The World of Geisha
Encyclopedia
aka A Man and a Woman Behind the Fusuma Screen is a 1973
Japan
ese film in Nikkatsu
's Roman porno series, directed by Tatsumi Kumashiro
and starring Junko Miyashita
. The mainstream film journal Kinema Junpo
included it in their choices for best ten films of the year of 1973.
, a geisha
serves a new customer. Though he is about to be married, and it is against the rules, she falls in love with him.
selected it as the 6th best Japanese film of 1973. In Currents in Japanese Cinema, Japanese film critic Tadao Satō
describes the film as a "masterful porno film rich in emotion, anarchy, and nihilism." Director Nagisa Oshima
took an opposite view of the film in a well-known essay written before his own In the Realm of the Senses
(1976). Oshima called Kumashiro's film "a little too refined," and took it to task for failing to "realise the effect of pornography." Oshima complained about the Roman porno films that they took "sex as their subject matter and not as their theme. The themes of their most highly regarded films tend to be something like adolescent rebellion; sex is merely the seasoning." He concludes, this "is precisely why these films are attractive to superficial critics, and young film buffs."
Contemporary Western critics were also positive towards the film. A January 1974 Variety
review noted that Kumashiro showed a "definitely savvy directorial flair", but that there was "(n)othing banal, or pretentious" about the film. Further, the "love scenes... are handled with wit and insight", and the "sex bouts... all have a rightness in tone." The review continues, "It is technically fine and ranks with some well-known costumers." "Right placement," Variety concludes, "could have this gaining some following abroad and not for its sex scenes but its feeling for period, time and mores and social outlooks that are reflected from the sensual rather than the social side of its characters." François Truffaut
called The World of Geisha a "great movie," adding, "The acting is perfect, and the film is humorous. In its praise for female beauty and derision for male stupidity lies the generous spirit of Jean Renoir
."
Later commentators on Japanese cinema continue to hold the film in high esteem. The Weissers, in their Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films (1998) comment, "The structure of the film is its most interesting aspect. Director Kumashiro is playing intentional games with linear storytelling, creating a narrative which flows unhampered, unrestricted by time." In his Behind the Pink Curtain, Jasper Sharp calls The World of Geisha Kumashiro's "most articulate attack" against censorship and state-imposed morality.
through the use of titles. Titles can be used ironically in the film, as when the geisha house rules are presented, "No.1: Don't fall for your first client", while Sodeko can be seen obviously breaking that rule. Cutaways are another technique Kumashiro uses prominently in The World of Geisha. Most reviews of the film comment on the opening love-making session which lasts over one-third of the film's total running time. This long scene is intercut with subplots involving the other geishas and their clients. Kumashiro's usage of inserts contrasts with that of traditional directors such as Ozu
. Inserts in an Ozu film have a calming and transitional purpose, whereas Kumashiro uses them to shock the audience while also, in The World of Geisha, providing historical context. Historical events used as inserts in The World of Geisha include the Korean uprisings, Russia's October Revolution
, the Japanese Rice Riots of 1918
, and a police order censoring the news of these riots.
Tadao Satō
notes that the lead male character in the film, who has been raised in a brothel and is accustomed to the company of prostitutes, is a variation on the traditional nanpa
character: an irresponsible type dedicated to sensual pleasures rather than hard work. Kumashiro, according to Satō, makes his characters sympathetic through their devotion to sensual pleasure. Kumashiro often used Eirin
's form of censoring visual depictions of genitals – fogging
– against itself in an exaggerated form, as satirical commentary. In The World of Geisha, he does this while also "censoring" titles, such as Sodeko's, "I'm coming again!!", which is marked out with "X"s, as were reports of Japanese casualties in Siberia in the Russian Civil War
. By using these two forms of censorship in juxtaposition, Kumashiro draws a parallel between Taishō period
censorship, and Eirin's, and the government's contemporary forms of censorship.
The World of Geisha was re-released on DVD in Japan on December 22, 2006, as part of Geneon's sixth wave of Nikkatsu Roman porno series. In the U.S., The World of Geisha has been released on home video by both Image Entertainment
and Kino.
1973 in film
The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese film in Nikkatsu
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese entertainment company well known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio. The name Nikkatsu is an abbreviation of Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Cinematograph Company".-History:...
's Roman porno series, directed by Tatsumi Kumashiro
Tatsumi Kumashiro
was a Japanese film director best known for his critically acclaimed, award-winning Roman Porno films, such as Ichijo's Wet Lust and The Woman with Red Hair...
and starring Junko Miyashita
Junko Miyashita
is a Japanese actress who had a long and varied career working both in pink film and mainstream cinema.- Career :Junko Miyashita was born in Tokyo on January 29, 1949. She was working as a waitress at a coffee shop when she was recruited to work in Pink films....
. The mainstream film journal Kinema Junpo
Kinema Junpo
, commonly called , is a Japanese film magazine which began publication in July 1919. The magazine was founded by a group of four students, including Saburō Tanaka, at the Tokyo Institute of Technology . In that first month, it was published three times on days with a "1" in them. These first three...
included it in their choices for best ten films of the year of 1973.
Synopsis
In 1918, against the background of political events following the Russo-Japanese WarRusso-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, a geisha
Geisha
, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...
serves a new customer. Though he is about to be married, and it is against the rules, she falls in love with him.
Cast
- Junko MiyashitaJunko Miyashitais a Japanese actress who had a long and varied career working both in pink film and mainstream cinema.- Career :Junko Miyashita was born in Tokyo on January 29, 1949. She was working as a waitress at a coffee shop when she was recruited to work in Pink films....
: Sodeko - Naomi Ōka: Yuko
- Hideaki Ezumi: Shinsuke
- Hatsuo Yamaya: Pinsuke
- Go Awazu: Koichi
- Moeko Ezawa: Hanae
- Meika Seri: Hanamuru
Critical reception
The World of Geisha was very successful with the public and critics in Japan. The mainstream film journal Kinema JunpoKinema Junpo
, commonly called , is a Japanese film magazine which began publication in July 1919. The magazine was founded by a group of four students, including Saburō Tanaka, at the Tokyo Institute of Technology . In that first month, it was published three times on days with a "1" in them. These first three...
selected it as the 6th best Japanese film of 1973. In Currents in Japanese Cinema, Japanese film critic Tadao Satō
Tadao Sato
is a prominent Japanese film critic and film theorist. Satō has published more than 30 books on film, and is one of the foremost scholars and historians addressing Japanese film, though little of his work has been translated for publication abroad....
describes the film as a "masterful porno film rich in emotion, anarchy, and nihilism." Director Nagisa Oshima
Nagisa Oshima
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. After graduating from Kyoto University he was hired by Shochiku Ltd. and quickly progressed to directing his own movies, making his debut feature A Town of Love and Hope in 1959....
took an opposite view of the film in a well-known essay written before his own In the Realm of the Senses
In the Realm of the Senses
is a 1976 Franco-Japanese romantic drama film directed by Nagisa Oshima. It is a fictionalised and sexually explicit treatment of an incident from 1930s Japan, that of Sada Abe...
(1976). Oshima called Kumashiro's film "a little too refined," and took it to task for failing to "realise the effect of pornography." Oshima complained about the Roman porno films that they took "sex as their subject matter and not as their theme. The themes of their most highly regarded films tend to be something like adolescent rebellion; sex is merely the seasoning." He concludes, this "is precisely why these films are attractive to superficial critics, and young film buffs."
Contemporary Western critics were also positive towards the film. A January 1974 Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
review noted that Kumashiro showed a "definitely savvy directorial flair", but that there was "(n)othing banal, or pretentious" about the film. Further, the "love scenes... are handled with wit and insight", and the "sex bouts... all have a rightness in tone." The review continues, "It is technically fine and ranks with some well-known costumers." "Right placement," Variety concludes, "could have this gaining some following abroad and not for its sex scenes but its feeling for period, time and mores and social outlooks that are reflected from the sensual rather than the social side of its characters." François Truffaut
François Truffaut
François Roland Truffaut was an influential film critic and filmmaker and one of the founders of the French New Wave. In a film career lasting over a quarter of a century, he remains an icon of the French film industry. He was also a screenwriter, producer, and actor working on over twenty-five...
called The World of Geisha a "great movie," adding, "The acting is perfect, and the film is humorous. In its praise for female beauty and derision for male stupidity lies the generous spirit of Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent era to the end of the 1960s...
."
Later commentators on Japanese cinema continue to hold the film in high esteem. The Weissers, in their Japanese Cinema Encyclopedia: The Sex Films (1998) comment, "The structure of the film is its most interesting aspect. Director Kumashiro is playing intentional games with linear storytelling, creating a narrative which flows unhampered, unrestricted by time." In his Behind the Pink Curtain, Jasper Sharp calls The World of Geisha Kumashiro's "most articulate attack" against censorship and state-imposed morality.
Themes and style
Kumashiro's screenplay was based on Kafū Nagai's Yojohan Fusuma No Shitabari, one of several erotic novels the author circulated underground after having been censored by the government in 1907. Kumashiro uses his simple, but complexly told, story to make a comment against censorship and militarism. One characteristic of Kumashiro's cinematic style which is present in The World of Geisha is the avoidance of sync soundSync sound
Sync sound refers to sound recorded at the time of the filming of movies, and has been widely used in movies since the birth of sound movies.-History:...
through the use of titles. Titles can be used ironically in the film, as when the geisha house rules are presented, "No.1: Don't fall for your first client", while Sodeko can be seen obviously breaking that rule. Cutaways are another technique Kumashiro uses prominently in The World of Geisha. Most reviews of the film comment on the opening love-making session which lasts over one-third of the film's total running time. This long scene is intercut with subplots involving the other geishas and their clients. Kumashiro's usage of inserts contrasts with that of traditional directors such as Ozu
Yasujiro Ozu
was a prominent Japanese film director and script writer. He is known for his distinctive technical style, developed during the silent era. Marriage and family, especially the relationships between the generations, are among the most persistent themes in his body of work...
. Inserts in an Ozu film have a calming and transitional purpose, whereas Kumashiro uses them to shock the audience while also, in The World of Geisha, providing historical context. Historical events used as inserts in The World of Geisha include the Korean uprisings, Russia's October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, the Japanese Rice Riots of 1918
Rice Riots of 1918
The ' were a series of popular disturbances that erupted throughout Japan from July to September 1918, which brought about the collapse of the Terauchi Masatake administration.-Causes:...
, and a police order censoring the news of these riots.
Tadao Satō
Tadao Sato
is a prominent Japanese film critic and film theorist. Satō has published more than 30 books on film, and is one of the foremost scholars and historians addressing Japanese film, though little of his work has been translated for publication abroad....
notes that the lead male character in the film, who has been raised in a brothel and is accustomed to the company of prostitutes, is a variation on the traditional nanpa
Nanpa
, also transliterated as nampa, in Japanese culture is a type of flirting and seduction popular among teenagers and people in their twenties and thirties. When Japanese women pursue men in a fashion similar to nanpa, it is called .-Etymology:...
character: an irresponsible type dedicated to sensual pleasures rather than hard work. Kumashiro, according to Satō, makes his characters sympathetic through their devotion to sensual pleasure. Kumashiro often used Eirin
Eirin
is the abbreviated name for , Japan's movie regulator. Eirin was established on the model of the American Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America's Production Code Administration in June, 1949, on the instructions of the US occupation force...
's form of censoring visual depictions of genitals – fogging
Fogging (censorship)
Fogging is a type of visual censorship. An area for a picture or movie is blurred to obscure it from sight. This form of censorship is used for sexually related images/scenes, hiding genitals, pubic hair, or sexual penetration of any sort. Pixelization is a form of fogging...
– against itself in an exaggerated form, as satirical commentary. In The World of Geisha, he does this while also "censoring" titles, such as Sodeko's, "I'm coming again!!", which is marked out with "X"s, as were reports of Japanese casualties in Siberia in the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
. By using these two forms of censorship in juxtaposition, Kumashiro draws a parallel between Taishō period
Taisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
censorship, and Eirin's, and the government's contemporary forms of censorship.
Availability
The World of Geisha was released theatrically in Japan on November 3, 1973. Nikkatsu marketed the film to the English-speaking world with the ad, "The essence of the geisha world! The art of pleasing men! ...dainty butterflies... and how these colorful beauties entertain their diverse guests night after night to the strains of the three-stringed samisen."The World of Geisha was re-released on DVD in Japan on December 22, 2006, as part of Geneon's sixth wave of Nikkatsu Roman porno series. In the U.S., The World of Geisha has been released on home video by both Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
and Kino.
English
- Mosk. Yojohan Fusuma No Shitabari (film review). VarietyVariety (magazine)Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, 1974-01-02.