Knife in the Water (Polanski, 1962)
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What a brilliant film. With three isolated characters,
Knife in the Water builds a tension that can not be imitated by anyone but the master himself, Polanski. A well established-but obviously flawed- married couple pick up a young hitchhiker, and take him along on their boat for a sailing trip. The divide between classes is immediately evident. The film was made in Poland's communist era, owning a private car is a new concept and by any nations standard the couple is wealthy. There are sly remarks exchanged about age, but what's really being taunted is prosperity. The tension is so thick in the opening scenes you can cut it with a knife
. You'd think a love triangle has already been in play that the audience is just unbeknownst too. But despite the tension and the discreet cruelty there's something so beautiful and serene about the sailing trip. Despite the build up suggesting a storm, the calming eastern-European setting was so free that I would have happily joined. Adding to the beauty is the cinematography which is the best I've ever seen. It's minimalist but every shot is beautiful, which is to be expected with Polanski's perfectionist mentality. But not only beautifully shot, the camera work is equally symbolic with its constant showing of exclusion. There's rarely a scene where the three, yes only three, cast members are together. It's usually 2 vs 1.
I also realized in this film how well Polanski incorporates props. For a long time I have considered
Persona the best film in that regard,
Knife in the Water takes the cake. Whether it's Andrjez watch, the upscale robes, the alarm clock, the pipe, the Crocodile floaty, the instruments of the ship, the hot soup, the liquor. Everything is in place and serves a purpose. Especially the knife, which is just as essential to the film as any of the characters. The film has a theme of materialism, and it seems Polanski's a very materialistic man himself. This can really be seen in his recent feature,
Venus in Fur. The economic statement in this film was deemed "too western" for Polish audiences, but I believe the statements on hard work, bravery, and climbing up the ladder is a great one.
Outside of economic themes there are plenty of other ideas, often revolving around eroticism, but another interesting study in this film is that of masculinity. The two male characters constantly one up each other. It begins as man of sea vs man of land and evolves from there to general bravery. The shirts literally come off, and it's implied that this is to impress the center female figure, who is by far the wisest character of the film. But she's rather stoic if not irritated by this, she does not care who the "skipper" is, and often volunteers to be submissive to both of her fellow sailors instead of idly watching the fiasco. The film is very psychological in its questioning of actions- far more complex than
Rosemary's Baby. (Which isn't a sly to the classic horror film, but more a compliment to this thriller). The story ends right where it began, with the couple bickering in their car. Despite the destructiveness and deception, what has changed?
Perhaps in the 25 best films I've ever seen
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