Knife in the Water

The music of Knife in the Water was written by the brilliant young Polish composer and pianist Krzysztof Komeda. It is arguably one of the most effective scores in cinema history; understated jazz that compliments the picture's sharp monochrome cinematography and the tense minimalism of the script and brings to the film another emotional dimension.

Also included here are three pieces composed and performed by Komeda for Andrzej Wajda's 1960 film Innocent Sorcerers. Written by Skolimowski, this is a stylish, humorous film about Polish youth: their underground scene, girls, scooters, jazz etc. Both Komeda and Polanski appear on screen.

Komeda would go on to write three further film scores for Polanski: Rosemary's Baby, The Fearless Vampire Killers, and Cul-de-sac. Overall Komeda wrote more than seventy soundtracks before his tragically early, somewhat mysterious death in 1969, at the age of just 38.