Set in the late 1950s, when geisha culture was threatened by moral crusades, it tells the story of Omacha (Miyamoto Maki), a young girl who sees the geisha life as a way to lift her poverty-stricken family from their hand-to-mouth existence. Through her eyes, we see the protocols and complex financial relationships which dictate the running of the geisha house. Fukasaku's film is a work of great delicacy with moments of hypnotic beauty, and his tender direction, often touched with a sense of wonder, fills the screen with lovingly constructed scenes. At its heart is the poignant situation of the women who must sacrifice their normal relationships to live an ambiguous life in which they are a key part of society while being kept, for the most part, on its periphery, like perpetual mistresses.
Credits
The Geisha House Cast
| Name |
Character |
|
Mariko Okada
She was 66, now 91 years old
|
as Hanaman's owner |
|
Kaho Minami
She was 34, now 60 years old
|
as Terucho |
|
Takashi Sasano
He was 50, now 76 years old
|
as Kosaka |
|
Mai Kitajima
She was 26, now 52 years old
|
as Somemaru |
|
Yumiko Nogawa
She was 54, now 80 years old
|
as Michiko |
|
Naomasa Musaka
He was 44, now 70 years old
|
as Kayama |
|
Sumiko Fuji
She was 53, now 78 years old
|
as Satoe |
|
Seizō Fukumoto
He was 55, now 81 years old
|
as Police detective |
|
Masahiko Tsugawa
He was 59, 78 years old when he died
|
as Yoshikawa |
|
Noboru Mitani
He was 66, now 92 years old
|
as Mikami |
|
Takeshi Kato
He was 56, 39 years old when he died
|
as Kitayama |
The Geisha House Crew
| Name |
Department |
|
Yoshinobu Nishioka as Art Direction. He was 76 (97) years old when He died
|
Art |
|
Kenta Fukasaku as Assistant Director. He was 26 (now 52) years old
|
Directing |
|
Kinji Fukasaku as Director. He was 68 (72) years old when He died
|
Directing |
|
Daisaku Kimura as Director of Photography. He was 59 (now 85) years old
|
Camera |
|
Kaneto Shindō as Screenplay. He was 86 (100) years old when He died
|
Writing |
