Great Film


If you want to see the "dirty" side of life as a geisha in early 20th century Japan (as opposed to the more "sanitised" or "touristy" version of the geisha that non-Japanese, myself included, tend to think of), then this is a film you'll probably enjoy. Since it's a purely Japanese production, it's imbued with all the subtle cultural things that a Western film about geisha would never include because Westerners just don't have the same cultural perspective.

The only thing that bothered me about this film was the music. While it worked in a few scenes, I generally disliked the score and felt it was bad enough to be a major distraction in many scenes or, worse, lessen the impact of a scene that otherwise might have been much more powerful. The music also, unfortunately, dates the film as it clearly has a 1980s vibe to it.

Ken Ogata is truly bad-ass in this film; and the leading ladies are quite fine.

Overall, an excellent film, in my view, and, I would venture to say, much better than Memoirs of a Geisha (as far as films about geisha go).

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