A Geisha

Kenji Mizoguchi's A Geisha (Gion Bayashi 1953) is something of a forgotten classic since it was made between two of his greatest success Ugetsu and Sansho the Balif. And while it resembles an earlier well-known film, Sisters of the Gion, it has a distinct and original story that was adapted from a novel. It is the story of a young woman Eiko (Ayako Wakao, who go onto star in several Mizoguchi films) who shows up on the doorstep of her mother's best friend Miyoharu (Michiyo Kogure earlier star of Mizoguchi's Miss Oyu) asking to be taken in to become a geisha. The alternative, it would seems,would be living as the mistress of her uncle as her father's ill health and business failures prevent him from looking after her properly. Miyoharu is reluctant since Eiko has no sponsor-geisha training is extremely expensive, and the fact that it requires total devotion to succeed. In the end she relents, but is forced to borrow money from a teahouse owner, Okimi, who has borrowed from a wealthy patron and has promised Eiko-now Miyoei-as a mistress once she has finished her training. This patron also has promised Miyoharu to a client in order to secure a lucrative contract. There are no redeeming male characters in this film. The women are taken to Tokyo for a dance performance and it there that the men plan initiate the women as their mistresses. Miyoei refuses her wealthy patron and fights off the welathy patron biting his lip-drawing blood and hospitalizing him, but Okimi is more enraged with Miyharu for not giving in tot he client. Compromises are made sicne Okimi has cut them off from jobs trying to starve them off for not be complicit in the plans and in the end gives in order to save Miyoei from having to lose her innocence to the welathy patron. The film's success is mainly due to the strong performances of Wakao and Kogure as much as the strong script. It is beautifully shot with exquisite use of hallways, doors, screens,curtains and repeated images of confined spaces and restrictive passageways symbolizing the lack of choices in this world. This film should be considered one of his minor masterpieces.