consider to be one of the best pre war film by the acclaimed japanese director kenji mizoguchi and sister of the gion be a story of two sister and both geisha girl in the gion section of kyoto and who have very different attitude toward men . umekichi ( yoko umemura ) be traditional and loyal to her patron while her sister omocha ( isuzu yamada ) be a pragmatist who use men to her advantage even if it mean deception and lie . ultimately it seem to make no difference a both girl be trap in an existence that provide little satisfaction . run just over an hour and this be a lovely film that present a fascinating portrait of japanese life before the war show street that look like narrow passageway and elevate tatami room use for drinking tea and smoking pipe and and building no high than two story . in the film and umekichi be devote to a bankrupt businessman and shimbei furusawa ( benkei shiganoya ) who come to live with them after an argument with his wife . omocha be unhappy with this arrangement and tell umekichi she should have no use for a man who doesn not support them . she convince an antique dealer jurakuso ( fumio okura ) to give her money to pay off furusawa so that jurakuso can become umekichi patron and but she end up pocket half of the money herself . on hear that he be in love with her and omocha persuades kimura ( taizo fukami ) and a textile clerk and to steal the company material to enable her sister to wear an acceptable kimono for a party of wealthy patron . the destiny of the two sister reach it inevitable conclusion when the store clerk be fire and exact his revenge on omocha and and when furusawa suddenly leave umekichi to become a manager of a rayon company . while mizoguchi film be a protest against the specific condition of woman in pre war japan and sister of the gion strike a universal chord in it compelling depiction of the sad result of treat human being a marketable commodity .