Knife in the Water (1962)
"Nóz w wodzie" (original title)

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

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Jakub Goldberg, Roman Polanski,

Stars:

Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, Zygmunt Malanowicz

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Leon Niemczyk	...	Andrzej
Jolanta Umecka	...	Krystyna
Zygmunt Malanowicz	...	Young Boy

Storyline

An attractive young woman, Christine, takes the wheel of a car belonging to her partner Andrzej, a sports columnist. While he criticizes her driving skills, a reckless student leaps out in front of the car. Andrzej gives the student a ride and invites him to accompany them on their yacht trip. Attracted to Christine, the student becomes increasingly clumsy. He spends his time jabbing the point of a pocket knife rapidly between the fingers of his other hand. Andrzek argues with the student, who topples overboard, vanishing into the lake. Andrzej dives in to save him, though he fails to find the student and swims ashore. Despite an earlier claim that he couldn't swim, the student manages to hide behind the nearest buoy.

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Plot Keywords:

sail | sailing | hitchhiker | knife | sailboat | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Poland

Language:

Polish

Release Date:

28 October 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

Knife in the Water

Filming Locations:

Gizycko, Warminsko-Mazurskie, Poland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zespol Filmowy "Kamera"

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cover of Time Magazine's Sept. 20, 1963 edition used a still from this film. The cover story was about international cinema. The cover photo's caption simply said "LOVERS IN POLISH FILM" without identifying the movie or the actors in the photo.

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Goofs

When the young boy is trying to stabilize the Christine by hanging off its side, you can see the railing of the camera boat in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.

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Connections

Referenced in Jeszcze nie wieczór (2008)

User Reviews

Brilliant in every way!

Roman Polanski created a landmark film with Knife in the Water. It perhaps even trumps his most famous film, Chinatown. A man and his wife (or is it his mistress?) pick up a hitchhiker. For reasons that are obscure for most of the film, the man asks the hitchhiker if he would like to come along on their sailing trip. They plan to sail until the next dawn. It feels like it'll be a run-of-the-mill thriller, but it's much smarter than that. Really, it's a tale about male posturing, and it may be the best film on that subject. The three actors are excellent. Polanski's direction is flawless. The jazz score is wonderful, as well. One of the best ever made. 10/10.