Knife in the Water (The Criterion Collection)

Knife in the Water (The Criterion Collection)

Director Roman Polanski's first feature is a subtly chilling tale about a married couple who pick up a young hitchhiker and invite him to join them on a boating trip. Once there, tempers flare during a storm and passions lead to violence. Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka star. 94 min. Standard; Soundtrack: Polish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; interview; photo gallery; bonus shorts. In Polish with English subtitles. Two-disc set.This simple but taut psychological thriller was the first full-length film from the great director Roman Polanski. A bickering couple pick up a hitchhiker, a good-looking young man whom they invite to go for a sail. But on the water the two men, separated by age, class, and experience, subtly and not-so-subtly jockey for status and fight for the attentions of the woman--a struggle that threatens to turn fatal. In Polanski's hands, this lean, spare movie, without any special effects or spectacular scenery, manages to lay bare the driving forces o f machismo, envy, and marital spite. It's the beginning of a truly remarkable career that's ranged from the heights of Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown to the more dubious realms of Bitter Moon and The Ninth Gate. Knife in the Water is particularly significant to Polanski fans, but also a striking movie in its own right. --Bret Fetzer

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