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MOVIES / ON DVD / KNIFE IN THE WATER
Knife in the Water

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Knife in the Water (1963)

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86%
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100 %
Reviews Counted: 25 Fresh: 25  Rotten:0 Average Rating: 8.3/10

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Rated: PG

Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

Theatrical Release: 09-04-2004

Synopsis: Roman Polanski's first feature-length film is a suspenseful three-person chamber drama reminiscent of the work of Ingmar Bergman. KNIFE IN THE WATER was filmed in the director's native Poland and financed through government subsidies. Although denounced by local authorities as devoid... Roman Polanski's first feature-length film is a suspenseful three-person chamber drama reminiscent of the work of Ingmar Bergman. KNIFE IN THE WATER was filmed in the director's native Poland and financed through government subsidies. Although denounced by local authorities as devoid of any significant social or political content, the film caused a minor sensation in the West, was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign Film, and even made the cover of Time magazine. The action takes place almost entirely within the confined setting of a sailboat owned by a wealthy journalist (Leon Niemczyk) and his much younger wife (Jolanta Umecka). On their way to the lake for a weekend of sailing, they are accosted by a young hitchhiker (Zygmunt Malanowicz) who jumps in front of their car, forcing them to stop. Annoyed by the youth's daredevil posturing, the journalist nevertheless decides to invite him to join the couple on their boat, initiating a series of playfully competitive games between the two men. Playfulness soon gives way to hostility, however, as each tries to outshine and humiliate the other in front of the woman, who appears to be taking a more than casual interest in her husband's young rival. [More]

Genre: Foreign Films

Starring: Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, Zygmunt Malanowicz

Director: Roman Polanski
Screenwriter: Jerzy Skolimowski, Roman Polanski, Jakub Goldberg
Producer: Stanislaw Zylewicz
Composer: Krzysztof Komeda

DVD Info

Release:

Jun 9, 2005

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • 2-Discs
  • Keep Case
  • Full Frame - 1.33

Audio:

  • Monaural - Polish

Additional Release Material:

  • 8 Early Short Films by Roman Polanski ("Murder", "Teeth Smile", "Break Up the Dance", "Two Men and a Wardrobe", "The Lamp", "When Angels Fall", "The Fat and The Lean", and "Mammals")
  • Featurette - 1. Video Interview With Polanski and Co-Screenwriter Jerzy Skolimowski

Text/Image Galleries:

  • A Collection of Rare Publicity and Production Stills
  • English Subtitle Translation by Roman Polanski

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
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5/5

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
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4.5/5

A masterpiece of style and economy--a complex and delicately balanced tale with only three characters and one small set.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/22/04
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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3/5

Not easily accessible, but a film whose scenes and themes stick with you.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/21/02
Andy Jacobs
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
N/A

Knife In The Water is a claustrophobic, slow-burning expose of jealousy, spite and eroticism.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/14/07
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Ratings Image
5/5

No review available.

comment Comment
02/18/07
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)
Ratings Image
N/A

'Knife in the Water,' Roman Polanki's first feature, strips bare the nature of human dealings and the will to dominate.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/23/06
Donald J. Levit
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Ratings Image
4/4

The acting, music and camerawork all weave together to create an unexpectedly magical, brilliantly crafted, intensely sensuous experience

Full Review | comment Comment
08/27/06
Jay Antani
Perihelion Journal
Ratings Image
4/4

One of the greatest of all feature debuts.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
Ratings Image
3/5

Polanski at his uniquest

comment Comment
02/07/06
Clint Morris
Film Threat
Ratings Image
N/A

[The movie suggests that a] young man will either become like his corrupt elders, and presumably get a trophy woman of his own, or drown.... To Polanski, surviving in such a society, in such a world, is not the same as winning.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/26/05
Alan Dale
Blogcritics.org
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5/5

No review available.

comment Comment
06/19/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image
4/5

An intriguing Polish import that launched Polanski's career.

comment Comment
04/30/05
Dan Lybarger
Nitrate Online
Ratings Image
A

Builds up a sexual, generational, and violent tension in a straightforward manner, with hardly any dramatic contrivances.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/13/05
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ratings Image
4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
05/28/04
Matt Bailey
Not Coming to a Theater Near You
Ratings Image
4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
05/17/04
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
Ratings Image
3/5

No review available.

comment Comment
04/16/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
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3.5/5

When it comes to depicting people at their worst, Polanski is relatively restrained in his first outing, perhaps because of the sobering influence of Poland's Ministry of Culture.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/09/04
Jason Anderson
eye WEEKLY
Ratings Image
5/5

No review available.

comment Comment
03/12/04
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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