Created by Marian Russell.
SUMMARY: I delve into the history and controversies surrounding the novel and movie, Memoirs of a Geisha. I bring in different articles and viewpoints and I interview Disney Plus actress Juliana Cifuentes to delve more into the intricacies behind casting and race in the film industry. Ultimately, we both come to the conclusion that the choice of a Chinese actor for a traditional Japanese role was a culmination of ignorance, disregard, and plain racism by a white casting director and crew.
Bibliography Golden, Arthur. Memoirs of A Geisha. Alfred A. Knopf, Sept. 1997. N.a. “Author Betrayed Me, Says Geisha.” CNN, 26 April 2001. http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/east/04/26/japan.geisha/. N.a. “Geisha.” New World Encyclopedia. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/geisha N.a. “China Bans Memoirs of a Geisha.” The Guardian, 1 Feb. 2006. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/feb/01/news1 N.a. “It’s Note Just My Imagine-Asian.” Media and Culture Analysis, 2014. https://www.karanovic.org/courses/mca008/archives/1650