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Michael Kerpan wrote:I enjoyed Drunken Angel -- but actually liked the much less-heralded Quiet Duel considerably more.

Two very different films, and it's hard to decide for me which I like better. "Drunken angel" obviously is the more stylish and 'cool' film and would thus appeal to a larger audience (perhaps one of the reasons why CC released it on its own), whereas "The Quiet Duel" has a more introspective and heart-felt quality to it. It is also one of the few Kurosawa films with a considerably important female part (or two of them). Too bad that "Duel" was released by a different company. It's a very good disc with great extras, but it took me two years to buy it simply because it never got the exposure it would have gotten if it had been on CC or MoC, and I had even forgotten about it for quite a while. Anyway, "Duel" is a wonderful little masterpiece, and must get more recommendation here!

The Quiet Duel is one of my last items on the AK "to-do" (or "to-see") list. Especially since it's now on an R1 (BCI Eclipse? sounds like a cross between the BFI, VCI, and Eclipse).

No reason at all to avoid the R1 release of Quiet Duel -- it looks at least as good as most of the films in the Eclipse Kurosawa set.

I do like the fact that this features actresses much more prominently than would later be Kurosawa's norm.

Its probably in my Top 5 Kurosawas, which is quite a compliment.
And thats even with the relatively poor quality BFI print.

Mifune is almost unrecognisable from the 'force of nature' that he was to become in 'Yojimbo'

Strangely, Drunken Angel is a film that effected me even more a few days after I watched it. I am not saying this in a contemplative manner like I would something from Tarkovsky or Bergman. It is more comment on the craft of this film and how it was put together. I wish the longer cut would turn up in someone's closet.