SAKURAN

Looks like Japan is trying to make a revise(/better) production of a geisha movie... After Memoirs of A Geisha dissatisfied most Japanese, due to the inaccurate culture description.

To me, personally, SAKURAN looks promising^^ Adapted from a manga series created by Moyoco Anno. Directed by Ninagawa Mika (former photographer, the daughter of Ninagawa Yukio, the popular theatrical stageplay director), this is her debut as a director. And, Shiina Ringo as the music director.

The movie was premiered at the Berlin Film Festival about 2 weeks ago. And it has premiered in the Kanto region on February 24th. It will premiere nation-wide in Japan, March 3rd.

Starring Tsuchiya Anna, Kimura Yoshino, Kanno Miho, Narimiya Hiroki, Shiina Kippei, Natsuki Mari, Nagase Masatoshi, Ando Masanobu.

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Synopsis:
Kiyoha was 8 years old when she was sold into Yoshiwara, the red-light district in Yamaguchi, as a kamuro, a maid in a brothel. She is put under the care of the current Oiran(the title of top-ranking prostitutes in Yoshiwara), Shohi [Kanno Miho], who names her Tomeki. Top oiran looked after their kamuro girls, financially and emotionally. Shohi took care of little Kiyoha and was the one who greatly influenced her ascent to become a top-class courtesan.

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Kiyoha (later Tomeki) is very rebellious and does not cry when punished, is bad-mouthed and bad-mannered, she talks back and even hits the other kamuros. It is because of this that the more experienced people in the household begin to think that she will be one day a great Oiran, since to be the Oiran one needs only beauty and talent, and should also have the tenacity to maintain the position.

After that, we follow Tomeki [Tsuchiya Anna] as she becomes O-Rin, a prostitute-in training, and later becomes a Kyoya, the most beautiful girl at the household (but NOT the Oiran yet), which creates great tension and jealousy among other courtesans in Yoshiwara. She'd find herself under attack from a senior courtesan called Takao [Kimura Yoshino] who is jealous of her up-and-coming rival.

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But rivalry is not Tomeki's main problem to overcome. Rather, the appearance of young Soujiro [Narimiya Hiroki] and the imposibility of love in the love-quarters.

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''Mabu'' is the word for the men whom Oiran girls had romantic feelings for. As bad tempered as Tomeki was, she also had someone who she truly loved.


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Natsuki Mari plays the okami, or the madam of the brothel Tamagiku-ya. She has a presence that cannot be ignored.


Official Website: http://www.sakuran-themovie.com/

SAKURAN Article Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakuran
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20070217TDY19004.htm
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ff20070222i1.html
http://hogacentral.blogs.com/hoganews/2006/05/sakuran_and_mik.html

Shin2 mentioned this movie here: http://jdorama.com/viewtopic.php?p=584945#584945 :)

I'll withhold judgement, although seeing that it is adapted from a manga doesn't fill me with hope.

I am currently waiting for the english subbed DVD to go on sale...I know no one has posted in a while but im kinda new...so im exploring different threads....i cannot wait to see Ninimiya and I heard that Oguri Shun has a little role in it

yanie_chan wrote:Looks like Japan is trying to make a revise(/better) production of a geisha movie... After Memoirs of A Geisha dissatisfied most Japanese, due to the inaccurate culture description.

I have to point out that this is NOT A GEISHA movie. I had a friend who thought that the waitresses serving us at an upscale Japanese restaurant were geisha because they were all wearing attractive kimonos. I had to disabuse him of the notion that all women wearing kimonos are geisha. There were no geisha in Yoshiwara, just oiran. From what I've read, their lives were actually quite tragic.

don wrote:

I have to point out that this is NOT A GEISHA movie. I had a friend who thought that the waitresses serving us at an upscale Japanese restaurant were geisha because they were all wearing attractive kimonos. I had to disabuse him of the notion that all women wearing kimonos are geisha. There were no geisha in Yoshiwara, just oiran. From what I've read, their lives were actually quite tragic.

Yah...I did read that the life of a geisha was not all it was hyped up to be. this movie (from what I read in the review) is suppose to be really close to how a geisha really lived. Unlike Memoirs of a geisha where most of it was fantisized

<this movie (from what I read in the review) is suppose to be really close to how a geisha really lived.>

Umm, no it's not. :headscratch:

It's about a rebellious, fictional oiran in Yoshiwara . Oiran did not live like geisha. The novel, Memoirs.... is close to how geisha really lived in the Meiji era.

don wrote:<this movie (from what I read in the review) is suppose to be really close to how a geisha really lived.>

Umm, no it's not. :headscratch:

It's about a rebellious, fictional oiran in Yoshiwara . Oiran did not live like geisha. The novel, Memoirs.... is close to how geisha really lived in the Meiji era.

hmm....i do not know then....i heard that memoirs was more fictionalized and fantisized. But i dont know what really went on.

Oiran and Geisha are totally different .. but I wanna watch this movie though!! hehehe .. looks good ~ i saw the trailer at youtube...