The Quiet Duel : Akira Kurosawa
I
suppose Akira had written the screenplay of The Quiet Duel [1948] keeping two things mind. Seemingly, as for the sequel of Drunken Angel [1948]. On the
basis of narrative structure and character psychology it is a good rendition
and alter narrative of Drunken Angel.
As
Akira commented in his Something Like Autobiography [1982]:
A sad truth in the film
business is that when an actor succeeds in a particular role there is a
tendency to keep casting him in similar roles. This stems, of course, from the
convenience and advantage of those who use him, but for the actor himself there
is no greater misfortune. Repeating the same role over and over, like a
machine-stamped image, is unbearable. An actor who is not constantly given new
roles and new subjects to tackle dries out and withers like a tree you plant in
the garden and then fail to water.
Akira
might have realized the above statement by giving Toshiro one of the most
optimistic and angel-like spirited characters like Dr.
Kyoji Fujisaki in the movie. Any person who doesn’t love movies or not
will be sympathetic and fall in with Dr. Kyoji Fujisaki. Surprisingly the
magnificent pair of Takashi & Toshiro had shared the screen together in the
movie. But this time they are not opposites but complement each other in the
same profession. Like Drunken Angel, there is a similar abandoned woman who is
under the supervision of a saint-like man representing the woman’s position and
struggle in Japanese society in the post-war era.
The Quiet Duel [1949]
(静かなる決闘
[Japanese]
Japanese, Japan
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