Director Rob Marshall’s adaption of Memoirs of a Geisha tells us of a nine-year old Japanese girl named Chiyo. Sold by her impoverished father to a Hanamachi (Geisha District) Okiya in 1930’s Kyoto, Chiyo grows up to become the most celebrated Geisha. Rob Marshall may have intended for the film to illuminate the mysterious world of the Geisha , and to showcase Japanese culture, but controversial themes and obvious historical inaccuracies lead to a divide in its reception. I chose this movie because it was made by a western director, famous, at the time, for directing Chicago, with the intention of highlighting some of the nuances, not typically explored, of Japanese historical culture. I wanted to discover how much research went into the making …show more content…
Hollywood’s portrayal of orientalism are evident in the casting of Memoirs of a Geisha. Though the film is about Japanese historical culture, the three lead roles were given to Chinese actresses. Despite their popularity and performances, there are many differences between the Chinese and Japanese features. Geisha images historically display full figures with round faces and full lips which align with the standard of beauty in Japan at that time known as ‘Akita Bijin’ . Chinese actresses on the other hand, typically, have thinner bodies and angled faces. Even if one could ignore the features, the array of non-Japanese accents cannot be overlooked. The only fluent English speaking actress is Michelle Yeoh who plays Mameha. She is more identifiable with western audiences so it is no surprise that she portrays the fairy-godmother like character for Chiyo, rescuing her from a life of servitude in the Okiya and helping her transform into a Geisha. The relationship between Mameha the ‘savior’ and Chiyo the ‘pitiful’, is often portrayed in Hollywood films where a western or western-like character rescues the ‘other’, from a pitiful life. Films such as Pocahontas and Avatar are prime examples of this . The feature that makes Hatsumomo envious of Chiyo and wins the attention of everyone, including the Chairman, is her blue-grey eyes. Since blue eyes are found almost exclusively in European decent , a pure Japanese female would not possess the genetic affinity to have them. Marshall’s inability to comprehend differences in Asian cultures is Orientalism by nature, and is a key factor in the selection of these blue eyes which says ‘now you look different from all the other Asians who look the same’. It is again evident in their choice of cast and expectation
The Asian women interviewed in this film spoke candidly about their experiences in the entertainment industry. This film shows a comprehensive look at media stereotypes of Asia and Asian American women since the silent era. One point that the film brought up was that many white women played Asian women in early Hollywood films. One actress who frequently played an Asian woman was Katherine Hepburn. I can’t imagine how insulted I would be if I was an Asian actress who was losing roles to an American woman.
Much of what is considered modern Japan has been fundamentally shaped by its involvement in various wars throughout history. In particular, the events of World War II led to radical changes in Japanese society, both politically and socially. While much focus has been placed on the broad, overarching impacts of war on Japan, it is through careful inspection of literature and art that we can understand war’s impact on the lives of everyday people. The Go Masters, the first collaborative film between China and Japan post-WWII, and “Turtleback Tombs,” a short story by Okinawan author Oshiro Tatsuhiro, both give insight to how war can fundamentally change how a place is perceived, on both an abstract and concrete level.
Approximately about a decade ago, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese women all had a distinctive look and features. Single eyelid, thin lips, short-bridged nose and oval shape face are few of the features that distinguish Asian women apart. However, these distinctive features are slowly fading away as the new westernized features are coming in. Through the mass media and their
Sometimes people are judged by their looks, and preferences will be made towards the more beautiful people before the less beautiful people. What individuals don’t put into account is that the person’s personality is part of their beauty. In Gail Tsukiyama’s novel, The Samurai’s Garden, through the characterization of Sachi’s personality and adversities, Gail Tsukiyama conveys the message that beauty is deeper than just the outside and this message is important because one shouldn’t judge someone just by their looks.
Lee, Robert G. 1999. Orientals: Asian American in Popular Culture. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
Throughout history artists have used art as a means to reflect the on goings of the society surrounding them. Many times, novels serve as primary sources in the future for students to reflect on past history. Students can successfully use novels as a source of understanding past events. Different sentiments and points of views within novels serve as the information one may use to reflect on these events. Natsume Soseki’s novel Kokoro successfully encapsulates much of what has been discussed in class, parallels with the events in Japan at the time the novel takes place, and serves as a social commentary to describe these events in Japan at the time of the Mejeii Restoration and beyond. Therefore, Kokoro successfully serves as a primary source students may use to enable them to understand institutions like conflicting views Whites by the Japanese, the role of women, and the population’s analysis of the Emperor.
Ogawa, D. (1993) The Japanese of Los Angeles. Journal of Asian and African Studies, v19, pp.142-3.
Brazell, Karen. Traditional Japanese Theater: An Anthology of Plays. New York: Columbia UP, 1998. Print.
Suzuki, Tomi. Narrating the Self: Fictions of Japanese Modernity. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 1996.
Gaskin, Carol. and Hawkins, Vince. The Ways of the Samurai. New York: Byron Preiss Visual
The Web. 27 May 2014. Kondo, Dorinne K. ""M. Butterfly": Orientalism, Gender, and a Critique of Essentialist Identity." Cultural Critique No. 16 (1990): 5-29. JSTOR.com - "The New York Times" Web.
William Johnston’s ‘Geisha, Harlot, Stranger, Star’ is the first English-written contribution to the huge array of texts dissecting the life and actions of Abe Sada. The book describes Abe Sada’s life in all its stages, culminating on the recollection of May 19th, 1936, where she killed her lover Ishida Kichizōby, before castrating him and carrying his genitals around in her kimono. With so many texts on the subject, and the attempt of psychoanalysts, feminists, literary critics and those who knew her to explain why she killed and castrated Ishida, it’s one of the most sensationalised crimes committed in twentieth century Japan. Unlike many texts which attempt to construct meaning out of Abe Sada’s actions, Johnston aims to tell the story of
Miyabe Miyuki’s writing is one that can be categorized more so as criticisms of society rather than actual narratives and stories. By analyzing four of the prolific author’s works (“Brave Story”, “The Sleeping Dragon”, “The Devil’s Whisper”, and “Ghosts of Edo”) this essay will attempt to locate the specific elements within Miyabe’s writing that make her writing style unique in the greater landscape of Japanese women writers. The prevalent of these is her focus on contemporary Japanese issues in modern Japan, as can be seen in her novel “The Devil’s Whisper”, which prominently features romance scams. Her connection with Tokyo (also known as Edo) has a major impact in her writing as well, with many of her mystery novels, like “The Sleeping Dragon”, as well as her book of ghost stories “Ghosts of Edo” centering around the capital of Japan. Taking these two main elements into account is key to understanding the social issues that Miyabe Miyuki attempts to discuss in her writing and themes behind them.
During the Cultural Revolution, a very popular female image had created, it is the White Hair Girl (Baimao Nü) (1972) This female character image is a tough, strong and full of hatred to the feudal landlord who insulted her and her family. Her desire is very obvious -- to revenge. And finally, she ended up with a heroic image in the film with the help from Chairman Mao Zedong and his Communist Party.
The Secret Life of Geisha is a documentary film about the hidden life of geisha women in Japan. Geisha are Japanese women who entertain man through dance and singing, the term geisha as defined by the film means, “artist”. The film discusses the history of geisha, from their first appearance in the 1600s and through the major historical year of Japan from Meiji Restoration to World War II. In the 1800s, the West were confused between the image of geisha and prostitutes. The image of geisha throughout history have been clouded by prostitutes. As stated in the film, “Geisha wears her OB as the sash tied in the back”, and “Prostitutes wears their OB in the front”, beyond this distinction the geisha are the presence of a select elite, unlike prostitutes geisha livelihood isn’t exactly sex. The major period of change in terms of the roles and status of geisha was when the group of Samurai warriors began a rebellion against the Shogun's government, they used the tea house as a meeting space and with the support of geisha, the disaffected Samurai defeated the ruling of Shogun. It was 1868 when the geisha were allied to the most powerful group of people of that time, the Samurai. Another transition was the most important historical transition of