A Geisha’s Diary a.k.a. Women are Born Twice
Dir: Kawashima Yuzo
Japan, 1961, 99 minmins, DCP
Cast: Wakao Ayako, Yamamura So, Fujimaki Jun
Orphaned by the war, Koen is a good-natured Tokyo geisha eager to make her patrons happy. As the various men enter and exit her life, she gradually notices a change in herself, and learns to live as a consummute woman. Featuring the luminous Wakao Ayako whose nuanced shifts in emotion delicately reflect Kawashima’s central theme of “inner human experience”, this bold gem that constantly undercuts the melodrama is full of playful visual surprises and sharp social commentary – an uncanny intimacy between the secluded world of the brothel and the post-war Japanese society. Looking up the ropeway in the last scene, Koen has achieved a reinvigorated self-image – and Kawashima, a revitalized Japanese cinema.
Kinema Junpo Award: Best Actress
Blue Ribbon Award: Best Actress
25/8/2019 (SUN)：Film Talk with Thomas Shin
Tai Kwun
Chinese Subtitles
Post-screening talk
Remarks
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