A Geisha (Gion bayashi) (1953)

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(OK) Lovely, tender and somehow hard story on those women between houswifes and whores, bout above thar culural heritage of Japan (as is said in the documentary aspect of this so neat and short but rich and complex film). Excelletns moments, purse Mizoguchi in the rigth place and distance for the action...

In the post-war Gion district of Kyoto, the geisha Miyoharu agrees to apprentice the 16 year-old Eiko, whose mother was a former geisha who had just died. After a year of training they have to find a large sum of money before Eiko can debut. Miyoharu borrows the money from the tea-house owner, Okimi, who in turn obtains the money from the businessman Kusuda. Kusuda fancies Eiko himself and wants to give Miyoharu to Kanzaki in order to close a large business deal. However both geishas have minds of their own and, going against tradition, want to be able to say no to clients.