In "The Quiet Duel," Dr. Kyoji Fujisaki(Toshiro Mifune) works at his father's(Takashi Shimura) clinic after World War II. He has been engaged to Misao(Miki Sanjo) for six years but has still not set a date due to a very good reason. During the war, Kyoji was working at a field hospital when he contracted syphilis
from a patient(Kenjiro Uemura) during surgery and has kept it a secret from everbody until now. However, that changes when Minegishi(Noriko Sengoku), a probationary nurse that he took in after he prevented her suicide attempt, walks in on him as he is injecting himself. "The Quiet Duel" is a strong if melodramatic movie about a country pulling itself together from the ruins of war. Like most of his contemporaries, Akira Kurosawa's sympathies are clearly with the downtrodden and does not judge them for their actions. In turn, he asks that we all care for each other, much the way Kyoji has selflessly done.
April 3, 2009
