Dubbed by Akira Kurosawa as “the most Japanese of filmmakers,” Kenji Mizoguchi populated his movies with marginalized women such as geishas, barmaids, and mistreated housewives. But unlike stereotypical heroines who toil for an elusive dignity, Mizoguchi’s women selflessly devote themselves to the objects of their love. Mizoguchi’s heroines seem to transcend the horrors they endure in a manner that reflects Mizoguchi’s devout Buddhism, and these tragic tales are couched in a quiet lyricism that both evokes and celebrates the impermanence of human life in the context of the larger natural order.
Expert conversations highlight emerging research and clinical strategies at UC San Diego that tackle a variety of diseases and using stem cell techniques.