Knife in the Water
Directed by Roman Polanski • 1962 • Poland
Starring Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, Zygmunt Malanowicz
Roman Polanski’s first feature is a brilliant psychological thriller that many critics still consider among his greatest work. The story is simple, yet the implications of its characters’ emotions and actions are profound. When a young hitchhiker joins a couple on a weekend yacht trip, psychological warfare breaks out as the two men compete for the woman’s attention. A storm forces the small crew below deck, and tension builds to a violent climax. With stinging dialogue and a mercilessly probing camera, Polanski creates a disturbing study of fear, humiliation, sexuality, and aggression. This remarkable directorial debut won Polanski worldwide acclaim, a place on the cover of “Time,” and his first Oscar nomination.
-
Two Men and a Wardrobe
Directed by Roman Polanski • 1958 • Poland
Perhaps the best known of Roman Polanski’s shorts, TWO MEN AND A WARDROBE was his first to be screened publicly. It won five awards at international festivals. Polanski said in a 1966 interview, “When I filmed TWO MEN AND A WARDROBE, I tried . . . to ...
Extras
-
When Angels Fall
Directed by Roman Polanski • 1959 • Poland
Director Roman Polanski got the idea for his senior thesis from an article about a lavatory attendant who claimed to have had a mystical vision. “A lavatory attendant’s life seemed to epitomize vacuity, drudgery, monotony,” he recalled in his autobiog...
