Knife in the Water (The Criterion Collection)

Knife in the Water (The Criterion Collection)
by Roman Polanski

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Movie Reviews of Knife in the Water (The Criterion Collection)

Movie Review: Polanski's Razor-Sharp Debut
Summary: 5 Stars

A graduate of the state-run (and communist backed) Polish Film School, Polanski made the controversial effort with his first film to not only avoid any state propoganda, but to actually call into question the very topics that nearly every Polish film to date had been required to avoid; namely the interaction between the upper and lower class, or more accurately the "haves" versus the "have nots."

The film revolves around a wealthy man, Andrzej, his attractive wife Krystyna, and a young, unnamed hitchiker that Andrzej decides to bring along on the couple's evening out on a boat, more to toy with him than anything else.

The first thing that will probably strike most people about the film is the absolute harmony within each frame, especially once the trio pushes out on the lake. Polanski favors very long, complicated still shots in which the characters may move in and out of frame several times, but the angles are always in such a place as to accent, and occasionally even generate, the tension that permeates the entire movie. In addition, the weather in the film is nearly a character in and of itself, and overall the feeling of being on a boat and out in the elements is portrayed so incredibly that you're practically feeling the water splashing on your face. Quite remarkable for a mono, black and white movie shot in the early 60's on a handheld.

Of course, the scenery can add to a film, but what really makes it is the characters and their interplay, and rarely is this more important, or executed so well, as in Knife in the Water. While the title of the film seems to evoke something like Cape Fear, there's neither murder nor any real violence to speak of in the film. The knife of the title refers to the knife the young man carries on him, which he explains as being useful in the woods, but "useless on the water." It also acts as a rather obvious phallic symbol, changing hands as one man bests the other in seemingly trivial contests of significance, each trying to outdo the other as the wife essentially throws gasoline on a barely subdued fire.

I won't ruin the story or the events within it, but suffice to say that there are very marked levels of subtlety that come across, and the film plays wonderfully with the idea of the "unspoken but obvious". The dialouge is terse and typically very brief; it's what is unsaid that stings the most.

As far as the disc set itself, Criterion once again shows everyone why they're the first and last name in home film collection. The movie itself looks absolutely beautiful, with just the right amount of fine film grain, but nothing else. Distortion is nonexistant, and the picture is exactly as sharp as it should be. The sound is only in mono, but everything comes across perfectly clear, a critical point in a film such as this.

In addition, we get a very funny and informative interview with Polanski and the film's co-screenwriter Jerzy Skolimowski, which is very much worth the time to watch.

Disc 2 is a real treat for film fans, as it contains eight of Polanski's short films made while he was in film school. These rare gems illustrate how Polanski's style was developed, and even display some stylistic tendencies that he dropped before moving on to feature films. These will be more interesting to those studying film than anyone else, but the fact that they are included at all is a very nice addition indeed, and Criterion certaintly deserves a good number of brownie points for it.

In the end, this is a fascinating film delivered in a fantastic package that every film buff should have a copy of. Fantastic stuff all around.

Summary of Knife in the Water (The Criterion Collection)