Akito HirataReview - My Geisha
September 1st 2009 14:55
My Geisha stars Shirley MacLaine as Lucy Dell, a well known comedy actress. Her husband, Paul Robaix who is played by Yves Montand, is a film director. Together they have made many movies and Lucy’s star status has helped Robaix to become successful.
At the beginning of the film Robaix has decided that he needs to prove to himself and the world that he can create a successful film without trading on the star status of his wife. He decides to make a film based on Madame Butterfly, the opera by Puccini. Although Lucy wants to play the part of Madame Butterfly, Robaix decides to fly to Japan and cast an unknown Japanese actress in the lead role.
Lucy is the kind of person who is used to getting what she wants so she flies to Japan and re-creates herself as a Japanese geisha called Yoko Mori. The film touches on some of the Japanese and Geisha cultures which, although quite stereotypical, add interest to the story line. Watching the transformation of vibrant red-head MacLaine into modest, geisha-painted Yoko is fascinating. She brilliantly plays the role of innocent and virtuous Yoko.
Due to a sheer accident Robaix eventually finds out that Lucy is Yoko but rather than confront her, thinking she is making a grab for the stardom that should be his, decides to attempt to seduce Yoko. It is thanks to the acting skills of Montand and MacLaine that we really feel Robaix’s anger and Lucy’s bitter sorrow when she thinks her husband loves someone else.
The high point of the film and the most tragic is when Yoko Mori sings in the death scene. Lucy’s despair is echoed in the aria. The beautiful music together with the story line of the film will possibly bring even the most hard of heart to tears at this point.
The film is a comedy of errors and it has an innocence about the story line that we don’t often get in modern film. I recommend that you seek it out on DVD.
Voyage Review: 3.5/5
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