As part of the university's exchange program with Okayama University in Japan, Mizuno is here this quarter teaching a class on Japanese film. They teach me courage and hope. Among his favorites are Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind, Shane and just about any musical from the mid 1940s to the early 1960s. A fascination could be found in the wonderful dancing of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly or in the songs of Kathryn Grayson and Jane Powell. Recollections of real life and highlights of the films overlap into a wonderful nostalgia.
Musicals add an even deeper impact to the emotions of a film.
That is the great power of film. Japanese film is also important to Mizuno. His course explores the history of Japanese film, noteworthy Japanese films and how Japanese history, culture and tradition have been depicted. Mizuno plans to show his favorite, A Life of Oharu, in class. Today's Japanese audiences resemble their American counterparts.