Search for missing Roman Polanski camera from 'Knife in the Water' film

The Poszukiwacze.org Foundation has launched a search for Roman Polanski’s lost camera. The device was lost in the waters of Lake Śniardwy 60 years ago, during the shooting of the film “Knife in the Water”.

The Polish treasure hunter group Poszukiwacze.org has launched an extremely interesting project. It is the search for Roman Polanski’s missing camera, which was lost in the waters of Lake Śniardwy. The task is not easy, as the camera has not been seen for 60 years.

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The device fell into the water in 1961 during the shooting of Roman Polanski’s feature film debut , Knife in the Water.

The production was full of all sorts of adventures and difficulties, visible only outside the film frame. One of the most interesting and dramatic events was the accidental drowning of a valuable camera. This event could have resulted in the cessation of work on the film. It was only thanks to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the crew that they managed to acquire a replacement camera and complete the filming. The original camera has never been found and, together with the eponymous knife, rests at the bottom of one of the Masurian lakes. – read on the website Poszukiwacze.org

Therefore, now, on the 60th anniversary of the film’s premiere, a group of searchers has decided to try to find the lost camera. If they succeed, the world of Polish cinematography will surely gain an extremely valuable monument.

The project organisers “A knife in the water – 60 years later” have divided it into parts. The first of them, members of the Poszukiwacze.org Foundation intend to carry out from 22-28 August 2021. According to available information, the project is to be carried out periodically. All this to – if luck allows – find the camera before the 60th anniversary of the film’s premiere, which falls on 9 March 2022.

On the occasion of the whole undertaking and taking advantage of the media reach it entails, the Poszukiwacze.org Foundation has issued an appeal to all witnesses of the making of the film “Nóż w Wodzie”. The idea is to provide information and all possible assistance in the attempt to find the missing objects.

From communist Poland to Hollywood

The psychological drama ‘Nóż w wodzie’ turned out to be an extremely successful production. The wonderful roles of Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka and Zygmunt Malanowicz will long be remembered by the audience. Beautiful cinematography and the charm of the Masurian lakes together with Krzysztof Komeda ‘s fantastic music created an unforgettable background for the whole story. The production was very well received abroad and the Oscar, Bafta and Golden Lion nominations undoubtedly opened the door to an international career for the director.