The Quiet Duel: A Strange Cut

There’s a strange cut in The Quiet Duel that I have tried to find a meaning for. It happens at 1:09, when Kyozi is about to kiss Misao, but instead of delivering us the kiss, the film gives us a lightning, an image of the fence now covered in snow, and then brings us back to the scene, with the two characters now standing next to each other.

What’s that lightning and the fence doing there? Elsewhere in the film, the fence is used to mark the passing of time, but this is an exception, since no more than a second must have passed.

Richie suggests that it stands for “not only separation but cold separation” (57), but I don’t really see why, or even how it would be that. The relationship between Kyozi and Misao seems anything but cold to me. And if the separation were cold, it would be that only to Misao, but considering that the camera focuses on Kyozi before the cut, it seems clear that this cut is somehow related to him.

I would be curious to hear your interpretations.

I disagree with “cold separation” from Richie, as you said it doesnt make much sense. There is however forced separation, the lighting(which is rather oddly used and looks more A-bomb like then lighting) is nothing more then Kyozi’s realization, and re-awaking from his blindness of love. He must at all times, fight back his urges, and this lighting is nothing more then to pin point the difficulty of it, and the ease he can fall into those urges.

The fence here too marks the passing of time, while in reality it’s but mere seconds, the awkwardness of the it all, seems like eternity. Their mere position and looks when we cut back, shows this odd and abnormal feeling, that shouldn’t be had between those that love each other.

The fence here too marks the passing of time, while in reality it’s but mere seconds, the awkwardness of the it all, seems like eternity. Their mere position and looks when we cut back, shows this odd and abnormal feeling, that shouldn’t be had between those that love each other.

This sounds like a plausible reason for the cut.