The Quiet Duel
An idealistic Japanese surgeon hides his wartime infection and renounces love while struggling to live ethically with the consequences of illness.
Overview
A surgeon's battle with his own demons unfolds in a war-torn landscape.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- austere
- melancholic
- intimate
- classic film night
- reflective viewing
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Dr. Kyoji Fujisaki ends his engagement and conceals his syphilis diagnosis to protect Misao from his illness and social stigma.
Kyoji treats his own infection while warning Susumu Nakada about the danger his untreated disease poses to his pregnant wife and unborn child.
The story shifts from a 1944 field hospital to 1946 civilian life, where wartime infection reshapes Kyoji's romantic and professional existence.
The film centers surgery, blood testing, injections, and quiet conversations in field-hospital and postwar settings.
Films like The Quiet Duel, and why
The Drunken Angel
shared postwar japanese drama, moral self-denial, and intimate ethical conflict
Ikiru
shared akira kurosawa authorship, postwar social conscience, and medicalized human drama
No Regrets for Our Youth
shared japanese wartime moral dilemma, austere realism, and damaged romantic relationships
Movie Details
- Director
- Akira Kurosawa
- Release Date
- 1949-03-19
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (96)
Cast
- Toshirō Mifune
- Miki Sanjō
- Takashi Shimura
- Kenjiro Uemura
- Isamu Yamaguchi
- Noriko Sengoku
- Chieko Nakakita
- Kenichi Miyajima
- Masatoki Sasaki
- Seiji Izumi
Common questions
- What is The Quiet Duel about?
- An idealistic Japanese surgeon hides his wartime infection and renounces love while struggling to live ethically with the consequences of illness.
- What is The Quiet Duel like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Quiet Duel as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Quiet Duel violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Quiet Duel as mild.
- Which films are like The Quiet Duel?
- Films with a similar feel include The Drunken Angel, Ikiru, and No Regrets for Our Youth.
- How long is The Quiet Duel?
- The Quiet Duel runs 95 minutes.
