The China Doll
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Memoirs of a Geisha was set under the frame of World War II, when the Western influence started to infiltrate the Japanese sacred culture, leading to Geisha no longer remained its position in Japanese society (Kim 2005). The film told the story of Chiyo - a young Japanese girl was “pushed” into the world of Geisha. Instead of portraying Geisha as cultured and educated women as they really were, the film sexualized and represented them as mere prostitutes. In the eyes of Western audiences, Geisha were “available” for everyone with the right price. The Western influence were clearest when Chiyo gave up her will to escape and acquiesced the life she was forced to live. Finally, she grew up to be a geisha so beautiful and tempting that her virginity was auctioned to cover all of her debts. It seemed that the stereotype of Asian female being submissive and erotically alluring was established after the period of World War II, as it was particularly illustrated in the case of Geisha (Akita 2006). At the end of the film, the misperception on Geisha was confirmed through Chiyo’s statement “I become his mistress”.
|