The Written Face

This Japanese-Swiss documentary is a lyrical meditation on the similarities between geishas and the male Kabuki dancers who play females in their traditional plays. Interspersed amongst the interviews of key figures from both fields are long clips of Kabuki performances, and others playing traditional music and performing the old dances. Among those interviewed are Tamasaburo Bando, one of Japan's most esteemed Kabuki performers who has been impersonating women on stage since he was five, and Aasji Tsutakiyokomatsu, the 101-year-old reigning matriarch of the geishas.~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide