Product Description

Who's that mysterious Oriental beauty? It's Shirley MacLaine! Meet Lucy Dell (Shirley MacLaine), an enormously popular Hollywood comedienne married to movie-maker Paul Robaix. And meet Yoki Mori (also MacLaine), the recently discovered geisha star of Paul's in-progress film version of Madame Butterfly. Paul doesn't know it yet, but that's no geisha - that's his wife! Yves Montand (as Paul), Edward G. Robinson and Bob Cummings join MacLaine in the romantic comedy My Geisha. Paul is eager to prove he can make a hit film without his wife. Lucy, however, wants to prove she can handle a dramatic role. So she secretly follows Paul to Japan, dons a disguise and gives a topsy-turvy spin to this delightful, gorgeously filmed comedy of mistaken identities.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15392 in DVD
• Brand: CARDIFF,JACK
• Released on: 2006-12-12
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Japanese
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, Portuguese
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 119 minutes

Amazon.com
The charming Shirley MacLaine seems to be having a ball as Lucy Dell, a comic actress whose professional pride is wounded when her husband, film director Paul Robaix (Yves Montand), tells her that his next project, an adaptation of Madame Butterfly, is "outside your range." She secretly follows him to Japan, where, masquerading as a geisha named Yoko Mori, she lands the plum part. Further complicating matters is Lucy's costar (a miscast Bob Cummings), who falls in love with Yoko. Edward G. Robinson adds a touch of class as the film's producer who is in on Lucy's secret. My Geisha is part Tootsie and part I Love Lucy, but there is a surprising dark side to this "rollicking comedy romp" (as the film is hyped on the DVD box). Lucy and Paul are both struggling to redefine themselves. She wants to prove she is more than a comedienne, while he wants to prove he can succeed without his popular wife. The scene in which he discovers his leading lady's true identity has an unexpected dramatic punch. The lushly photographed film itself, an Academy Award nominee for Best Costume Design, looks great in this widescreen presentation. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews

Please give this movie the DVD treatment!
I know I would give this film an even higher rating if it was ever brought to DVD with a widescreen presentation. There are so many scenes in this film where the actors heads are cut in half(vertically) and so many spectacular shots of Japanese vistas that having this film seen only on VHS(fullscreen) is actually a felony in the history of color filmmaking. That aside, the story is a comedy laced with genuine drama and fantastic character acting from both Shirley MacLaine and Bob Cummings surrounding the filming of "Madame Butterfly" at authentic Japanese locales. Fans of Yves Montand will not be disappointed for he brings a surprising range of emotions from one scene to the next, alternating between witty banter(particularly with Bob Cummings) to gripping heartache near the end of the story. The supporting cast is solid, led by veteran actor Edward G. Robinson in a role that is a far cry from his "Little Caesar" days. One of my few complaints lies in the fact that once in a while a Japanese extra will scowl at Shirley MacLaine when she is portraying her Geisha character with a little too much stereo-type. I certainly don't blame them for cringing once in a while. It would be like a young Japanese man portraying a Redneck Cowboy in front of a crowd of extras from Texas. However, Shirley MacLaine nails this role down pat after a few scenes early in the film where first-time director Jack Cardiff probably should have gone for another take. There are a couple of scenes that look too staged to be believed, while later in the film there are some excellent scenes with fantastic acting from all concerned. Once in a while there is also some voice-over dubbing that doesn't quite match the lip-movement. There are a few other scenes that suggest that Jack Cardiff was once a stage director at one time, such as: instead of having a split-screen effect and editing the actor's voices in later, the whole set is cut in two with a thin partition separating the action on either side as the actors do their scenes on the telephone. It makes for a great live effect that feels kinetic and touching . A while back, say ten years ago, I was in a Shirley MacLaine-fan mode and I rented everything I could find with her in it. I saw "The Apartment" and I thought she was the cutest actress I had ever seen, yet she had more emotional range than I had initially anticipated. I was subsequently thrown for a loop. I rented "My Geisha" in the hopes of seeing more stellar work from her, and in all seriousness I am surprised she was not nominated for the Oscar for this role. She plays two different characters, she is comedic, she cries, she sings, and she is absolutely gorgeous dressed as Geisha Yoko-Mori. As for the comedy in this story, Bob Cummings rules the roost here inducing full-throated chuckling on my part through the use of witty dialogue and his understated, under-rated physical comedy. This film has plenty in it to recommend it whole-heartedly: comedy, romance, wit, glorious photography, oftentimes inspired direction from Jack Cardiff, and four great lead performances mixed with some solid work from the supporting cast. Now if they'd only release this little gem on DVD my collection would reach one step closer to perfection. Take it easy...and don't jump into any volcanoes! Thank you.

East meets West in a sweet comedy
Shirley MacLaine stars as a movie star and Yves Montand plays her director-husband. He wants to film Madame Butterfly in Japan with an all-Japanese cast. She plots (with producer Edward G. Robinson) to disguise herself as a Japanese actress and do the film without telling her husband, to prove she can do a serious role, even though Montand wants to prove he can make an important. She dresses as a geisha, gets the part, and they start shooting, but her co-star, Robert Cummings, starts to fall in love her.

MacLaine is overly-cute and almost annoying, until she redeems herself in the final scene. Yves Montand is very, very attractive, French accent and all. He is good at playing the sensitive man whose pride is crushed by his tricky wife. Robert Cummings is the comedy relief and keeps things lively as the leading man who chases all his leading ladies. Robinson is properly gruff and cranky, as one supposes rich and powerful produces might be. This is a really enjoyable family film.

Beautiful!
I thought "My Geisha" was an extremely enjoyable film. It really captures the struggle of a foreign woman trying to learn the meaning of becoming a Japanese geisha. I must note that this movie, filmed in the 1960's, was able to show geisha in their prime, which is very pleasant to see in an age where the art of geisha has become to wither. For any geisha fan, this movie is worth watching.