Minha Doce Gueixa

First saw this movie on TV one afternoon whilst I was off from work.Had always wanted to see it,but after it's release(rather like John Goldfarb),it kind of disappeared.Lucky to catch up with it though,as from the opening credits I was hooked.MacLaine,very young and initially kooky,is marvellous in this film.I guess most people know the plot by now,but for a comedy,it does have it's touching moments,especially at the end.The scenery is superb,the music is great,the costumes colourful and I for one am glad this will receive a DVD release in December.Edward G and Yves Montand are both good in their roles,although I found Bob Cummings just a bit long in the tooth for his part.Altogether a very enjoyable movie and one to watch for if you haven't seen it before.Yes,I know some of it doesn't make sense,but heck,this is a comedy,and wonderful it is too.

What on the surface appears to be an improbable plot line becomes increasingly plausible due to the combination of great make up work, spectacular costuming, (Edith Head) and a truly amazing performance by Shirley Maclaine. Crisp, sharp focus, color cinematography, interesting locations and set design, combine with a genuine fondness for Japanese culture resulting in an admirable early 60's comedy/drama.

Not a great film by any means---the dialogue tends to the wooden, and the plot to the improbable---but, somehow, it is fun to watch. As the movie goes on, Montand and MacLaine seem to warm to their roles, and some of Montand's introspective musings about love, career, and marriage, in the unwitting presence of his wife, are genuinely touching. MacLaine looks quite stunning made up as a geisha, and the location scenes of Japan in 1961 (Kyoto, Tokyo, Miyajima, Hakone) are alone worth the price of admission. Japanese culture is treated with fond respect, not simply with amusement or exotic interest. The speech by the ancient geisha "master" about the idealization of womanhood strays a bit into embarrassing hyperbole, but this is the exception, not the rule, in the film.

"my geisha" is charming. suspend belief a bit, and one realises how good an actress shirley maclaine is and how convincingly she becomes a geisha.

the movie is fluff. but the attempt to parallel the plot to the libretto of "madama butterfly" is clever and almost successful. edward g.robinson as sharpless; maclaine as pinkerton, and montand as butterfly... it is a very literate attempt to use the sub-plot as the driver for the main plot.

there are moments when one is reminded of a doris day-rock hudson frolic - expected in a comedy from 1962. but there's also a real "edge" that comes from the characters being a little less than saccharine. as has been pointed out, the cinematography is quite sharp. so there is an air of substance to the production, and quality is evident.

in the end, though, one just should enjoy it.

Shirley MacLaine is such fun to watch. She dives into her character body and soul. She leads you on and you follow her. It would be foolish not to. We don't question anything because we're in love with her. This movie is a real rarity.I suspect that Steve Parker, Shirley's husband then and producer of "My Geisha" actually directed this. He chose Jack Cardiff as the director, the great Cardiff one of the top cinematographers of all time -- See "Black Narcisus" for instance -- But, as we all know, a cinematographer is used to work with directors, cinematographers must be artists with a very different kind of ego. What a spectacular way for Steve Parker to direct his movie by proxy. Better plan, impossible. The film is a comedy slash morality tale with a stunning Cardiff like look and a delicious performance by MacLaine. Yves Montand plays her husband. His English is tentative at best but he is unquestionably charming in a clumsy written part. Edward G Robinson is another plus. His character's delight is utterly contagious. Many of my contemporaries are to jaded to enjoy this film, but I've tried it on kids and it works, let me tell you, they love it. Not to mention my parents. So there you are, I guarantee you'll love "My Geisha" if you're young, if you're old or if you're me.