Memoirs of a geisha

The tale of a geisha who dreamed to live her life freely.
The young chiho was taken away as a child with her sister from her family ( or rather sold by her father who could no longer feed them ) to work at an okiya ( geisha house ) for a living.
Raised by a woman known by all as Okâ-san ( mother), she does the house cleaning with her friend Pumpkin and obeys to the orders of their geisha : Hatsumomo.
In the course of months, she will try to escape this okiya to go back to her village until she will understand that she can no longer run back to the past but have the face the future.

In the process of her growing up, she will learn the geisha skills and afterwards gain notoriety for her peculiar beauty ( especially her blue eyes that reminds her tutor of water and it's power ).
Her talent will be noticed and she will be exposed to okinawa as the next geisha that will dazzle everyone with her beauty and skills.

All of this seem quite enjoyable, yet to achieve such status, sacrifices will be made, challenges will be set, she will have to face lust, jealousy, desire and defend her only wish for freedom in this road she had taken to reach for that hand she had longed for. Yet, can a geisha ever gain the gift of love?

I'm already fond of japanese culture, and was bemused by the mystery surrounding the geishas, I would compare them to living puppets and watch them dance in silence.

Sadly, the word "geisha" has inspired quite a debate regarding their profession, some comparing them to prostitutes. It is indeed true that some have used the geisha status selling their bodies for sexual favours.

However, the true meaning remains that a geisha is a performing artist, a hostess that usually entertains business men with chats and dances.

The soundtrack is a true pleasure to listen to, one of my favourites is Sayuri's theme, and the one used when she performed on stage for the first time.

The storytelling is sometimes poetic, we can feel the geisha's journey; the story of a strong woman who fought to live and who whispers us to never give up.

" A geisha does not sell her body but her talent"

Nowadays, most geishas reside in Kyoto and leave the Okiya once they decide to get married to focus on their family.

I find this art fascinating. During the performance, we remaing silent to enjoy the geisha in action. I had the joy to

watch a dance troup called kikunokai at the theatre. It was years ago but I kept the book in memory of that evening. The chants were beautiful, the stories were amusing and the shamisen had reminded me of the samurais. After the show I had met the artists to congratulate them and it made me want to have a moment to perform a geisha dance, just to know how it feels to perform such different art.

For those who watched the movie, what did you think of it? Have you ever seen a live performance,

please let me know in the comments :)

The Perfume

This is a movie that I highly appreciated for its originality. It based on the novel " the perfume" by Patrick Süskind.
The story of Jean Baptiste Grenouille ( Ben Whishaw ) who switched his gift and passion for scent into an obsession that drove him to crime. Born on the streets of Paris and abandoned by his mother at birth, he grew up in an orphanage and rapidly understood that he was gifted and that it is his only satisfaction. One day, as he was strolling in the streets, he smelled a peculiar scent, that excited him..the scent of a young woman, still in full bloom. He follows her in order to inhale her scent but ends up accidently killing her. The instant she dies, the scent fades aways, and he grows frustrated. Frustrated of having lost it, not having conserved it, he vows to look for it, to find a way to sustain this scent that plunges him into another world. When Jean Baptiste becomes a perfume seller's novice, he becomes engrossed by the idea that he will reach his goal, no matter the sacrifices.

This movie kept me focused until the end. I had no idea of what was to occur, several events kept changing the way the story was going to end. Now, I am curious to read, maybe some details have been put aside.
If you've watched the movie, I'd love to hear your reviews.