MY GEISHA

US, 1962, 120 minutes, Colour.
Shirley Mac Laine, Yves Montand, Robert Cummings, Edward G. Robinson, Yoko Tani.
Directed by Jack Cardiff.

My Geisha is a pleasing film about film-making. It was written by Norman Krasna, veteran of many plays and screenplays. Direction is by cinematographer Jack Cardiff. The producer is Steve Parker, Shirley Mac Laine's husband. She enjoys herself in the central role and has support from Yves Montand as her husband, Edward G. Robinson as her friend and producer, Bob Cummings as a brash film star. Location photography in Japan is attractive, there are Edith Head costumes, a Franz Waxman score and it is all presented over 120 minutes in Technirama. While the film may have been ambitious in scope, it does not quite live up to expectations. Nevertheless, it is genial entertainment.

1. An entertaining romantic comedy? The film industry and film-making? American- Japanese relationships?

2. The use of the Technirama process, colour photography, Japanese locations? Costumes and decor? The Madame Butterfly excerpt? Musical score? The stars?

3. The title and the focus on Paul and his film-making? His love for Lucy? His wanting to make a film independent of her? Her deception? The difficulties in reconciliation - Lucy as Paul's geisha?

4. The plausibility of the plot: film-making, producers and directors, stars? Japanese- American co-productions? The auditioning of Yoko? The credibility of Lucy posing as Yoko and deceiving her husband almost to the end? The finale With the premiere?

5. Shirley Mac Laine’s pleasant and boisterous style as Lucy? The successful film star? Her love for her husband? H-is directing her films? Friendship with San and reliance on him? Her support of Paul's Japanese project? The wanting to be in the film? Her decision to go to Japan? Her making herself up as a geisha and deceiving Paul? The audition and her acceptance? Her trying to cope with her own life, the training as a geisha, her performance? The credibility of her success? The comedy of her moving into each role? The comedy of the American star with brash American styles learning to adapt herself to more refined and low-key Japanese behaviour? The support of Sam? Her working well with Paul? Bob and his falling in love with her, pursuing her? The training from Kazumi? The film-making? Her being hurt at the thought of Paul's infidelity? Her provoking him? His discovery of the truth but her not knowing? His brutal action towards her? The strength of her performance as Madame Butterfly because of her sadness? The defiance at the premiere? The advice from Kazumi? Her going on stage as herself? Her not spoiling Paul's achievement? The happy reconciliation?

6. Yves Montand as Paul? The successful director? Love for his wife? The Japanese project? Organisation? The backing of Sam? Sam and his persuading Paul to try go? Believing Sam? The audit-ions? His settling into Japan, the production, locations? Looking at the rushes and discovering the truth? The effect on him? His brutal flaunting himself at Soko? The premiere and his being hurt? Lucy's selfless gesture, his telling her the truth, the reconciliation?

7. Edward G. Robinson as Sam, the portrait of the Hollywood producer, worrying about money, friendly to all, deals, listening to star temperament from each, covering his tracks? His happiness at the end of the film?

8. Bob as the brash star, arrogance, pressing himself on the women, falling in love with Yoko, performing with her, his comeuppance?

9. Kazumi and the background of the geishas, their place in Japanese society, history, manners? The strict discipline of the training? Details of the style? Her helping Lucy? Her final advice for the reconciliation?

10. The Japanese background, Japanese society? Traditions? The film’s contrasting the American lifestyle with the Japanese? Japanese refinement and manners? The tradition of the geishas? The discipline in training to please the men? (Feminist themes?)

11. Madame Butterfly and its tradition, the performance, the dramatising of Japanese-American? relationships?

12. Comedy, verbal and visual? Romance? The background of film-making? Pleasing '60s entertain mien?