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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where was Akira directing when Yamamoto Kajiro took ill and died?
(a) The United States.
(b) The Soviet Union.
(c) China.
(d) France.

2. In A Coward and A Weakling, what position was Akira given at the League newspaper?
(a) Beat reporter.
(b) Film reviewer.
(c) Op-ed columnist.
(d) Assistant editor.

3. Who did Uekusa and Akira base the antagonist of The Drunken Angel on?
(a) A bully who once attacked Uekusa.
(b) An unlicensed doctor they knew.
(c) A Japanese war criminal.
(d) The teacher they both hated.

4. Why did Fushimizu Shu suddenly stop making movies?
(a) He was blacklisted as a Communist.
(b) He died.
(c) He was elected Mayor of his hometown.
(d) He renounced the art of cinema.

5. What does Kurosawa say was Takizawa's great talent in Good People?
(a) Directing actors.
(b) Setting atmosphere.
(c) Staying under budget.
(d) Using silence.

6. What was Fushimizu Shu's film specialty?
(a) Musicals.
(b) Family dramas.
(c) Horror films.
(d) Romances.

7. Why was the shooting of the final fight in Sugata Sanshiro held up for two days?
(a) It was not written yet.
(b) An actor though it was unsafe.
(c) Kurosawa could not finish his shot list.
(d) There was no wind.

8. Which individual's death does Kurosawa not describe in the book?
(a) His older brother.
(b) His mother.
(c) His father.
(d) His older sister.

9. Which Japanese director is not mentioned in Good People?
(a) Fushimizu Shu.
(b) Yasujiro Ozu.
(c) Naruse Mikio.
(d) Takizawa Eisuke.

10. What term does Kurosawa use to describe the Japanese censors in A Bitter War?
(a) Obsessive.
(b) Lax.
(c) Nonexistent.
(d) Bribable.

11. For what studio did Kurosawa make A Salmon's Old Stories?
(a) Film Art Association.
(b) Toho.
(c) Janus Films.
(d) He privately distributes.

12. What was different about The Most Beautiful's shooting concept?
(a) It was shot without tripods or cranes.
(b) There were documentary portions.
(c) It was shot using only natural light.
(d) There was no dialogue.

13. After the war, what did Akira make a conscious effort to learn about?
(a) European drama.
(b) American democracy.
(c) Confucian philosophy.
(d) Japanese art.

14. What is the PCL?
(a) A massage parlor.
(b) A film school.
(c) A photo lab.
(d) A sales firm.

15. Why was Akira angered the first time he saw Rashomon on television?
(a) It was editted for time.
(b) His name was left off the credits.
(c) It was not as good as he remembered.
(d) Its widescreen was cut down.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Kurosawa admit he suffers from at the very end of SOMETHING LIKE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY?

2. Which Kurosawa film is not discussed in SOMETHING LIKE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY?

3. What did Akira's brother do three days before killing himself?

4. In what time period does Rashomon take place?

5. What does Kurosawa blame for the failure of Sugata Sanshiro, Part II?

(see the answer keys)

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