Knife in the Water

Poland in 1962 was the People’s Republic of Poland, still a satellite state of the Soviet Union. Though there had been some slight loosening of censorship in recent years, the arts were still very much under the regulation of Communist bureaucrats. Trained at the National Film School in Lodz, Polanski had earlier made eight short, mildly subversive films. Knife in the Water was his first feature film, the first Polish film to be nominated for an Academy Award, and a film which got such a poor reaction in his homeland, Polanski soon left. Prague Spring and its crushing defeat by Soviet forces were still years away.

And yet, there’s little overtly subversive about Knife in the Water. It’s a straightforward tale of generational, class, and gender conflicts which could take place anytime, anywhere. The film doesn’t preach against the state, but it says nothing for it. In fact, it seems unconcerned with the current political situation, opting instead for pure drama. That may be why the film was reviled in Poland.

The film begins as a wealthy author and his wife drive to a lake for a day on their yacht. Along the way, they pick up a young, reckless, and taciturn student hitchhiker, not much different than any outsider encountered in later American hippy culture, and invite him along.

Cinema should make you forget you are sitting in a theater. ~Roman PolanskiThese three characters are the only ones in the movie. Like Polanski’s largely ignored Carnage (2011), Knife in the Water concentrates on a few individuals in an isolated space and, in true dramatic fashion, allows the characters to reveal their conflicts, feelings, and intentions slowly but decisively. Leon Niemczyk plays the powerful older man, Andrzej. In a smart casting choice, Polanski hired actors whose real-life experiences reflected their characters. Whereas the actors portraying the wife and hitchhiker had little or no acting experience, Niemczyk ultimately performed in over 500 films and television shows; he served under George S. Patton in WWII and his last screen performance was in David Lynch’s Inland Empire (2006). The nearly silent wife, Krystyna, is played by Jolanta Umecka, in her first role. Zygmunt Malanowicz is quietly effective as the nameless young man.

Those expecting a Hitchcockian thriller may get frustrated waiting for events to happen in Knife in the Water. The entire story takes place in 24 hours. The growing conflicts, the competition between the men for Krystyna’s affections and attention, Andrzej’s need to display his knowledge and wealth, and the young man’s need to prove he is a man, not a boy, are told mostly not in dialogue, but in actions, glances, and dares. The small boat is a small stage and we’re always aware of where the characters are in relationship to each other, and to what’s transpiring between them. Emotional insight is also provided through the deep-focus camera shots, some so startling in intensity and inventiveness, they reminded me of Orson Welles’ bold work in The Lady From Shanghai (1947). The changing weather is also a “character” in the film. Polish jazz musician Krzysztof T. Komeda wrote the boppy score, which subverts the audience’s expectations for what a psychological drama should sound like; the jazz score was another sticking point for the bureaucrats suspicious of Western influences.

Knife in the Water is the work of a young filmmaker. It doesn’t have the maturity of much of Polanski’s later work and the symbolism of the knife and other props in the film may be too obvious. It remains a remarkable first effort, though, and considering the circumstances under which it was made, it’s a miracle it was made at all.

—Michael R. Neno, 2016 Jul 7
 

The Criterion DVD features interviews with Polanski and co-screenwriter (and director in his own right) Jerzy Skolimowski. Polanski also wrote the English subtitles for this edition.