Knife in the Water

Knife in the Water, from 1962, was Roman Polanski's first feature film. It was a successful debut in that it was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, but was not well-received in Soviet-dominated Poland, which prompted Polanski to leave.

The film is a taut, seemingly simple story involving only three actors. Leon Niemcy and Jolanta Umecka are a married couple who have planned to spend the day sailing. They drive, stoically, along the road, when a hitchhiker (Zygmunt Malanowicz) hails them down by standing right in the middle of the road. Niemcy is angry, but ends up giving him a ride anyway. When they get to the marina, he invites the boy to sail with them.

Over the course of 24 hours there will be something of a battle of wills between the two men. It's clear that Niemcy invited him aboard to display his dominant nature and knowledge of sailing, as Malanowicz knows nothing about it, and claims not to know how to swim. Niemcy orders him about, making him a big shot in front of his wife. She appears to be very plain in the opening of the film, wearing librarian glasses, her hair in a bun, but once in a bikini, her hair down, she is quite attractive, and seems to be a prize for the man who can win her.

The title object is a knife belong to Malanowicz. He says it is good for the woods, not for water, but comes in handy when the boat hits a sandbar. Later it will prove to be the tipping point in the struggle between the two men.

The film was difficult to shoot, given the practical problems of shooting outdoors (it was shot in the Polish lake country). The acting is problematic. Niemcy was an accomplished actor, but Malanowicz was new, and Umecka was an amateur, spotted at a municipal Warsaw swimming pool. Her amateurism shows, as the character is largely passive through the two thirds of the film, not asked to do anything but look good. She and Malanowicz have a key scene together late in the film, and it lacks the passion it should have had.

Knife in the Water is a good psychological drama, observing the unities of time and space, as most of it is set on the boat. The ending makes for a good post-film discussion, as the married couple sit in their car, wondering which turn to make. In a way it reminds me of the end of 400 Blows. It's not a freeze frame, but it's a frozen moment in the characters' lives.