Kurosawa Week 2 (Drunken Angel, Research, and Stray Dog)

This week, we watched Drunken Angel (1948) and Stray Dog (1949) and also spent a couple of days doing research on Kurosawa's life and sharing it with each other. Here are all of the assignments that were due this week:

Essay (20 Points)

You need to write a 500 word essay that answers one of the following questions:

• How did what you learned about Kurosawa's life impact how you view his movies? In your essay, rite about how facts you've learned about Kurosawa as a person helped you better appreciate specific story elements or other aspects of the films. You can just talk about one of the films we've seen or more than one but, either way, be very specific about how the facts on Kurosawa helped you appreciate specific parts of the films. Do not be general. Be specific.
• What common themes have you seen in Kurosawa's movies so far? Write about one or more theme that you feel has come up in all or most of the films we've watched and how each film addresses the theme(s). You might also make reference to what you learned about Kurosawa's life and how that helps you understand why he would deal with that theme.
• How has what we've seen in Drunken Angel or Stray Dog or what you learned about Kurosawa's life influenced you personally? Write an essay about the themes or other elements of the films (or of Kurosawa's life) that were important to you and why they matter to you so deeply. You will probably want to include a little bit of personal life story/experience if you do this one.
• Pick another essay topic you would like to write about that relates to the films Drunken Angel and/or Stray Dog. It could also relate to what we learned about Kurosawa's life. Have Will or Josh approve the essay topic and then write the essay.

Turn your essay in via email. Who you turn the essay in to depends on the first letter of your last name:

• A-H: email your essay to Josh: jwagner@ehhs.us.
• I-Z: email your essay to Will: wmcallister@ehhs.us.

Short Movie Responses (5 Points Each)

Remember that you need to write a short answer to the question related to each movie. Here are the questions for this week:

Kurosawa hanging with Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas.

• Drunken Angel: What is this film's perspective on life? Do you agree or disagree with that perspective? Why?
• Stray Dog: Which scene(s) of this film were most impactful for you? Why?

Research (5 points)

Pick a question that you would like to answer in relation to Kurosawa's life. Use the internet to do some research for about an hour in order to thoroughly answer the question. Present what you learned to the class (talk to Will or Josh about setting up a time when you can present this information).