Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Steineded How sad is this?

SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

moonspinner55 Beleaguered, contrived story has Shirley MacLaine playing an over-eager actress determined to star in her director-husband's new picture, the musical "Madame Butterfly". But hubby Yves Montand is indifferent, so Shirl travels to the Orient to audition for him disguised as a geisha girl... it's like an episode of "I Love Lucy" where Ricky doesn't recognize his own wife incognito. MacLaine proves to be so convincing in fact that she gets mixed up in romantic misunderstandings and harried make-up switcheroos (the low-point comes when slimy co-star Robert Cummings puts the moves on the sexy geisha--nearly raping her in the process). Terrible movie has a talented star and top-drawer production values, yet it wastes both on ridiculous material. * from ****

bkoganbing My Geisha is a film that I'm not sure why it is overlooked. Essentially Shirley MacLaine plays two roles in this film. One she's Lucy Dell, a Hollywood Actress not unlike Shirley MacLaine. But with a lot of heavy makeup she's also playing a geisha girl who husband/director Yves Montand picks to star in a film version of Madame Butterfly.Shirley at that time was married to Steve Parker who lived and worked in Japan and they had one of the weirdest marriages on record. They stayed together almost thirty years, basically because they only saw each other once or twice a year with her living in Hollywood. But this film with Steve Parker producing it for his wife brought them together for a much longer sojourn.Montand directs his wife's films and she's known as a good comic actress in the profession. He and her perennial leading man Bob Cummings want to do a serious drama, Madame Butterfly, film the Puccini opera with dubbed in singers.MacLaine and producer Edward G. Robinson go to Japan, Shirley in secret and for a lark she puts on geisha makeup and outfit. Montand and Cummings are so taken with her that Montand hires the geisha that Shirley is pretending to be as the lead in Madame Butterfly. The masquerade is kept going, but the joke runs into some unforeseen complications for all concerned.My Geisha glides effortlessly from comedy to drama when the careers and egos of both MacLaine and Montand are on the line. It works out in a highly unusual way. Both Montand and MacLaine do very well by their lead parts with Bob Cummings portraying a wolfish leading man and Edward G. Robinson to dispense wise counsel for all.It's a very good part for Shirley MacLaine. She summons some hidden depths for the film in portraying the tragic geisha of Madame Butterfly. It's one of her best films.

dlgart What on the surface appears to be an improbable plot line becomes increasingly plausible due to the combination of great make up work, spectacular costuming, (Edith Head) and a truly amazing performance by Shirley Maclaine. Crisp, sharp focus, color cinematography, interesting locations and set design, combine with a genuine fondness for Japanese culture resulting in an admirable early 60's comedy/drama.

the_old_roman Shirley MacLaine wastes her many talent in this throwaway movie. She has no chemistry at all with flat-as-a-pancake husband Yves Montand. The plot is ridiculous. Shirley plays a Lucille-Ball-type comedienne who wants her director-husband to take her seriously as an actress. So naturally, when he decides to go to Tokyo to film an authentic version of Madame Butterfly starring a real Geisha girl, she flies there and poses as one, and gets the job. Robert Cummings is too old to play Montand's "guy-type-guy" friend, but does what he can with a thankless role. Edward G. Robinson sleepwalks through his role which is okay because it's meaningless anyway. Unless you want a flavor for how Hollywood depicted Japan in 1962, this is one to avoid.