Review of Knife in the Water (1962) by Paul N — 14 Jan 2009
Roman Polanski's first feature is a taut, small-scale study of primal masculinity, as a weekend sailor and his young wife invite an even younger hitchhiker onto their sailboat for a day trip. The invitation almost seems an excuse for the older man to repeatedly prove his dominance over the younger, a game of oneupmanship which builds and eventually degenerates into violence and deception.
The film swiftly establishes its characters and ratchets up the tension nicely, and kudos to the sheer audacity of a filmmaker who chooses to shoot 90 percent of his debut on the water! (Trivia note: the young hitchhiker's voice is actually Polanski's, dubbed after the original actor's proved unsatisfactory.
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This review of Knife in the Water (1962) was written by Paul N on 14 Jan 2009.
Knife in the Water has generally received very positive reviews.
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