Sadly Over-hyped

Brilliant and touching

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

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.

Although I only saw this movie once over ten years ago on late night TV,I was struck by the beautiful scenery and the storyline somehow reminded me of James Mason & Judy Garland "A star is born".Shirley Mclaine is a favorite of mine and she managed to imbue the Japanese persona so purely and one could feel Yves Montand frustration and eagerness to achieve success without his wife.I cannot recall much more of this film but I do know that my best friend Maruschka has watched it so many times that her tape copy is wearing out.It is a classic love story. Very hard to find a copy for it and I would love to see it out on DVD.I would then surprise my friend by buying her a copy (and one for me also).Millie

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.

Very Mild SpoilersThe basic plot of `My Geisha' is so cliché as to be ridiculous. A husband slights his wife by implying that she could not handle the lead in his new production of `Madame Butterfly', she dresses up as a Geisha to prove he couldn't tell her from a real Japanese girl, and he hires the lovely (fake) Japanese. The rest of the story toys with infidelity and the question of whether the couple `really' loves each other and all's well that ends well. You've seen it all (and with far better comic timing) on `I Love Lucy' dozens of times.However, Shirley MacLaine is both young and exciting as the spurned actress, Yves Montand is excellent as the long-suffering `Ricki' equivalent, and Edward G Robinson manages to pull off both Fred and Ethel while making it look almost fun to be an overstressed film producer. The Japanese actors all hold their own very well - in spite of a plot that may disturb the racial sensitivities of modern audiences. In spite of its datedness, this film manages to approach the intricacies of Japanese culture with genuine respect, and does not treat the `Geisha' as a by-definition dishonored woman. This is not to say that it depicts its subject with any degree of accurate detail, but at least it avoids the most heinous cliches.The other redeeming aspect of the movie is a reasonable amount of strong outdoor location work in 1960's Japan. The cinematographer is Japanese, suggesting that Jack Cardiff (who was himself a cameraman at one time) was looking for an Asian eye to depict the Japan he wanted American audiences to see. `My Geisha' does not capture an `authentic' Japanese flavor - certainly it looks nothing like a contemporary Japanese film - but it does, perhaps, give a refined tour guide's perspective.