Nóz w wodzie (1962)

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Jakub Goldberg (writer)
Roman Polanski (writer)

Release Date:

28 October 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

On their way to a sailing trip, an aging husband and wife invite along an emphatic young hitchhiker out of sheer patronization.

Plot Keywords:

Sail | Knife | Sailing | Hitchhiker | Radio

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Leon Niemczyk	...	Andrzej
Jolanta Umecka	...	Krystyna
Zygmunt Malanowicz	...	Young Boy

Also Known As:

Knife in the Water (USA)
Nóż w wodzie (Poland)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Poland

Language:

Polish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | UK:X (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (re-rating) (2004) | UK:PG (video rating) (1992)

Filming Locations:

Gizycko, Poland

Company:

Zespol Filmowy "Kamera"

Trivia:

Initially, Polanski wanted to make a criminal story about a couple which takes a young hitchhiker to a boat trip, and at the end the boy dies in mysterious circumstances. In his version the trip was about a week long a involved some other characters. It was Jerzy Skolimowski who proposed to shorten it to one day and limit the number of characters. The final script was created in only three, four days by Polanski, Skolimowski and Jakub Goldberg in Polanski's apartment. While writing the script they were playing the dialogue, changing the roles all the time.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the end of the movie when Andrzej and Krystyna are driving away from the harbor, the boats in the background change between shots.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

The games people play

Polanski's first feature, on paper, sounds like nothing more than a run-of-the-mill claustrophobic thriller set on a boat - a couple takes a loner on board, you figure out the rest. 'Dead Calm', 'The Deep', etc etc etc.

Instead, 'Knife In The Water' is an agonisingly tense look at male posturing & ego, the husband & hitch-hiker constantly challenging each other in every possible way - sailing prowess, games of fiddlesticks, knife throwing & just generally strutting about. There's almost never a single moment where the two aren't trying to trump each other, & one gets the impression that it's not even to impress the girl, so much as themselves. As the film progresses, the tension mounts & tempers fray.

In a Hollywood film, this would build up to a dramatic climax of violence & catharsis, accompanied with thunder & lightning. Polanski doesn't let us off the hook that easily - things get rough, but the games continue, right until the very end of the film.

Shot in black & white, with a cast of three, & virtually one small location, 'Knife In The Water' puts bigger films to shame. No stars, no pyrotechnics, no special effects, probably very little budget, & it's completely riveting from start to finish.

It was nominated for the Best Foreign Film at the Oscars - the first feature of a young Polish film student - & rightly so.

A brilliant start to a brilliant career.