The Silent Duel (1949)

  'The Silent Duel' (Shizukanaru ketto) is a 1949 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune and Takeshi Shimura.

  Dr Kyoji Fujisaki (Mifune) is a surgeon, operating on soldiers in World War II. He contracts Syphilis from a patient while performing surgery by cutting himself with a knife soaked in the patients blood. There is treatment for the disease, but its close to incurable. Once home and working at his father's clinic, he tries to keep the disease a secret and refuses to tell his long-term girlfriend this. Troubles soon arise as he meets the infected patient he saved during the war.

  Akira Kurosawa is definitely the greatest director that has ever lived, directing 30 films throughout his long career. There is an incredible 26 amazing film streak, between 'No Regrets for our Youth' and 'Madadayo', not a single bad film was made in that period. All of those films have above a 7.0 on IMDB (to put that in perspective, Amanda Seyfried only has one film in her filmography with an above 7.0 score), and the 21 films I have seen of them range from good, to phenomenal. His smaller films are bound to be lesser seen, but some of them hold up to the big guns (I think 'Madadayo' is one of his best works). I have all four BFI boxsets, plus the DVD releases of 'The Idiot' and 'Ran', just in case you needed proof of how highly I think of him.

  'The Silent Duel' is near the start of his career, after 'Drunken Angel' and before 'Stray Dog'. It stars his two favourite actors, Toshiro Mifune, who has starred in 16 Kurosawa films, and Takeshi Shimura, who has starred in 21 of Kurosawa's films. The film is worth it for their brilliant acting, especially as the scene where they the son confronts the father is the best scene in the film. Their on-screen presence alone makes the film worth a watch.

  Kurosawa's directing is (of course) great, with some thrilling tension-building surgery scenes that are edited and framed perfectly. It's surprising to see he has developed some of his best techniques so early on in his career.

  The story of the film feels like a condensed 'Red Beard'. The majority of the action is set in a hospital that's not as exciting or beautiful as 'Red Beard', and the story lacks the epic scope Kurosawa is known for. The film plays out as a gripping, and overly melodramatic soap opera, which I got tired with way before the end.

  Although the film is far from his best works, it is still a decent and affectionate film.

TO CONCLUDE
Acted and directed by Japan's finest, but disappointingly ordinary.

SCORE
72