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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What types of laws was Kurosawa critiquing with his film Scandal?

2. What is the PCL?

3. How old was Kurosawa when he got married?

4. What was the first position Akira took under Yamamoto Kajiro?

5. What is The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail based on?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Kurosawa think Sugata Sanshiro, Part II, was a failure?

2. How did Akira accept japan's defeat in the war?

3. How did One Wonderful Sunday reunite Akira and Mr. Tachikawa?

4. What demands did Kurosawa make of his actresses in The Most Beautiful?

5. How did Akira find his brother in An Alleyway in the Floating World?

6. What was Kurosawa trying to evoke, visually, with Rashomon?

7. How did Kurosawa's father's death affect his use of music in films?

8. Describe the incident with the censor and the gate?

9. What was the break from the Toho, and how did it affect Kurosawa?

10. How is Akira Kurosawa angered by the state of Japan's film industry?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Akira Kurosawa's SOMETHING LIKE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY deals with the author's transition from insecure child to confident - even egotistical - adult. Write an essay about three defining and transforming moments in this transition:

Part 1) Akira is a crybaby and a weakling when he enters Mr. Tachikawa's class. What talents and opportunities does Mr. Tachikawa's instruction open up to him? How does Mr. Tachikawa empower both Akira and Uekusa? How does the teacher remain a fixture in the author's life for decades following?

Part 2) What are Akira's faults and weaknesses when Mr. Iwamatsu becomes his teacher? How does Mr. Iwamatsu foster his desire to learn in the midst of a rebellious phase? How does the author's skills improve over the course of his time with this teacher?

Part 3) How does Kajiro Yamamoto prove pivotal to the author's development as an artist? What role does Akira play on Kajiro Yamamoto's sets? Discuss the film skills that Akira develops under this director and how Yamamoto continues to play a role in his life.

Essay Topic 2

Akira Kurosawa ends his autobiography with the success of Rashomon, leaving out the following 35 years. Write an essay discussing Kurosawa's choice to end his book at this point. How does this decision create a tight narrative? What story is the author telling, if he is not telling his complete life story? To what extent is this book only the first chapter of Kurosawa's life, the period leading to his break into international stardom?

Essay Topic 3

Akira Kurosawa spends a large portion of SOMETHING LIKE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY discussing his difficulties in class. Write an essay about these shortcomings and how he does or does not overcome them. What role did both his kendo instructor and Mr. Iwamatsu have in improving his performance in certain arenas? How did Kurosawa fair when military training was introduced into the curriculum? Was he able to overcome his incompetence in this realm?

(see the answer keys)

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