Fleeing a distressing family situation, Eiko, a very young girl, becomes an apprentice to Miyoharu, a veteran geisha. Both, determined to preserve their professional integrity, must face the selfishness and ambition of several petty people.
Direction
Mizoguchi's unblinking long takes are devastating.
Cinematography
Black-and-white Kyoto glows like a fading memory.
Acting
Kogure's restraint hits harder than any scream.
Director
Kenji Mizoguchi
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Mizoguchi shot this in Kyoto's actual geisha districts, using real locations that were rapidly vanishing in post-war modernization.
Ayako Wakao was only 18 here—Mizoguchi discovered her working in a Kyoto department store and transformed her into one of Japanese cinema's most iconic faces.
JP
