Following on the themes of female oppression and shifts in social constructs tackled by Japan House London’s film season on Mizoguchi Kenji’s work from the postwar period, Gion Bayashi (Gion Festival Music, 1953, also known as A Geisha), tells a tale of female rebellion against the system.

One of the most polished and pointed scripts by Mizoguchi’s regular screenwriter Yoda Yoshikata is at the heart of this compelling and complex drama set in a changed postwar Kyoto. The Gion district named in the film’s title was the geisha district of the city, and the film tells the story of an experienced geisha who takes a young apprentice (maiko) under her wing.

The latter’s rebellion against the obligations of the trade forms the basis of a devastating social critique, made both trenchant and moving by Mizoguchi’s characteristic sympathy for his female protagonists, who are not depicted as gender archetypes but rather as individuals who experience difficult circumstances.

The film gains much of its power from two superb lead performances. Kogure Michiyo (1918-90), who sympathetically plays the older heroine, was saluted by Donald Richie as “one of Japan’s most versatile actresses”. She worked for Mizoguchi in several other films, most notably in his underrated bourgeois melodrama Portrait of Madame Yuki (Yuki Fujin Ezu, 1950). Here she is paired with the emerging star Wakao Ayako (b.1933), who was only nineteen years old at the time of filming, and whose modern, assertive, resourceful persona offered a new model of femininity to postwar Japanese audiences.

The screenings are in Japanese with English subtitles. Duration: approx. 85 mins

Please note that this movie is rated PG and is therefore not considered suitable for an audience younger than 8 years old unaccompanied.

Guests who are booked to attend the screening can also enjoy 10% off drinks at The Stand on their way in.

Text written in collaboration with Alexander Jacoby

*Please note that filming and / or photography may take place at this event. Photos and footage of the event may then be used to promote Japan House London, helping more people to discover what we offer. If you have any concerns, please contact us online or contact a member of the team on site.

Booking Essential | Admission Free

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