The film ‘’The Memoirs of a Geisha’’ is based on Arthur Golden’s novel with the same name. It is not shown  in China and Japan, but in our country it is playing.

It is  about a girl who has been taken away from the family  when she was a little girl and brought up to be a geisha.    The most important detail of the film is that the Chinese actresses are  playing the role of  the Japanese geishas.     This film ‘’The Memoirs of  a Geisha’’ has been nominated for six Oscar awards.

The scenario goes in the following manner:-  A poor fisherman who has lost his wife has to leave his two daughters too.  The head actress of  the film Chyo (Suzuka Ohgo) finds herself  in a geisha house while she was only nine years old.   The house mother (Kaoi Momoi) tries to train Chiyo, but the bad geisha of  the house Hatsuhmomo  is treachery all the time. 

One day Chyo catches   Hatsuhmomo and her  lover in the geisha house. After this  Hatsuhmomo’s hatred becomes worse (because she was doing something forbidden) . In the life of a geisha there is no place for sentimental feelings or love.    They are brought up for the purpose of   serving  the rich, grown up men.  However,  they must pretend to be in love with the man with whom they are being together and this is the delicate art of  being a geisha.

Chiyo knows all of  these rules very well, but she cannot help falling in love with the President (Ken Watanebe) whom she has met while she was a very little girl and who has helped her a lot all through her painful times.    She decides to do whatever she can to be a good geisha and aims to reach the President.   After difficult times she becomes successful and  on the day she becomes the best geisha her virginity is put on sale according to the tradition.    This is the start of  a  struggle, a competiton between the rich men.     Following this the second world war starts.  The president helps her to go to  a safe place outside the battle field. So, Chiyo understands that the   President  whom loves deply  is protecting her and he is being interested in her too.

Budism and the philosophies of  the Far East  have  gained worldwide popularity and this has made the people to be much interested in the new age ideas.   The producers have made a very good use of  this opportunity and they did not hesitate to make a film out of  the life of  the geisha (they did not hesitate to transfer  the life of  the geisha onto a film).

The film has been banned in Japan (under this  name). The reason is that  the geisha system belongs to the Japanese  culture, but in the film it is the   Chinese actresses who are playing the role of  the geishas instead of the Japanese.   Another factor which is as important as this is that in the film the Geishas are being presented as girls for sale and they are being marketed to  the American soldiers. Of  course, this point makes China  angry, so the film is not shown in that country.   Both of  the countries are acting in the same way, but history shows openly that in the olden days the poor girls in the countryside were sold to become  geishas..

I mark  this film ‘’The Memoirs of a Geisha’’ 8.5 out of 10.

I wish you a pleasant time while watching the film and always be well.