Scarlett's undeniable beauty and spirit she can't hold a candle to the sheer magnetism and humanity of O-Shin or the more dignified and mature Kikuno.
My only regret is that I hadn't seen this film earlier, and that I will now have to buy this film on DVD because there is no way I can bear deleting it. For me it's a gem of the highest order though I admit I've always wanted to know women like these, and if you've had no similar notion, it might not be your cup of tea. All I can say is I do now feel as if I've been transported back to another time and place and spent time with women who have always caught my attention, and I am completely satisfied that I have gotten very close to the myth if not the reality.
Which is not to say I now know everything. Despite having watched their every move here, I still can't say I understand them, not really. I feel I could happily spend a great deal of time with them, there is something unusually pleasurable about them, but they will always be mysteriously beyond my grasp. It's even more exasperating given I can't think of any modern women inhabiting the same emotional space they do. And I have no idea why.