the fresh films reviews

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Knife in the Water (1962)

Director:
Roman Polanski
AKA
Nóż w wodzie
COUNTRY
Poland
Genre
Thriller/Drama
NORWEGIAN TITLE
Kniven i vannet
RUNNING TIME
94 minutes
Producer:
Stanislaw Zylewicz
Screenwriter:
Roman Polanski
Jakub Goldberg
Jerzy Skolimowski


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Andrzej Leon Niemczyk ½
Krystyna Jolanta Umecka
Young Boy Zygmunt Malanowicz

 

Review

Roman Polanski's feature debut is an edgy and creative display of compositions, camerawork and a progressive view on timeless thematics: masculinity and restrained sexuality. It's a flawed film, both technically and narratively. Polanski struggles somewhat with his pacing, the film is unevenly edited, and the actors don't always know whether to play it straight or pile it on. Still, the film's atmosphere is seductive – Polanski invites you in little by little, and you cannot help but accept, even if you're never quite sure what the invitation implies. The late Krzysztof Komeda's jazzy score is timely and beautiful (albeit a little too repetitive).

Copyright © 24.02.2020 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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