243 - Knife in the Water, 1962, Poland. Dir. Roman Polanski.

Thursday, August 31, 2017

243 - Knife in the Water, 1962, Poland.  Dir. Roman Polanski.

Come aboard.

Those are words of hospitality.  Openness.  Generosity.  Friendship.

And a big mistake when Andrzej says them.

The last thing he and his wife Krystyna needed was to have the Young Man on the sailboat with them on their day at the lake.

It is Sunday.  Andrzej is a seasoned sailor.  He spent time in the service.  He tells stories of his bosun and other seamen.

He is also a writer.  He writes for The Sporting News.

Andrzej is mature, proud, and strong.  He maintains the strict rules of his naval career.  Never dip your hand in the water.  Never whistle on board.  He does this despite that fact that they are sailing recreationally and should be having a good time.

Krystyna is young and pretty.  She is the kind of wife whose jealous husband should not be inviting strange Young Men aboard.

Sailing's for grownups.  Andrzej says so.

Andrzej wants to school the Young Man.  Show him a thing or two.  Teach him a lesson.  That is his mistake.

The Young Man is not a good student and did not come to be schooled.  Plus, he carries a big knife in his pocket.  A knife comes in handy, he says.  Especially in the woods.  I wonder if this is going to pose a problem later on.

Andrzej and Krystyna met the Young Man as they were driving to the docks.  The Young Man was hitchhiking.  But he stood not on the side of the road but in the middle of the road.

Andrzej yelled at him.  The Young Man could have been killed.  In fact, Andrzej seemed as though he nearly tried to do it.  He drove fast and stopped short.  But then he let him in the car.  His first mistake.

Andrzej asks why he stands in the middle of the road.  The Young Man says life can be boring.  He needs some stimulation.

He is gong to get some.

Throughout their day trip there are moments of tension interspersed with moments of calm and beauty.  The wind comes and goes.  Sometimes they move and sometimes they are still.  They man the helm.  They stop and eat lunch.  They swim.  They play games.  Over time they begin to get along.

Polanski's celebratory portrayal of the sport may lure you into taking up sailing.

It is his first feature film.  And it is a showcase for his great talent.  He is especially masterful at framing.  And cutting.

There are shots with a subject extremely close in the foreground with another far back, in perspective, both in focus.  There are classical and elegant angles.  From above.  From overhead.  From the water. Through openings.  Polanski has studied composition.  He knows painting.

He also knows classical drama.  The film observes Aristotle's three unities of time, place, and action.

It is especially impressive considering  the small size of the boat.  Where do they put the camera? How do they make it stay still?

Knife in the Water comes out just two years after our other adventure on the water, Michelangelo Antonioni's l'Avventura of 1960.

The film contains a bopping jazz score by Kzysztof  Komeda, made more poignant by long moments of complete silence and other moments with just the sounds of the water.  The waves.  And the rain.

Unfortunately, the calm comes before the storm.

Andrzej should not have invited the Young Man to come aboard.  Either his car or his boat.

The knife will come between them.  The wife will come between them.

Andrzej and Krystyna will be left to pick up the pieces.

But we do not find out if they do.