A work in constant progress (and occasional regress).
Release Date:
January 15, 1999
Original Title:
おもちゃ
Alternate Titles:
La maison des geishas
Omocha
게이샤 하우스
Genres:
Drama
Production Countries:
Japan
Ratings / Certifications:
KR: 18
Runtime: 113
Set in the late 1950s, when geisha culture was threatened by moral crusades, it tells the story of Omocha (Miyamoto Maki), a young girl who sees the geisha life as a way to lift her poverty-stricken family from their hand-to-mouth existence. Through her eyes, we see the protocols and complex financial relationships which dictate the running of the geisha house. Fukasaku's film is a work of great delicacy with moments of hypnotic beauty, and his tender direction, often touched with a sense of wonder, fills the screen with lovingly constructed scenes. At its heart is the poignant situation of the women who must sacrifice their normal relationships to live an ambiguous life in which they are a key part of society while being kept, for the most part, on its periphery, like perpetual mistresses.
Art Direction:
Yoshinobu Nishioka
Assistant Director:
Kenta Fukasaku
Director:
Kinji Fukasaku
Director of Photography:
Daisaku Kimura
Editor:
Koichi Sonoi
Original Music Composer:
Masamichi Amano
Screenplay:
Kaneto Shindō
Sound Director:
Maiku Samata
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