Virginity For Sale to the Highest Bidder
This is all I remember from Memoirs of a Geisha which I rented over the weekend.
And here is where you need to stop reading if you don't want me to spoil it.
The movie is creepy because it is about girls who are sold into a world of prostitution and it is glamorized to some degree.
Zang Zi Yi's character meets an older man at the age of 9 and he is kind to her and she instantly falls in love with him and prays to become a Geisha so she can be part of his world. The crazy thing is that at the end of the movie you find out that he helps her to become a Geisha and that he was in love with her too.
Now if I met a 9 year old girl today, the last thing I would think would be how I could help her become a Geisha so that one day I could marry her. Doesn't that seem twisted? If he knew that she was trapped in this house and he was rich, why didn't he just buy her and spare her this life of cruelty?
I am sure that in reality that my solution to this problem would be laughable. The very thought of a man helping a young girl out of the goodness of his heart would probably have been absurd in Japanese culture.
The movie is a good story and an eye opener to the cruelties that women have to face in some cultures. I recommend watching it if you are intrigued by anything Oriental or Japanese or Asian or Vietnamese or Korean, like I am.
9 Comments:
I didn't like the film much myself. But to be fair, geishas were entertainers, not prostitutes. It's a little bit of a sweeter story from that perspective.
Oriental or Japanese or Asian or Vietnamese or Korean?
I liked the movie - not because of the storyline, which I didn't necessarily like, but I loved the music and the creativity - it's so artistic.
My reaction to the film was much like yours. Very creepy that this much older man helps this young girl become a Geisha so he can have her when she's older. That's just not right.
Fascinating culture-wise though. I found the movie intriguiging. It made me so sad to see how some women/girls are treated.
I haven't seen the movie yet 'cause I loved the book. It takes a while to get into but when it's over you can't believe it's done. And it has so much detail that you could tie an obi the correct way if you had to.
Just not sure how well that translates to film.
i liked the movie, but as jes said more for the scenery, the creativity, the beauty of each scene. When the main character runs through the orange fabric tunnel to throw her money in for her wish/prayer it is just so beautiful, and her solo dance - amazing.
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Never watched it: I guess it just didn't interest me too much. Sounds like I wouldn't really enjoy it much anyway.
I hear the word "Oriental" and I think of a rug.
An Oriental Rug. Is that word still used as a nationality?
"Oriental"? This term isn't used very much anyore because it's been used in a derogatory manner. It's not very PC. Just thought I'd let you know.
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