The Quiet Duel (1949)

A surgeon gets syphilis from a patient when he cuts himself during an operation. The doctor's life is destroyed, but unlike the patient, he doesn't destroy others along with him.

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Kazuo Kikuta (play), Akira Kurosawa

Stars:

Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Miki Sanjô

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Toshirô Mifune	...	Dr. Kyoji Fujisaki
Takashi Shimura	...	Dr. Konosuke Fujisaki
Miki Sanjô	...	Misao Matsumoto
Kenjirô Uemura	...	Susumu Nakada
Chieko Nakakita	...	Takiko Nakada
Noriko Sengoku	...	Apprentice Nurse Rui Minegishi
Jyonosuke Miyazaki	...	Cpl. Horiguchi
Isamu Yamaguchi	...	Patrolman Nosaka
Shigeru Matsumoto	...	Boy with appendicitis
Hiroko Machida	...	Nurse Imai
Kan Takami	...	Laborer
Kisao Tobita	...	Boy with typhoid
Shigeyuki Miyajima	...	Officer
Tadashi Date	...	Father of boy with appendicitis
Etsuko Sudo	...	Mother of boy with appendicitis

Storyline

In 1944, in WWII, Dr. Kyoji Fujisaki cuts his finger with the scalpel during a surgery in a field hospital and is infected by spirochete from his patient Susumu Nakada. After the blood test, he realizes that he has contracted syphilis, but he does not have the necessary medicine to treat the disease. He advises Nakada to seek medical treatment for his disease. In 1946, after the war, he breaks off his six years engagement with his beloved fiancée Misao Matsumoto but he does not tell the truth but lets her go and find another man to get married. The hopeless apprentice, nurse Rui Minegishi, witnesses Kioji injecting Salvarsan to treat his syphilis, and first she misunderstands why the doctor is sick. Later, after discovering the truth about his disease, she changes her behavior and becomes the confident listener of the doctor's inner feelings. When Kyoji accidentally meets Nakada in the police station of his town and finds that his wife is pregnant, he warns the reckless man about the ...

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | syphilis | nurse | field hospital | surgeon | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was not released in the U.S. until 1979.

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Quotes

Dr. Kyoji Fujisaki: I thought I could forget everything when she married. But I can't!
[He walks over to the window]
Dr. Kyoji Fujisaki: I'm fighting desperately now to curb my desires. I feel sorry for myself. Young and fastidious before the war, I suppressed it. It was the same during the war. The thought of Misao and a peaceful home sustained me!
[His voice chokes, and he sits down on the couch]
Dr. Kyoji Fujisaki: But one day, without having fooled around myself, my blood was contaminated by a man's diseased blood!
[He angrily kicks over the chair]
Dr. Kyoji Fujisaki: If ...
[...]

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Soundtracks

Bengawan Solo
Written by Gesang
(uncredited)
The melody's heard in the police station when Fujisaki talked to Nakata

User Reviews

An impressive film if not one of Kurosawa's best

I find Akira Kurasawa to be not just the Master of Japanese cinema but also one of the all-time great directors. The Silent Duel is not one of the finest examples of why I think that, I do think it could've been longer and I did feel that the narrative while having a great idea and having some very moving moments especially in the final act has some clumsy patches. However, it is delicately directed and is made absolutely beautifully with well-compositioned cinematography and striking scenery. The score has a haunting sense of coolness, while the acting is excellent. Toshiro Mifune would give more remarkable performances in other Kurosawa films with characters more multi-layered than here, however he does play noble very well. Takashi Shimura would later give one of the most heartbreaking performances in all of film in Ikiru, but gives a likewise commanding performance. Norika Serigoku is also wonderful, her character is annoying at first but you do warm to her later on, and Serigoku where self-absorbed or touching does convey those characteristics very well. In a nutshell, Kurosawa has done better in my view, but I found much still to be impressed about. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

30 November 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Quiet Duel

Filming Locations:

Daiei Studios, Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daiei Motion Picture Company, Daiei Studios, Film Art Association

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1