The Secret Life of Geisha

Prior to reading Arthur Golden's much ballyhooed 1997 historical bodice-ripper Memoirs of a Geisha, my knowledge of geisha was pretty much limited to Heaven 17's catchy '80s pop tune "Geisha Boys and Temple Girls," which (note the gender in the title) isn't the most enlightening introduction to the subject. With Steven Spielberg kinda/sorta/maybe committed to bringing Golden's book to the big screen, this A&E special should help to whet viewers' appetites. Although overlong, repetitive (some clips are repeated as many as five times), and weighed down with purple prose ("they live shrouded in secrecy and steeped in mystery"), writer/producer Clive Maltby's The Secret Life of Geisha, narrated by Susan Sarandon, will be of much interest to fans of Golden's book. Not only is the author (recently under fire in the gossip columns from a disgruntled "source") prominently featured throughout the program, the structure itself will be familiar to readers of the book, as it follows the parallel stories of two Kyoto geishas: Yuiko, geisha-in-training, and Mameka, her "older sister" (i.e., the experienced geisha who serves as her mentor). Viewers will learn about the history of these artisan/courtesans, the differences between geisha and prostitutes, and the importance of dress, hairstyle and make-up. Today, geisha are a vanishing cultural icon, with younger Japanese men more attracted to clubs than the comparatively quiet and tame geisha bars. Sure to be quite popular, this is recommended, overall. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)