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

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Roman Polanski
Jakub Goldberg
(more)

Release Date:

28 October 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

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 | Sailing | Hitchhiker | Knife | Sailboat

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Leon Niemczyk	...	Andrzej
Jolanta Umecka	...	Krystyna
Zygmunt Malanowicz	...	Young Boy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anna Ciepielewska	...	Krystyna (voice) (uncredited)
Roman Polanski	...	Young Boy (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Roman Polanski

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jakub Goldberg
Roman Polanski
Jerzy Skolimowski		dialogue
Jerzy Skolimowski		screenplay

Produced by
Stanislaw Zylewicz	....	producer

Original Music by
Krzysztof Komeda		(as Krzysztof T. Komeda)

Cinematography by
Jerzy Lipman

Film Editing by
Halina Prugar-Ketling		(as Halina Prugar)

Production Design by
Boleslaw Kamykowski

Makeup Department
Zdzislaw Papierz	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Josef Krakowski	....	production manager
Jerzy Laskowski	....	assistant production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jakub Goldberg	....	assistant director
Andrzej Kostenko	....	assistant director
Maria Pietrzak	....	assistant director

Art Department
Jerzy Bossak	....	artistic director

Sound Department
Halina Paszkowska	....	sound
Jerzy Szawlowski	....	sound assistant

Camera and Electrical Department
Andrzej Gronau	....	camera operator
Julian Magda	....	assistant camera
Józef Nasiadka	....	assistant camera
Jerzy Szurowski	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Maria Karpowicz	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Bernt Rosengren	....	musician: saxophone

Other crew
Jerzy Stefan Stawinski	....	literary director (as Jerzy Stawinski)

Production Companies

• Zespol Filmowy "Kamera"

Distributors

• Kanawha (1963) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Suomi-Filmi (1963) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1972) (USA) (TV)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (1991) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Criterion Collection, The (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• MRA Entertainment Group (2003) (Australia) (DVD)
• Fox Video (USA) (VHS)
• Odeon Entertainment (2009) (UK) (DVD)
• RKV (Argentina) (video)

Also Known As:

"Nóz w wodzie" - Poland (original title)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Poland

Language:

Polish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

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) | Australia:PG | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Gizycko, Warminsko-Mazurskie, Poland

Company:

Zespol Filmowy "Kamera"

Trivia:

The couple's car, seen in the opening and closing sequences, was initially supposed to be a Mercedes, but this was replaced with a Peugeot during filming to avoid political controversy. (The more expensive car was perceived as an icon of Western luxury and decadence). During the shots, a prominent party member arrived at the plan in the newest model of Mercedes. He was invited by the whole crew with peals of laughter.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: 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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Spóznieni przechodnie (1962)

Roman's Spring

The first Polish film to be nominated for a Foreign Language Oscar, Roman Polanski's "Knife in the Water" is one of the most impressive director's debuts I've seen.

The story is simple. A wealthy couple on its way to spend a weekend on their yacht picks up a young and attractive hitchhiker. The middle-aged husband, a successful and cynical sportswriter invites the young man on board, perhaps to show off his nice yacht, his seamanship, and eventually, his superiority. His young and sexy wife does not say much but as the yacht moves along and tension between two men rises, she seems to enjoy the presence of a passenger and the obvious competition between them for her attention.

Made of the very simple material, the film is a brilliant psychological thriller that shows the young writer-director's extraordinary ability to create menace on the screen throughout the profound study of the characters' deep hidden emotions. Not as widely known as "Chinatown" and "Rosemary's Baby", "Knife in the Water" is the perfect introduction to the work of the director whose craft in creating disturbing studies of anger, humiliation, fear, and sexuality is truly remarkable.