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
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.
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.
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
Lee, Robert G. 1999. Orientals: Asian American in Popular Culture. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
Kokoro opens with the depiction of a White man by the narrator. The narrator discusses the Westerner as a non-threatening individual who was swimming with his Sensei. He described the Westerner as wearing Japanese clothing, acting in taking cues and acting as Sensei does, swimming among other Japanese people. The narrator does not describe himself as being frightened or threatened, yet he feels overcome with a feeling of thinking this particular Westerner was “quite extraordinary.” (Soseki 1957, p. 4). This is in stark contrast of many of the early depictions of Westerners. For example as Duus describes Japanese individuals as referring to Westerners as “red-haired barbarians.” This also was described in class discussions as we viewed paintings by Japanese individuals who demonized Westerners and made them lo...
The movie also showed the successes of Anna May Wong’s sinister dragon lady, Suzie Wong and the ’50s geisha girls and the Asian-American anchorwoman of today. One of the anchorwomen who was interviewed spoke about the stereotypes of exoticism and docility that have affected the perception of Asian-American women. She spoke about how her boss didn’t like when she stood up for herself and made radical decisions to cut her hair.
Ogawa, D. (1993) The Japanese of Los Angeles. Journal of Asian and African Studies, v19, pp.142-3.
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
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
In Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha, Sayuri demonstrates that when the forces of fate and free will come into collision, the lack of determination to grasp control of one’s life will lead to a
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.
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.
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