Movie #169 Knife in the Water *1962*

Leon Niemczyk - Andrzej
Jolanta Umecka - Krystyna
Zygmunt Malanowicz - "Young Boy"
Roman Polanski (Director)

I try to list the main actors and there character names at the begin of my blogs.  That is only sort of the case here.  These three actors listed here are the only three people in the entire film.  This was Roman Polanski's first film.  It is shot in black and white and in his native Polish language. 

The story is a simple one.  A married couple picks up a hitchhiker on the way to go sailing.  They invite him to sail with them.  Chaos reigns.

I liked this movie, but I didn't love it.  I liked the way Roman used his camera to invoke or heighten the mood.  I like the way that the jazz soundtrack didn't really fit in with the film, but it did add an extra sense of sexuality to the picture.  There is a tension in the air when watching this film.  I felt at any moment that something was bound to go wrong.  It reminded me of the movie Funny Games a lot in that way.

It is official.  I have a thing for Polish girls.  Krystyna is so sexy in this role.  First off she looks like a bit of an old bitty with her cats eyes glasses, but once they are on the boat and she emerges from below in her bikini, forget about it.  There are sexual innuendos and symbols laced throughout this movie.

It is difficult to declare who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist in the film.  The young man is clearly been added to the story to shake things up.  And shake things up he does.  There are power struggles between he and the husband throughout.  It is as if both of them are trying to prove their worth to Krystyna.  Then at time she teams up with either the boy or her husband to poke fun at the other.  This is a slippery story.

I was expecting a thriller and in doing so I was a little disappointed.  There is not much action, just the potential for action which in the end can be better then the actual action its self.  Here I felt like it sort of became much ado about nothing.  I was surprised by the end, but still unsatisfied. 

It is a bold first film and a great window into the talents and perversions of Mr Polanski.  I give Knife in the water ★★★★.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.