This documentary focuses on the difficult survival of the Japanese "geisha" phenomenon, which, nowadays, veers precariously between parody, renewal and extinction. It provides a fly-on-the-wall look at the profession, interspersed with interviews with geishas, apprentices, observers, clients and aficionados.
I wouldn't call this a bad documentary, but it isn't particularly good either : it doesn't add anything new to the discussion and it's shallow rather than deep. Still, the viewer gets to admire some pleasantly exotic images from a far-distant country. There are even touches of involuntary comedy, such as the episode where a handful of geishas perform an old ritual, outnumbered by scores of journalists and reporters both professional and amateur. Somehow this does not entirely fit in with the idea of precious butterflies hobbling about in a world of refined mystery.
Long ago I came to the conclusion that the essence of the geisha profession consists of young women entertaining rich and middle-aged men by singing them silly songs, feeding them little glasses of alcohol and, especially, telling them that they're clever, powerful and interesting. The documentary has done nothing to make me revise my opinion, on the contrary...
I wouldn't call this a bad documentary, but it isn't particularly good either : it doesn't add anything new to the discussion and it's shallow rather than deep. Still, the viewer gets to admire some pleasantly exotic images from a far-distant country. There are even touches of involuntary comedy, such as the episode where a handful of geishas perform an old ritual, outnumbered by scores of journalists and reporters both professional and amateur. Somehow this does not entirely fit in with the idea of precious butterflies hobbling about in a world of refined mystery.
Long ago I came to the conclusion that the essence of the geisha profession consists of young women entertaining rich and middle-aged men by singing them silly songs, feeding them little glasses of alcohol and, especially, telling them that they're clever, powerful and interesting. The documentary has done nothing to make me revise my opinion, on the contrary...
