My Geisha

UPC: 097360611847

Studio: Paramount

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:[Suitable for Children]

Summary: In this romantic comedy, a popular actress disguises herself as a Japanese geisha to land a part in a film directed by her husband. Shirley MacLaine stars as Lucy Dell, a comic actress married to equally successful director Paul Robaix (Yves Montand). Though Paul has found success creating comic vehicles for Lucy, he wants to expand his range by making a lavish adaptation of Madame Butterfly on location in Japan, using a local actress as the star. Lucy feels she can play the part just as well as any Japanese woman, and, with the help of the film's producer (Edward G. Robinson), she hatches a plot to prove it. She poses as Yoko Mori, an innocent young geisha on her way to joining a convent, and her husband is immediately determined to cast her. Of course, the masquerade proves more difficult than imagined, and things become especially complicated when Lucy's Hollywood playboy co-star (Robert Cummings) falls in love with her demure Yoko persona. Opting for mild, character-driven humor over farce, My Geisha provides a few knowing jibes at Hollywood and comfortable performances from MacLaine and Montand, but the film's treatment of Japanese culture will likely seem dated to modern audiences. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Category: Comedy

Awards: Best Color Costume Design – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

My Geisha

Format: DVD

Release Date: 01/01/1899

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DD1 Dolby Digital Mono

Runtime: 119 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French,Spanish

Subtitles: English,Portuguese,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- My Geisha
1. Opening Credits [1:42]
2. Paul's Big Secret [5:55]
3. Take Me With You, Sam [4:44]
4. Fooling the Director [9:10]
5. Ideal Casting [6:51]
6. Yoko Mori's Screen Test [8:17]
7. A Real Geisha [8:41]
8. Making a Date With Yoko [3:55]
9. Showing Off [3:52]
10. Filming Begins [4:55]
11. Community Bath [5:49]
12. Bob Makes His Move [7:05]
13. Production Continues [2:55]
14. Eastern Women, Western Women [10:45]
15. Discovery in the Negative [6:05]
16. Yoko's Surprise Visitor [5:08]
17. Sam Confronts Paul [3:33]
18. The Aria [4:10]
19. Paul and Lucy Are Reunited [3:11]
20. Premiere Night [9:05]
21. No One Before You, My Husband [3:33]

Craig Butler

My Geisha would be very easy to dismiss were it not for Shirley Maclaine's captivating star performance. Certainly, the plot is so ludicrous that it would take a screenwriter with enormous insight and sensitivity (and, hopefully, an unerring ability to craft witty and incisive dialogue) to lift the film anywhere above average. Suffice it to say that, while Norman Krasna does supply a few one-liners and does manage to give the film a somewhat surprisingly serious side, he does not otherwise overcome the limitations of the plot. A really strong director would also have helped, but Jack Cardiff's work in terms of storytelling, pacing, and melding the comic and the serious into a unified whole are merely average. However, credit does go to Cardiff for the film's lovely travelogue look, and for letting Edith Head have her way in designing the gorgeous costumes. But it's Maclaine that is the film's saving grace, using her pixieish charm, oddly appealing looks, and quirky combination of winsomeness and ambition to give the film abundant life. She's funny even when handed lines that ought to fall flat, can break your heart when required, and only has to let those weirdly enthralling eyes get a hint of moisture to have you ready to follow her anywhere. True, there's absolutely no spark between her and Yves Montand, who seems uncomfortable throughout, but most viewers won't care. She's much more than My Geisha deserves, and without her, there would be little reason to watch. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Satoko Kuni  Actor 
Tamae Kyokawa  Actor 
Taugendo Maki  Actor 
Marion Furness  Actor 
Jack Cardiff  Director 
Norman Krasna  Screenwriter 
Franz Waxman  Composer (Music Score) 
Steve Parker  Producer 
Shirley MacLaine  Actor 
Yves Montand  Actor 
Edward G. Robinson  Actor 
Robert Cummings  Actor 
Yoko Tani  Actor 
Tatsuo Saito  Actor 
Alex Gerry  Actor 
Ichi Hayakawa  Actor 
George Furness  Actor 

Country: USA