Knife in the Water (1962) on Netflix
Andrzej and Krystyna drive to a lake for a sailing trip and nearly run over a young hitchhiker. Andrzej invites him aboard, and the two men compete for Krystyna's attention.
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- Rotten Tomatoes97%
Featurette
Plot summary
Andrzej and Krystyna are on their way to a lake for a sailing trip when a young hitchhiker steps into the road in front of their car. Andrzej gives him a lift to the marina, then unexpectedly asks him to come along on the boat. The young man accepts, though he knows almost nothing about sailing, and Andrzej takes it upon himself to instruct him. Aboard the small sailboat the three of them are alone together, and tension builds between the two men as each tries to win Krystyna's attention. The hitchhiker, who carries a pocket knife, is determined not to be outdone.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Knife in the Water (1962)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Polanski's screenplay, co-written with Jakub Goldberg and Jerzy Skolimowski, was rejected by the Polish Ministry of Culture for "lack of social commitment"; after reworking it as a French-set story failed to find funding, he added dialogue showing "social commitment" and the national film board approved it.
- Shot on the water in Poland's Masurian Lake District and largely confined to a sailboat and life raft, the film left the crew so cramped that they often hung over the side of the boat in safety harnesses to shoot.
- Knife in the Water was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1963 Academy Awards, the first Polish motion picture ever to receive that recognition.
- Roman Polanski turned down an offer to make an English-language colour remake with a Hollywood cast that would have included Henry Fonda, saying he did not want to remake a movie that was already good.
