Knife in the Water (1962)

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 (scenario), Roman Polanski (scenario)

Stars:

Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, Zygmunt Malanowicz

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

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

Storyline

Well off Andrzej and Krystyna's marriage is at a stage where familiarity breeds contempt, that contempt which is outwardly shown only behind closed doors and only when an incident of some sort sets off one or the other. While driving through the countryside on a Sunday on their way to the lake to embark on an overnight sailing excursion, they almost run over a young male hitchhiker. Despite the antagonism between Andrzej and the hitchhiker, Andrzej offers him a ride as far as the marina. By the time they reach the lake, their antagonism has dissipated enough that Andrzej asks if he would like to join them on their sailing trip. The hitchhiker accepts despite knowing nothing about sailing. As the sailing trip progresses, the antagonism between the two men begins to increase again, fueled on both sides as each strives to be the alpha male. Andrzej needs to show his superiority, while the hitchhiker needs to show that his young age and inexperience, not only with sailing but with life in...

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Plot Keywords:

bare chested male | woman in bikini | female nudity | sailing | hitchhiker | 

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Taglines:

Poland's Official Academy Award Entry

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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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:

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

One of Mick Jagger's favorite movies according to an interview in the German magazine 'Cinema'(9/2014). He first saw it in a film club at university.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

[first lines]
Andrzej: [sees the boy for the first time] Hitching at this hour.

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Connections

Featured in Flicks: Episode #1.18 (1975)

User Reviews

Superb!

This film is a masterpiece for a movie fan that understands sharp dialog and is interested in so called "mind" suspense. Characters in the movie are psychologically fully developed and the direction is superb; if you include Komeda's nervous jazz elements, the result is Perfection with big P. Polanski knows exactly what perfectionism is about - the devil is in the details, and the devil has no place in this great little classic. I recommend this movie to everyone that wants to get involved in film industry. Let it be the reminder why movies exist in the first place. It's the story that matters and it's the impact that dialog provides; if scenes or words stay with you long after you've seen the movie, you know that something BIG has hit you. You know that you actually start THINKING about yourself...