The Quiet Duel
| The Quiet Duel | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Akira Kurosawa |
| Produced by |
Sōjirō Motoki Hisao Ichikawa |
| Written by |
Senkichi Taniguchi Akira Kurosawa |
| Based on | a play The Abortion Doctor by Kazuo Kikuta |
| Starring |
Toshiro Mifune Takashi Shimura |
| Music by | Akira Ifukube |
| Cinematography | Soichi Aisaka |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Daiei Film |
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Release date
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March 13, 1949 (Japan) 1983 (USA) |
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Running time
|
95 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
The Quiet Duel (静かなる決闘 Shizukanaru Kettō?) is a 1949 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It was the second of sixteen film collaborations between director Kurosawa and actor Toshiro Mifune.
Toshiro Mifune plays Dr. Kyoji Fujisaki a young idealistic doctor who works at his father's (Takashi Shimura) clinic in a small and seedy district. During the war, he contracts syphilis from the blood of a patient (Kenjiro Uemura) when he cuts himself during an operation.
Contaminated with a disease that was virtually incurable in 1940s Japan, Fujisaki returns home from the war to the clinic presided over by his obstetrician father. Treating himself in secret and tormented by his conscience, he rejects his heartbroken fiancée Misao, (Miki Sanjō) without explanation. He had been engaged to Misao for six years but has still not set a date due to his disease.
Minegishi (Noriko Sengoku), a probationary nurse that he took in after he prevented her suicide attempt, learns of his illness and sacrifice. She dedicates herself to becoming a fully qualified nurse. Misao becomes engaged to another man. She makes one last plea to Fujisaki but he stands firm in rejecting her. The end of the film shows him continuing his work as a surgeon.
The film was mostly shot on a soundstage
The Quiet Duel was released on DVD in the US by BCI Eclipse, as the first title in their "Director's Series". It was never released in UK cinemas but was released on DVD in 2006 under the title of "The Silent Duel".
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