Roman Polanski's beautifully controlled first feature is an experiment in chemical reaction -- three characters isolated in a placid, bland, watery setting and engaged in an edgy jostle of egos, chiefly that of a well-off sportswriter and that of a hitch-hiking student (the writer's wife is almost dispensable, except as catalyst). Like any experiment, it is overcalculated and predictable, but it is also subject to intense, scrupulous observation. Photography by Jerzy Lipman; music by Komeda. (1963) — Duncan Shepherd
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