It received awards at the international short film festival oberhausen and the melbourne international film festival. Noz w wodzieknife in the water 1962 poland 94 mins. It suffers a bit from style over substance but is well acted and well directed and is not long enough to get overly tedious. Even at the tender age of 28, polanski displayed a gift for arresting visuals, and he shaded his characters through small, often witty gestures. Better things were to come from polanski once he moved out of poland and began his englishlanguage film career. With shengcang yang, shengcang yang, chenghua li, chengyou li. It arrives bedecked with the best film award from the berlin film festival and the critics award from venice. Knife in the water is polish new wave cinema that resigns from the pictures on war and chooses to make films about contemporary issues.
Its a slowburning exploration of jealously, spite, and middle age. A ll sorts of symbolic meanings can be attributed to the knife that is at the center of the knife in the water, polanskis first feature film about a fierce powerplay between three people who go out sailing on a lake. While he criticizes her driving skills, a reckless student leaps out in front of. Knife in the water tells a story of limited spaces and intense. The story is simple, yet the implications of its characters emotions and actions are profound. The youth in knife in the water who polanski considered playing himself is a restless spirit, reluctant to accept orthodox habits, and his exit from the film, skipping nimbly away across the floating logs to the unknown promise of the mainland, confirms his survival instincts. Now given the doubledisc luxury treatment from criterion complete with polanskis participation and including several of his student films, id even go as far as to say that knife in the water holds up better than any of his other 1960s offerings including the excellent yet dated rosemarys baby. It takes place in the near future, where drought brought on by climate change has devastated the southwestern united states. Knife in the water mr rumseys film related musings. We found one dictionary with english definitions that includes the word knife in the water.
It is bacigalupis sixth novel, and is based on his short story, the tamarisk hunters, first published in the environmental journal high country news. Every scene appears effortless yet each are expertly crafted and acted. The themes of knife in the waterdesire, violence, and crueltyfigure prominently in many of polanskis subsequent films. Carnage, venice film festival roman polanski likes confined spaces. A tense moment from roman polanskis first feature film knife in the water. Casper van dien and judd nelson star in chris heltons thriller about three friends who run into trouble during a weekend yacht cruise. Knife in the water, polish noz w wodzie, polish psychological thriller film, released in 1962, that was director roman polanskis acclaimed first featurelength movie. Knife in the water movie clip show us what youre made of.
Though commonly classified as a thriller, knife in the water is less of a suspense film than it is a terse and cynical drama about marriage. But it was his first featurelength film, 1962s knife in the water, that distilled the basic cruelty of human nature to a spare threeperson cast and the claustrophobic confines of a sailboat. Knife in the water started out as a straightforward thriller. Knife in the water digitally remastered article culture. In the face of these changes, polanskis finished film would still play like a. The film has a really slow settle pace to it, and there is really no action to the film except for a few knife brandishings and a couple of verbal fights, but thats about it. Roman polanski latest news, breaking stories and comment. Knife in the water is the work of a young filmmaker. The final scenes reveal what this has all been for. Roman polanskis film school roots are showing in criterions dvd release of his debut feature, knife in the water. Criterions dvd of knife in the water is dazzlingly clean but retains its contrast of sombre grays when the sky is overcast, and bright clarity in the afternoon sunshine. Knife in the water is a 1962 polish drama film cowritten and directed by roman polanski, which was nominated for academy. The music of knife in the water was written by the brilliant young polish composer and pianist krzysztof komeda. If your into polanski like i am, you might take pleasure into watching this film, otherwise i would say skip it.
It was the feature film debut of roman polanski andrzej and krystyna, a middleaged man and his young wife, are driving to a lake to go sailing. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. On the criterion collections new knife in the water dvd, youll find the sort of worthwhile features aficionados have come to expect. Polanskis first feature film, it features three characters in a story of rivalry and sexual tension. Sportswriter leon niemczyk and his wife jolanta umecka invite babyfaced hitchhiker zygmunt malanowicz to join them on a yacht excursion. Its economic use of style and dialogue gives the film a sparsity which allows the narrative to unfold naturally. Knife in the water 1962 was polish director roman polanskis remarkably assured first feature film, and, as it would turn out, his only polish feature to date. To me, knife in the water is one of the best directorial debuts ever and possibly polanskis best film as well. Knife in the water is a film directed by roman polanski with leon niemczyk, jolanta umecka, zygmunt malanowicz. From the first, the story concerned the interplay of antagonistic personalities within a confined space. The first disc of the set includes a very intense interview with polanski and his coscenarist jerzy skolimowski, who also became a noted director. Knife in the water is a fine example of how a simple premise can yield great results, as roman polanskis feature film debut stands as a potent thriller.
Knife in the water is a fairly good film with some good ideas. The knife is lost in the water long before the young man falls into the water himself so i shall amend the article. The premise puts us on a boat with three people, a married couple and a young stranger, then pushes the entire situation out to sea. Noz w wodzie is a 1962 polish drama film cowritten and directed by roman polanski, which was nominated for academy award for. A tense moment from roman polanskis first feature film knife in the. Nathan lee article on roman polanski movie knife in the water and group. Bukowiecki also points out jerzy lipmans cinematography. According to most critiques, the knife underlines the aggressive tendencies between the two male characters who are in an.
Ma zishan yang shengcang is an aging muslim farmer, part of the hui minority. Roman polanskis sensational 1962 debut is an example of how a superlative director makes a film from the simplest materials. Roman polanskis knife in the water senses of cinema. Knife in the water noz w wodzie was the first feature film effort of polish director roman polanski. Sportswriter leon niemczyk and his wife jolanta umecka invite. His new acquaintances and hosts andrzej leon niemczyk and christine jolanga umecka frolicking with their inflated crocodile, the hitchhiker zygmunt malaniwicz makes some rookie sailing mistakes, dangerous games in roman polanskis first feature knife in the water. Knife in the water is a band based in austin texas. Some of these single disc no frill releases make sense to buy instead of the criterion.
Regarderknife in the water film complet vf et vostfr. The water knife is a 2015 science fiction novel by paolo bacigalupi. Jolanta umecka in knife in the water 1962 knife in the water 1962 jolanta umecka in. But within that story are little bits that keep the story pumping, alive.
Despite already accumulating a masterful resume and grand career in film, i have to wonder what his career would look like if he stayed in poland. You get the aforementioned 25minute video interviews with polanski and skolimowski and a selection of publicity and production stills, but unlike many criterion collection sets, you wont find an audio. Knife in the water is the kind of film that works beautifully at making so much out of seemingly so little. Knife in the water was roman polanskis debut feature film and yet it looks and feels like it has been made by a consummate professional. In the tradition of polanskis classic knife in the water, this is an intense character drama interlaced with humor portraying the eternal, never completed quest of seeing and recognizing the other as they are or, at least, as they want to be seen. Preceding unsigned comment added by jm butler talk contribs fair use rationale for image.
Noz w wodzie is a 1962 polish drama film cowritten and directed by roman polanski, which was nominated for academy award for best foreign language film. Polanskis first completed student film, murder 1957, is as. It remains a remarkable first effort, though, and considering the circumstances under which it was made, its a miracle it was made at all. This import is a good transfer of the fully restored polanski film, perhaps licensed from criterion.
With its oblique but unrelenting psychological violence, politically charged nihilism and incisive visual forms the images in this film, like the knife of its title, will cut you if you get too close roman polanskis noz w wodzie knife in the water is not only one of the filmmakers best films, the only feature he made in his. Definitions of knife in the water onelook dictionary search. If the pickup sticks game was the combination, the ending is the lock opening. Knife in the water is a fine example of how a simple premise can yield great results, as roman polanski s feature film debut stands as a potent thriller. Knife in the water roman polanskis first feature is a brilliant psychological thriller that many critics still consider among his greatest work.
Best director, santiago international film festival. Apr 08, 2004 knife in the water 5 5 stars 5 out of 5 stars. Knife in the water the current the criterion collection. Knife in the water is a 1962 polish drama film cowritten and directed by roman polanski, which was nominated for academy award for best foreign language fil. Knife in the water, his feature debut and only polish film, is no exception. Knife in the water has all of the european angst that is reminiscent of bergman and antonioni. Some of the movies have very long rambling audio commentary from film historians. Knife in the water film by polanski 1962 britannica. Polanski, the wild man of the young european directors, made this after knife in the water and before he came to hollywood. A little tale of a couple who ask a hitchhiker they pick up to come along with them for a sail on the lakes is all the story there is. He shot it in english on location in a grim british castle where sir walter scott allegedly wrote rob roy. Knife in the water middleaged cocksureness, arrogance and incomprehension versus teenage revolt, with a young woman as a sort of arbiter, is the theme of this lively and inventive little pic.
Sportswriter leon niemczyk and his wife jolanta umecka invite babyfaced hitchhiker zygmunt. Based on shi shuqings novel, this film is first and foremost a portrait of a man and his humanity a. It is arguably one of the most effective scores in cinema history. Click on the first link on a line below to go directly to a page where knife in the water is defined. As a straightforward, characterdriven psychological thriller it is near perfect. Editor jeffrey wolf, ace discusses his favorite moments from knife in the water. Polanskis 1984 autobiography, roman, published by william morrow and company. Considered the first polish film to spurn world war ii as either text or subtext, knife in the water won the criticsa prize at the venice film festival, was nominated for an academy award for best foreign language film, and was heralded on the cover of time magazine. With leon niemczyk, jolanta umecka, zygmunt malanowicz, anna ciepielewska. It was an unusual film to come out of the polish film industry, which at the time was controlled by the ruling communist party, and leaned heavily towards promoting socialist ideology. Script and preproduction work on knife in the clear water 2016, his debut film as director, was completed in 2010, while production was completed in 2016.
The film won the new currents award at the busan international film festival 2016. On their way to a sailing trip, an aging husband and wife invite along an emphatic young hitchhiker out of sheer patronization. The writing is good of course, especially the central image the title denotes, but the camera finds the perfect place always. Mammals was the last of director roman polanskis short films before he bagan to work on his first feature, knife in the water. It doesnt have the maturity of much of polanskis later work and the symbolism of the knife and other props in the film may be too obvious. The premise puts us on a boat with three people, a married couple and a young stranger, then. The criterion collections dvd release of knife in the wateris somewhat light on special features that directly relate to knife in the water. As roman polanskis knife in the water and phillip noyces. Reviewer jason heller says bacigalupi keeps the plot taut. A complete guide to all the new original series and films. Roman polanskis knife in the water is one of the best debut feature films in the history of cinema. Knife in the water 1962 on their way to an afternoon on the lake, husband and wife andrzej leon niemczyk and krystyna jolanta umecka nearly run over a. Nov 16, 2003 on the criterion collections new knife in the water dvd, youll find the sort of worthwhile features aficionados have come to expect an extensive collection of stills, an informative. The water knife cuts deep equal parts thriller and alarm call, paolo bacigalupis new novel depicts a future america ravaged by drought.