CompleteMartialArts.com - The Secret Life of Geisha
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List Price: $19.95
Our Price: $10.99
Your Save: $ 8.96 ( 45% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: A&E; Home Video
Starring: Susan Sarandon
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780767085199
Format: Black & White
ISBN: 0767085191
Label: A&E; Home Video
Manufacturer: A&E; Home Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: A&E; Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2005-11-29
Running Time: 94
Studio: A&E; Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1999
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Editorial Reviews:
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Exotic, sensuous, exquisitely mysterious. For centuries, the seductive grace of the Japanese Geisha has fascinated and confounded outsiders who attempt to fathom this secretive world of tradition, intrigue, and pleasure. Now, enter a realm once known only to the rich and powerful. Go beyond the popular Western misconception of the Geisha as little more than a high-priced call-girl. And discover the 400-year history of a profession where women devoted decades to the mastery of music, conversation, and the fine art of massaging the male ego. Witness the darker side of the Geisha, from tales of sexual treachery and suicide to their role in the fall of a hierarchy of political leaders as recently as 1989. From legendary Geisha of the past, to young women devoted to the profession in modern Japan, THE SECRET LIFE OF GEISHA offers an unprecedented glimpse into this ancient, enigmatic phenomenon. DVD Features: Glossary; Geisha Points of Distinction; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: OK for a peek
Comment: I more or less made it through this documentary, finally getting past the annoying first 15 minutes with its repeated tease about how secret and exclusive the geisha life is, yet the life of the geisha eludes this film and the veil of secrecy is not lifted.
Liza Dalby provides spirited commentary with a soulful appreciation of the geisha life, and Arthur Golden (whose book "Memoirs of a Geisha" actually gives a much more accessible look at the hidden world) also discusses context and background. But not being able to understand any of the untranslated Japanese banter between geisha and customer makes us have to take on faith that they're charming conversationalists.
It's a good historical overview and the kimono are beautiful, but, again, there's little technical discussion even of the wardrobe, and one gets the sense that the subjects agreed to be filmed but also privately decided not to let the viewer pass through the mystique into real understanding.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Overall worth watching, but no need to buy.
Comment: A good documentary for its time, featuring Arthur Golden, Liza Dalby, Peter MacIntosh, and others (a selection of geisha and maiko from Gion, Atami, Tokyo, Shimoda, etc.). Susan Sarandon's accent is tolerable for American ears, but you probably won't want to watch it more than twice. Despite the candid presentation, there is a clear sense of a cultural 'gap'. As Golden recounts his questions about mizuage, the infamous de-flowering of a virgin maiko (and pre-WWII practice), he was reminded that Japanese traditionally don't kiss on the lips - a shocking revelation for the Western audience. Similarly the presentation of the Kyoto geisha Oyuki (who would be the unlikely wife of J.P. Morgan's nephew, George) is given somewhat sentimental treatment. Clearly the target audience of this documentary must be old enough to remember that 'people just didn't marry Orientals in those days'.
If you're thinking about getting the DVD over the VHS, it's really not worth it unless you don't have a VCR. The special features are little more than a brief glossary of terms, a side-by-side comparison of maiko-geiko and geiko-oiran descriptions. Perhaps they give American audiences too much credit, since the average Westerner wouldn't know all the differences between a maiko vs. geiko vs. courtesan without images. Also, the DVD cover art is stock photography of a poorly costumed woman. Trust me - you don't want a closer look at the ratty wig, bizarre hair ornaments, and butchered kimono - crossed right over left no less.
Customer Rating:
Summary: GENTLEMEN PREFER GEISHAS
Comment: Wonderfully informative ! Colorful and exciting lives of girls whos only goal is to please gentlemen of wealth and culture. The highest officials and diplomats certainly enjoy the pleasures of Geisha!!! Its an eye opener!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fascinating History about Geisha
Comment: I bought this DVD after reading Memoirs of a Geisha for our book club. This was a fascinating DVD and a great accompaniment to the book, because it describes and shows real Geisha. It includes interviews with the author of Memoirs and also the first Caucasian geisha. It delves into the history of the geisha and explains the differences between them and prostitutes and where the belief that they were one and the same probably originated. Susan Sarandon narrates this DVD and does an excellent job. Her voice is perfect for the voice-overs.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of the Geisha.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A biased but interesting documentary
Comment: "The Secret Life of Geisha" is not going to surprise or amaze anyone who has done a bit of research on Geisha, say by reading Liza Dalby's book "Geisha" or Mineko Iwasaki's autobiography "Geisha : A Life." However, to those uninitiated who still believe that Geisha are some sort of high-class prostitute, then perhaps a secret or two might be unveiled.
This DVD is a pretty standard A & E presentation, with interesting interviews and stimulating visual images. The approach seems to very much be "How Westerners approach Geisha" rather than "How Japanese approach Geisha," as the majority of people interviewed seem to be Westerners such as Liza Dalby, Arthur Golden and western patrons of Geisha. Granted, Liza Dalby deserves to be interviewed on any such presentation, but it did come off a little bit too much like an add for Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha," a book of dubious authenticity. Although he was used as a primary source, there was no mention of Mineko Iwasaki's lawsuit against Golden for mis-representing her life story in his book.
The nicest thing about a video such as this, as opposed to a book, is the ability to see the costumes and beauty of Geisha in living color, moving around in kimono and dancing and playing their instruments. Geisha are very visual, and a video brings this out better than a book. Susan Sarandon's narration was a bit distracting, and I would have preferred a Japanese narrator, as well as subtitling of the Geisha rather than over-dubbing.
Also missing from the video is that, in modern Japan, women also attend Geisha parties, with the staff of a school perhaps hiring a Geisha and a few Maiko to entertain both genders during a particularly special occasion. The only time I have been to a Geisha party has been mixed-gendered, and it is not unusual in modern Japan.
Still, with few videos of this sort around, for all it's flaws "The Secret Life of Geisha" is worth watching by anyone who is interested in Geisha. Just don't use it as your primary source of information regarding this fascinating world.
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