Knife in the Water - Criterion Collection
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Anna Ciepielewska, Jolanta Umecka, Leon Niemczyk, Zygmunt MalanowiczBrand: Image Entertainment
Primary Contributor: Zygmunt Malanowicz
Primary Contributor: Leon Niemczyk
Primary Contributor: Jolanta Umecka
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Polish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 94 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-09-16
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
Movie Reviews of Knife in the Water - Criterion Collection
Movie Review: Sometimes the darkest creatures known to man are men themselves...
Summary: 4 Stars
I think most people know who Roman Polanski is. I mean, he's made such classics as `Chinatown' and the recent Oscar darling `The Pianist'. Sadly, even if you know who he is, most likely you've never seen his debut film `Noz w Wodzie'. This small yet startlingly powerful character study pits man against man in what may be one of the better directorial debut's in cinema.
The films premise sounds rather simple. You have a couple who are getting ready for a day of sailing when a young hitchhiker jumps out in front of their car. They reluctantly give him a lift, and then for no apparent reason they invite him to sail with them for the day. The couple is already at odds with one another. The husband is quite older than his bride, and maybe that plays into their confliction, but this new face (a young man around the same age as the wife) presents a further struggle for the couple.
This is where the film transcends its `simple' plot.
The husband and the hitchhiker find themselves at odds as they struggle to outdo the other. In everything they feel as though their male ego is being bruised by the presence of the other. The husband, no doubt trying to prove his superiority, invited the hitchhiker to join them thinking he was an easy target. This young man is more than up for the challenge though, and that proves to be almost too much for the husband to take. The wife seems almost confused by the actions of the men around her, but as the day trickles away she begins to disgust both of them. As the two men continue to look for ways to humiliate the other they bring themselves to a dark place, where one contemplates murder and the other contemplates adultery.
The film works almost perfectly. Polanski knows how to build tension very well, and he delivers a fluid and tightly woven film with some nicely crafted performances as well. I will say that the film can, at times, feel long. The score, which I appreciated at first, kind of gave some of the scenes a soap opera vibe and I think that took away from the serious nature of the film. The acting is good, but never truly great. The two leading men (Leon Niemczyk and Zygmunt Malanowicz) are very good in scenes, but Jolanta Umecka is merely `there', never really taking hold of the potential within her character.
The films final moments are brilliantly realized, and the final act of dominance that comes is superbly understated (I love how this film plays everything so small so as to create a beautiful illusion that nothing that extraordinary is happening). This is a must see film that is elevated by Polanski's marvelous direction (hard to believe this is his debut) that exemplifies intensity with every sharp turn of the camera.
Summary of Knife in the Water - Criterion Collection
Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 09/30/2003 Run time: 94 minutesThis simple but taut psychological thriller was the first full-length film from the great director Roman Polanski. A bickering couple pick up a hitchhiker, a good-looking young man whom they invite to go for a sail. But on the water the two men, separated by age, class, and experience, subtly and not-so-subtly jockey for status and fight for the attentions of the woman--a struggle that threatens to turn fatal. In Polanski's hands, this lean, spare movie, without any special effects or spectacular scenery, manages to lay bare the driving forces of machismo, envy, and marital spite. It's the beginning of a truly remarkable career that's ranged from the heights of Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown to the more dubious realms of Bitter Moon and The Ninth Gate. Knife in the Water is particularly significant to Polanski fans, but also a striking movie in its own right. --Bret Fetzer
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