Akira Kurosawa is one of the most fascinating figures of world cinema with a shroud of mystery surrounding his legend. The director of epic much imitated masterpieces like 1954's SEVEN SAMURAI and 1985's RAN (a take on Shakespeare's tragedy KING LEAR) Kurosawa's life was plagued by depression. His films have a quality that is at once meditative and mournful filled with extremes of beauty and violence. SOMETHING LIKE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY is the great artist's memoir of his life and work. Kurosawa proves himself to be as contemplative and beautiful a writer as he is a filmmaker and tackles everything from his childhood dreams of painting to his love of great literature.