Sisters of the Gion (1936)

 Kenji Mizoguchi's "Sisters of the Gion"


Kenji Mizoguchi's second film from 1936, "Sisters of the Gion" acts as a diptych to his previous effort, "Osaka Elegy." Both films had the same cast and production teams and were filmed back-to-back. They both also contain similar themes of female oppression in Japanese society. 

The film centers on a pair of sisters who work as geishas. They both share differing outlooks on women. The elder of the two, Umekichi, believes that she should stay loyal to her patron who recently went bankrupt and can no longer afford to pay her. She is a more traditional woman. She underwent classical geisha training and wears kimono. The younger sister, Omocha, went to public schools and wears Western clothing (except while working as a geisha). She believes that one shouldn't trust men because they have no problems abandoning them without a care. Because of this, she lies and manipulates men to her own advantage. This becomes troublesome, however, as she is brutally tossed from a moving car. While in the hospital, Umekichi is abandoned by her patron. Both sisters reflect on the tragedy of their ruined circumstances.

I felt as though this film does an equally skillful job of iterating the poor treatment of sex workers in Japanese culture as its predecessor film. That being said, I seem to have enjoyed the previous entry far more. 


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