MAGNET contributing writer Jud Cost is sharing some of the wealth of classic films he’s been lucky enough to see over the past 40 years. Trolling the backwaters of cinema, he has worked up a list of more than 500 titles—from the silent era through the ’90s—that you may have missed. A new selection, all currently available on DVD, appears every week.
Knife In The Water (1962, 94 minutes)
From the Charles Manson family targeting his rental house in the Hollywood hills for a gruesome 1969 bloodbath, to his own more recent brushes with the law, Roman Polanski has been the focus of many unsavory international headlines. But long before any of that, Polanski was known as a talented young Polish film director whose debut, Knife In The Water, opened plenty of eyes.
Motoring down a tree-lined country road, Andrzej and Krystyna are jarred wide-awake by the sight of a young hitch-hiker standing directly in the path of their car. Andrzej (Leon Niemczyk) slams on the brakes, barely missing the young man who has refused to move. Andrzej bursts from the car and confronts the hitch-hiker (Zygmunt Malanowicz) still standing in the middle of the road, who calmly says, “You left your lights on.” Speechless, Andrzej returns to the car, sits down and lights a cigarette. “Asshole!” he finally bellows out the window, then snarls at Krystyna (Jolanta Umecka), “If you had been driving, you’d have given that bum a lift!”
Suddenly, Andrzej has a change of heart. He returns to the hitch-hiker and ushers him into the car. “You want the front seat or the back?” he asks sarcastically, all but pushing the young man into the vehicle. “Why not grab some sleep? We’ll try not to disturb you,” he adds slamming the machine into gear before the hitch-hiker has even closed the car door. “Very fancy, could be an embassy car,” remarks the young man as he runs his eye over the small car’s less than lavish interior. “Foreigners give lifts. You could have been a diplomat,” he says. “Or a diplomat’s chauffeur out on a date,” Krystyna adds snidely.
Leaning forward and gazing at the speedometer, the young man notes, “We’re well over the speed limit.” Krystyna replies, “He’s an experienced driver.” “Where are you headed?” asks the hitch-hiker. “We’re going to the marina. What if I hadn’t pulled over?” asks Andrzej. “I’d be dead,” replies the young man. “You do it for kicks?” asks Andrzej. “Life gets boring,” replies the young man. “Charged with manslaughter for running over a puppy,” replies Andrzej, mulling it over.
Dressed in cat-glasses, a white sweater and pants, Krystyna lifts a duffle-bag from the trunk of the car—then accidentally drops it. The hitch-hiker catches the bulky luggage before it hits the dock. “Where to?” he asks. She points to the single-masted yacht at the end of the pier. “Well, I’ll be going,” the hitch-hiker says to Andrzej, smoking a pipe as he removes his jacket and tie for a roughly knit sweater. Andrzej calls the young man back before he’s gone 20 paces. “Ever done any sailing? You’re a bum, but you’re OK,” he says and nods for the hitch-hiker to climb on board the yacht.
