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Knife in the Water - Criterion Collection |  | Director: Roman Polanski
Actors: Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, Zygmunt Malanowicz, André Katelbach, Roman Polanski
Studio: Criterion
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.95
Buy Used: $13.25
as of 9/9/2010 15:07 MDT details
You Save: $26.70 (67%)
Rating:  reviews
Sales Rank: 30952
Format: Black & White, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
Language: English (Subtitled)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Discs: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 94 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.5 x 1.1
MPN: 037429149324
ISBN: 0780023269
UPC: 037429149324
EAN: 9780780023260
Theatrical Release Date: October 28, 1963
Release Date: September 16, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential video
This simple but taut psychological thriller was the first full-length film from the great director Roman Polanski. A bickering couple pick up a hitchhiker, a good-looking young man whom they invite to go for a sail. But on the water the two men, separated by age, class, and experience, subtly and not-so-subtly jockey for status and fight for the attentions of the woman--a struggle that threatens to turn fatal. In Polanski's hands, this lean, spare movie, without any special effects or spectacular scenery, manages to lay bare the driving forces of machismo, envy, and marital spite. It's the beginning of a truly remarkable career that's ranged from the heights of Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown to the more dubious realms of Bitter Moon and The Ninth Gate. Knife in the Water is particularly significant to Polanski fans, but also a striking movie in its own right. --Bret Fetzer
Product Description
A couple ask a casual acquaintance to spend a few days with them on a small boat but the ensuing events make them regret their invitation.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Polanski's Stellar Debut June 12, 2010
Tom (Rochester, NY United States)
Knife in the Water, Roman Polanski's first film (1962), is widely considered to be one of the two greatest directorial debuts in film history next to Citizen Kane.
An alpha male and his young, voluptuous wife pick up a hitchhiker and invite him for a day of sailing. The two roosters spend the following day and night posturing for the attention of the sumptuous female. A challenging premise for a 94 minute film? Most assuredly but Polanski pulls it off nicely. Leon Niemczyk is superb as the cocksure Andrezej. Jolanta Umecka, in her film debut, is tantalizing as the sexually ripe Krystyna. Zygmunt Malanowicz gives a decent performance as the unsure, young drifter. Not satisfied with Malanowicz's voice, Polanski ended up dubbing over it with his own. Polish jazz legend Krzysztof Komeda's score was cool at the time but rankles today. Jerzy Lipman's cinematography is outstanding. This edition has some great bonus features including several early Polanski shorts.
Comments on Polanski's Knife in the Water February 3, 2010
Edmund W. Peaslee Jr. (PLANO,TX, USA)
Polish with Wnglish subtitles. Couple pick up hitch hiker as they go the lake country and take him on thir sail boat. Skillfully done with only three characters.
Two Disc Version: with extras. December 27, 2009
Dr. Feelgood (USA)
The version that I saw was the two disc version with an 1/2 hour introduction to the film from Polanski himself taped in 2000. The film itself was Polanski's first feature film, in B/W and Polish, with english subtitles. Which gained much critical acclaim for the filmmaker, and also, displayed Polanski's talent as a director. Disc two: contains Polanski's film shorts, which also were well made, thus proving, what a naturally talented filmmaker Polanski was and still is.
Sometimes the darkest creatures known to man are men themselves... April 30, 2009
Andrew Ellington (I'm kind of everywhere)
I think most people know who Roman Polanski is. I mean, he's made such classics as `Chinatown' and the recent Oscar darling `The Pianist'. Sadly, even if you know who he is, most likely you've never seen his debut film `Noz w Wodzie'. This small yet startlingly powerful character study pits man against man in what may be one of the better directorial debut's in cinema.
The films premise sounds rather simple. You have a couple who are getting ready for a day of sailing when a young hitchhiker jumps out in front of their car. They reluctantly give him a lift, and then for no apparent reason they invite him to sail with them for the day. The couple is already at odds with one another. The husband is quite older than his bride, and maybe that plays into their confliction, but this new face (a young man around the same age as the wife) presents a further struggle for the couple.
This is where the film transcends its `simple' plot.
The husband and the hitchhiker find themselves at odds as they struggle to outdo the other. In everything they feel as though their male ego is being bruised by the presence of the other. The husband, no doubt trying to prove his superiority, invited the hitchhiker to join them thinking he was an easy target. This young man is more than up for the challenge though, and that proves to be almost too much for the husband to take. The wife seems almost confused by the actions of the men around her, but as the day trickles away she begins to disgust both of them. As the two men continue to look for ways to humiliate the other they bring themselves to a dark place, where one contemplates murder and the other contemplates adultery.
The film works almost perfectly. Polanski knows how to build tension very well, and he delivers a fluid and tightly woven film with some nicely crafted performances as well. I will say that the film can, at times, feel long. The score, which I appreciated at first, kind of gave some of the scenes a soap opera vibe and I think that took away from the serious nature of the film. The acting is good, but never truly great. The two leading men (Leon Niemczyk and Zygmunt Malanowicz) are very good in scenes, but Jolanta Umecka is merely `there', never really taking hold of the potential within her character.
The films final moments are brilliantly realized, and the final act of dominance that comes is superbly understated (I love how this film plays everything so small so as to create a beautiful illusion that nothing that extraordinary is happening). This is a must see film that is elevated by Polanski's marvelous direction (hard to believe this is his debut) that exemplifies intensity with every sharp turn of the camera.
Brillant classic December 1, 2008
EugeSchu (WI USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Just saw this film and it has held up very well. A chamber piece almost entirely on a smallish sailboat between three characters. Most dynamic parts of the movie are the shots, close-ups, camera angles, which do compare favorably with Citizen Kane. There isn't hardly 30 sec. of wasted footage. Very subtle symbolism and building tension in this amoral morality tale that isn't about resolution, but the conflicts we inevitably wade through. Great work.
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