A Geisha (Gion Bayashi)

Dir. Kenji Mizoguchi. 1953, 84 mins. 35mm print from the Japan Foundation. With Michiyo Kogure, Ayako Wakao. Set in Kyoto’s Gion district in the postwar period, A Geisha focuses on the student-mentor relationship between an experienced geisha and the teenaged girl who begs to apprentice with her. A stunning actresses’ duet, this is one of Mizoguchi’s most poignant portrayals of the confederation of sisterhood acting as a buffer against a hostile world. Japanese film scholar Donald Richie noted that A Geisha is “filled with sentiment, rather than sentimentality… and the performances are so perfect.”

Tickets for Friday evening screenings: $12 ($9 for senior citizens and students / free for Museum members) and includes admission to the Museum’s galleries, which are open until 8:00 p.m. For more information on membership and to join online, visit our membership page.