Product Details

• Actors: Michiyo Kogure, Ayako Wakao, Seizaburô Kawazu, Saburo Date, Sumao Ishihara
• Directors: Kenji Mizoguchi
• Writers: Matsutarô Kawaguchi, Yoshikata Yoda
• Producers: Hisakazu Tsuji
• Format: Black & White, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: Japanese
• Subtitles: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: New Yorker Video
• VHS Release Date: November 11, 1998
• Run Time: 85 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302957796
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #31,363 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  #40 in	Video > Art House & International > Asian Cinema > Japan > Classics
  #56 in	Video > Art House & International > Asian Cinema > Japan > Drama
  #85 in	Video > Art House & International > By Original Language > Japanese

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to know about real geisha..., October 10, 2001

By	Andrew Maske (Salem, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This movie is the most authentic depiction of the clash of tradition and modernity in the geisha world. In the old system, a geisha was under contract and was sometimes strongly encouraged, if not forced, to take a patron (ie., become a mistress), even if she had no feeling for the man. Although nowadays no forcing goes on, this movie deals with the early post-WWII era when attitudes in the geisha world were in transition. This poignant film, Mizoguchi's second to deal extensively with geisha (the first was "Sisters of Gion"), gives an one an excellent feel for the life in Kyoto's Gion geisha quarter fifty years ago. I have seen all the available films and videos about geisha, as well as numerous Japanese programs on aspects of the geisha world, and think that "A Geisha" gives the most complete and authentic view of geisha of any I have seen.

11 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Dated But Lovely Film for Geisha Enthusiasts, December 20, 1999

By	Michelle Thaller "thaller" (Pasadena, California) - See all my reviews

If you've been swept up by the recent Geisha craze, you may want to have a look at this video. The 1950's script and acting seem stilted by today's standards, but the overall effect of the film is still engaging. A young apprentice is taken in for training by high-minded but somewhat reclusive geisha. Both mentor and student soon learn that modern customers want more from both of them than artistic accomplishment. There are lush scenes of geisha performing music and dance, as well as moments of poignancy as each woman wrestles with the seedier side of their profession.