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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. In An Alleyway in the Floating World, how long did Akira's brother let him stay in his tenement room?

2. What happened to most of the actresses in The Most Beautiful after the shoot?

3. What was Fushimizu Shu's film specialty?

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

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Who were Akira's major influences in becoming the man he became?

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

3. How did Rashomon catapult Kurosawa to a new level of international recognition?

4. What was Akira's editing experience under Yanamoto?

5. Why was the final fight of Sugata Sanshiro a challenge for Kurosawa?

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

7. How did Akira become disillusioned with the Proletariat Artists League?

8. What character flaw does Akira Kurosawa admit to at the end of Something Like an Autobiography?

9. How did Kurosawa end up directing Sugata Sanshiro?

10. How did Akira's brother die?

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

When Akira Kurosawa began to establish himself in the film industry, the War was still going on and a group of Japanese censors were reviewing his films. Write an essay about his conflicts with the censors. What specific issues do the censors have with his early pictures? How does he respond to these issues? Discuss the way Kurosawa describes the censors int he text. How did the conflict between the censors and Kurosawa end with the War?

Essay Topic 3

Taken together, the events of SOMETHING LIKE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY create the arc of one boys maturing into adulthood. Throughout, Kurosawa state his personal opinion of how a child should be raised. Write an essay delineating his philosophy. Which adults form his childhood define good education for him? Which ones represent the bad educators? What is the difference between good and bad adults to him? What does this mean regarding Kurosawa's philosophy of child rearing?

(see the answer keys)

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