Knife in the Water

Considered Roman Polanski's first triumph, Knife in the Water is still a modest one at that. One of those simple "portrait of life" films, this one portrays a rivalry between a young boy and an older man as they both envy each other's age, joined only by the older man's wife. Conflict and tension arise on a boat, but nothing very serious. It's nice, but lacks the power necessary to make it a great film.

First act isn't very good, but it develops really nicely. The long take in the fiddlesticks scene is excellent. I liked the realism of the way the boat was handled by the actors, and there was a loose, familiar feel to the relationship between husband and wife. And Polanski's camera, of course.

The simplest films are often the best. This movie is enjoyable in and of itself, and yet it lends itself so many interpretations and applicabilities that I can't count them. Freudian tensions, youthful aggression, moody fascism - you name it. And still it is just a story about three nameless people on a boatride that is tense as all hell.

Excellent debut film from Polanski, filled with suspense and psychological tension.

A nice, subtle exercise in underlying tension, though perhaps a bit too subtle for its own good. Not quite tense enough to be that unsettling.

Kudos to Jerzy Skolimowski. And cinematography, mood and atmosphere leave nothing to be desired.

This would be my definition of an empty artsy fartsy film that people have undoubtedly overanalyzed; a few memorable shots though.

Superb first feature by Polanski. Remarkable photography, compelling theme, lots of tension. Wouldn't want to see it again, but glad I saw it once.

I normally love Polanski, but this bores me

Great debut from Polanski. Full of suspense and tension(despite having a slow pace), but not as well written as his other movies in the late 60s and 70s. It felt a bit empty at times.

A very good first feature, subtle and restrained examination of male fragility and ego. The psychological drama and slow build are deftly handled. It's obvious that Polanski is working on a budget and is still a bit rough around the edges, but there are many signs here of the work he'd do later. It's not mindblowing or anything, but a very strong effort. The middling at best performance by the wife character drags it down some.

Feels like a dry run for Polanski before moving on to his masterpieces, but there is a lot to like here from a stylistic perspective - you can feel the gradual tension building on the boat between the two alphas (it feels like Umecka has little to no dialogue in the first half) and the boat itself is a perhaps too easy method of amping up the tension. Falls apart a little towards the end as loose narrative ends are tied up too quickly and hastily (and literally) but still an interesting effort.

Still in my mind Polanski's best

Not as good as I remember it being as teen, but there's still a lot to like here, particularly the meditation on the masculine psyche and the claustrophobic boat photography.

Surprisingly laid back for a Polanski film, but still pretty irregular. Some moments of tension and provocative exchanges almost shave the day. More an exercise in style than an accomplished work.

The most interesting stuff was the boat etiquette/boy scout shit. I also love that shallowly see through but onyx black ocean like in L'Avventura

Excellent film. Get ready to read subtitles though. Just a few characters on a sailboat and very compelling. Great cinematography and music as well.

*yawn* another black and white European film about people on a yacht, and this is a directorial debut which makes it even worse. I feel like there it some good in this film, as it doesn't exactly play out like expected, but it's just too vague about any matters it draws upon. Maybe it's a good film to fuck to?

The 'rivalry' between the two male characters couldn't have felt more forced with Polanski going as far as showing the one guy yawning as the other tells him a story. Very unrealistic inter-character development with a plot that doesn't go anywhere.

Reminds me of L'avventura for some reason

oh, such a typical polanski movie..... there is never anything happens as you expect it and ends without real ending! i love his movies, which are defiantly not mainstream and require a different taste.

finally getting round to my urgent watchlist. this is a great character drama. more than anything, it's about the masculine compulsion toward oneupmanship, and this plays out on one of polanski's claustrophobic sets, with the water taking place of the apartment walls. not sure how much i liked the rather conventional infidelity plot turn, but otherwise excellent.

Polanski's blueprint for Cul-de-sac and Death & the Maiden is wonderfully weird and darkly erotic. The score seems to belong in another movie though.

the shot composition and framing in this film was absolutely stunning. it also presented an interesting dynamic in the form of a triangle relationship. can't say i completely understood what the film was about, but i found myself intrigued by the ending as well as the competitive dynamic between the two men. i think my biggest problem with the film was that it lacked action. i found myself not understanding much and then had a revelation dawn on me in the last five minutes.

88.000

highly overrated no tension. waited the whole movie but it never got tense.

"tense ironic drama" indeed! i loved how the tedious, predictable storyline is so well used to bring out the big guns for character emphasis and awkwardly strong tension.

An incredible debut by Mr. Polansky, with a gorgeous cinematography. But the story...

28 Març 2012 - No tinc gran cosa a dir-ne. Algun moment de diàleg interessant. Estrany i desconcertant, tot plegat. Fotografia remarcable i interpretacions.

False Christs and Jolanta Umecka make for one hell of a film.

Oddly fun, but the i couldn't find the substance. Should rewatch maybe.

Chilling and nail-bitingly suspenseful. Easily one of Polanski's masterpieces.

88.375

Very moody. Nothing happens of course but "Nóz w wodzie" is nevertheless a brilliantly eerie and captivating early effort from Polanski featuring stunning cinematography to go along with the nonexistent plot. Although admittedly I would have wanted the ending to be more intense, I greatly enjoyed the film, because of the atmosphere Polanski so masterfully creates, as he manages to generate intensity out of a seemingly innocent situation.

A slow burn like Polanski's next film, Repulsion, but it never quite hits the heights that that one does. Still, its fascinating in its own way. Knife in the Water should be boring, but instead its the opposite.

One of his best really.

Given my high expectations, I was slightly underwhelmed by this. It is tense, but subtly so, and never really delivers; the small world that the trio find themselves in is atmospherically evoked however. It's the wide-angle photography that really leaves an impression.

Polanski's first film is a template of sorts for the gripping thrillers and psychosexual dramas to follow.

Quite plain and boring and at the same time oddly enjoyable.

A character study of characters that barely hold my interest. This was a slow ride to nowhere, but certain elements of the build-up did have an ounce of intrigue & the photography is the clear standout. I get the distinct impression Polanski was a bit too enthused with Antonioni's output just previous to this; thankfully he moved onto psychological works in a form he's more suited to

It's not bad at all - in fact it's pretty impressive, particularly for a debut - but it really drags at times and I thought the characters behaved somewhat ridiculously. It's tense, but not so much that the scenes can stand on their own with a complete lack of forward momentum, and this doesn't end up going much anywhere. Worth checking out but not something I see myself rewatching.

Pretty cool and tense, and I love the way it was shot.

Detached little melodrama in which the sex and violence hover beneath the surface. All very watchable, but in a minor key.

Almost a great movie, I feel it really gets weak towards the end, but the majority of the scenes are incredibly tense.

A low-voiced, intimate story dealing with silent psychological distress and human despair. One can surely notice a talent of a director here, always interested in the main characters' mental condition... But Polanski would later on direct films radiating an even greater feeling of anxiety and paranoia.

A very tense and much more subtle drama that we get nowadays (for the most part). While I loved the cinematography and found the general theme of the film very interesting I'd be lying if I said I wanted to see it more than one time.

# 971

Knife in the Water is Polanski's first feature-length film and last Polish-speaking one. A highly intelligent and well-shot psychological thriller and drama, swimming in testosterone so to speak, a magnificent debut with the director's distinct style and thematic preferences apparently fully formed.

"I'm a artist--love me! Love me!"

Great atmosphere but dragged in most areas. Expected a big twist at the end but ended on a whimper.

Nearly-superb character drama that is reflected so inward of their situations that you are completely engrossed by a movie that has almost zero plot and is merely just a string of events following one another. It's excellently acted and well-directed by a young Roman Polanski early in his career.