Knife in the Water

Roman Polanski, Poland, 1962, 94 minutes

A fantastic first feature from Roman Polanski, Knife in the Water is a very cinematic black comedy. A married couple (Jolanta Umecka and Leon Niemczyk) are spending a holiday weekend on a yacht and invite a handsome young hitchhiker (Zygmunt Malanowica) to come with them on their excursion. This leads to a lot of macho rivalry and marital tension as both men flex their muscles and intellect at the unimpressed young wife. There is also a considerable amount of danger - the hitchhiker is the silent enigmatic type (with a knife).

Paranoia, intrusion, isolation and salacious men are targets for Polanski's sharp, dark wit and Knife in the Water has no shortage (it also has an amusing inflatable crocodile). A disorientating, bizarre atmosphere is created with the help of an energetic jazz score by Polanski's friend Krzysztof Komeda and some starkly slick cinematography.

Knife in the Water is lighter than the deeply disturbing Repulsion and more accessible than the deeply weird Cul-de-Sac; it is probably the most enjoyable of Polanski's brilliant early films and shouldn't be missed.

Review by Danny Carr
Taken from EUFS Programme 1992-93