Knife in the Water (1963)

My summary line was Krystyna's (Jolanta Umecka) description of the young hitchhiker stated directly to him. She could just as easily have told her husband Andrzej (Leon Niemczyck) the same thing, he being twice the age of the hitchhiker but just as dumb. Reading from the DVD cover of the movie, we're told that this film has 'gut-churning suspense in Polanski's seminal psychological thriller', and in it he revealed his delight in exploring sexual and class boundaries with ruthless precision.Well excuse me for missing all of this, but the main hang-up for me was just how big a jerk Andrzej was. Right from the outset, there was absolutely no reason for him to practically run the guy over with his car, only to wind up giving him a ride and then virtually begging him to board the boat with Andrzej and his wife for an overnight sail. None of what Andrzej subjected the young man to had any motivation behind it that was explained or stated, and it wouldn't have been a big chore to do so to help the viewer understand why Andrzej was acting the way he was. For his part, the actions of the hitchhiker were questionable as well. Why accept the offer for the boat ride when the only interaction between the two men had already had negative consequences? Having read a few of the other reviews presented on this board, it seems the predominant word used to describe the interaction of the two was that of posturing. Well that's all well and good, but in that case, the set up should have done a better job of creating that tension based on Krystyna's presence. Yes it's true she was there on the boat and managed to flaunt her physical attributes in a way to arouse her husband's jealousy, but I never got the impression that 'winning the female' was what the picture was about. The subtext with the knife was always a palpable threat for violence, but that never occurred either except in a marginal sort of way, and it was certainly less than gut-churning.Simply put, it seems that the critical accolades stem from the director's reputation and not on the merits of the picture itself. If there's anything to recommend here it would be the creative cinematography, but it comes with an endurance test of ninety four minutes of waiting for something to happen.

Debut for Director Roman Polanski is an Amateur Film made by a Professional. It is a Sometimes Remarkable and Precision Picture from a Perfectionist. Visually it is more Impressive than the Thinnest of Psychological Gamesmanship. It has one Note, the Male Competition among Males to Impress each other. Forget the Female.In this one She is really nothing more than Background or Eye Candy, but and Intelligent Sweetness it is. She doesn't say much but when She does it Cuts Like a Knife and then Retreats to Watch the Game at Hand.The Film Succeeds in Creating an Outdoor Claustrophobia. Polanski hardly uses any Wide Shots that include the Landscape. it is there as Background but is not a Player. That is left for the Boat and the Trio on Board. The Tension Builds and Builds, but is only Released in Trickles, and even the Ending is a bit of a Let Down. Especially after Returning to Land, the Wrap-Up is rather Vague and not very Satisfying.Recommended for Film-Historians and Cinema Lovers, but Casual Viewers may be Disappointed. It is Immensely Introspective and Sure of Hand, and was Compelling Enough for Polanski to be Recognized, Riding the New Wave.

Knife in the Water is again one of the Polanski films I have set on seeing. It is his debut feature, and all of his talent is present here in this unpredictable, tense, and complex character-driven film.The film enters a sense of ambiguity. It's good not to read too much on it, as the characters themselves are always behind a curtain. We see what they do, and we notice glimpses In their faces that tell their story, yet the reasons for their actions a times aren't always clear. The film itself is completely magnificent. The ambiguity of the characters, along with a well-paced story of events unfolding, creates this intriguing sense of unpredictability and excitement in the story- telling. It takes in the tension of a regular thriller, yet it never is that. Not even as the film continues, and even in the big 'event' that involves the breaking of the triangle, the film continues to surprise up until the ending. Not once did I stop dangling at the edge of my seat.Ultimately, this is a masterpiece. Great direction filled with a brilliant screenplay, it is probably the best debut film I have ever seen, as well as the best foreign-language film ever. I am not overestimating that, just thinking about this film gives me goosebumps. There aren't many films with sort of ambiguities like this, filling up each of the characters and the events of their lives.

Knife in the Water is the debut feature film from Polish director Roman Polanski. It is a very minimalist film, shot in black and white, and spoken in Polish. It isn't much by you have to start somewhere. The film is about a rich writer and his young wife. They are going sailing for the day, but on the way to the docks they pick up a hitchhiking student whom we never learn the name of. They allow the student to accompany them on their day tour of the lake, a decision they will forever regret. Tensions start to slowly boil on the boat as relationships grow more and more heated. Almost the entire film takes place on the boat and these three are the only people in the whole movie. It is the definition of minimalist filmmaking in looks, as well as content.Knife in the Water is, for lack of a better word, dull. Not much happens and I never feel like this film is going anywhere. It is a mere 94 minutes, but the first 70 of those minutes seem to be useless and mundane. There are moments when you think it is going to pick up, but it never really does. It is a slow film that chronicles every little moment of this trip to sea and it eventually grows tiresome to just watch these characters rig up ropes, steer the boat, cook food, eat food, play games, etc. The film does start to pick up in about the last twenty minutes as events start shaking up the story so that it can come to a vague resolution. And yet the film still lacks any kind of "aha!" moment and is devoid of any real wow! factor.The film's central focus is on the relationship between the three characters on the book so most of the action is meant to develop the characters. The development is just as slow as everything else, however. We get to know these characters very well, but in the end we sort of regret it. There isn't much to know about these people and their stories lack any sort of intrigue. When I finally started to figure out these people I was hit with a faint breeze of anticlimactic. Then things begin to pick up, slow down again, become mildly interesting, then the film ends. And then as the screen fades to black I sort of just shrugged my shoulders and walked away.You could argue that there is a lot of subtext here with lots of things open to interpretation. The film is vague in location, time, and character background, so there is a certain amount of this film that you could interpret in all sorts of bizarre and far fetched ways. Personally, I don't see it. I realize where a lot of the deeper prying into the film comes from. People want to see a lot more in this film than what I believe is actually there. What I did feel was a certain amount of tension that was underlying the entire film in a very discreet and possibly non existent way. Again, I feel like I was expecting something more to this film than what was actually there, thus the tension and uneasiness was all fabricated in my mind. This is just a weird movie to wrap your head around, and it doesn't seem to amount to much in the end.Knife in the Water left me expecting a lot more. It just isn't an incredibly fascinating film. It isn't a bad film, but it isn't that great and I definitely wouldn't watch it again. I like Roman Polanski a lot and so I was really interested to see his very first feature film so it was pretty disappointing to see what little his first feature amounted to. If I had seen this in 1962 I probably wouldn't have thought much of Polanski, but of course I know how renowned he is in 2011, so Knife in the Water in no way hurts my opinion of the man's work.