Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965)

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Marryam Modell (novel)
John Mortimer (writer) ...

Release Date:

3 October 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

No one admitted while the clock is ticking!

Plot:

A woman reports that her young daughter is missing, but there seems to be no evidence that she ever existed.

Plot Keywords:

England | Passenger Ship | School Child | Movers | Child Care Center

Awards:

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Laurence Olivier	...	Supt. Newhouse
Carol Lynley	...	Ann Lake
Keir Dullea	...	Stephen Lake
Martita Hunt	...	Ada Ford
Anna Massey	...	Elvira Smollett
Clive Revill	...	Sergeant Andrews
Lucie Mannheim	...	The Cook
Finlay Currie	...	Doll-maker
Rod Argent	...	Himself (as The Zombies)
Paul Atkinson	...	Himself (as The Zombies)
Colin Blunstone	...	Himself (as The Zombies)
Hugh Grundy	...	Himself (as The Zombies)
Chris White	...	Himself (as The Zombies)
Noel Coward	...	Horatio Wilson (as Noël Coward)
Adrienne Corri	...	Dorothy

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (f) (original version) | West Germany:12 (f) (cut version) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Cannon Hall - 14 Cannon Place, Off East Heath Road, Hampstead, London, England, UK

Company:

Wheel Productions

Trivia:

Columbia Pictures wanted Otto Preminger to cast Jane Fonda as Ann Lake, who was eager to play the role, but Preminger insisted upon using Carol Lynley.

Quotes:

Doll-maker: This doll had almost been loved to death. You know, love inflicts the most terrible injuries on my small patients.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Dead Talk Back (#7.3)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Just Out of Reach

Good, Underrated Thriller from Preminger

I'm not a huge fan of Preminger - many of his films from 1950 forward are pretty bad (e.g. "Saint Joan," "Exodus," "In Harms Way," "Hurry, Sundown") or don't date well (e.g. "Man With The Golden Arm," "Such Good Friends").

But "Bunny Lake Is Missing" is a bright spot in his later work. I first saw this on TV back in the early 70's and then again in a 16mm pan-and-scan print - and enjoyed it. But it wasn't until I saw it in a 35mm widescreen print that I could appreciate Preminger's expert use of the widescreen space, which gave "Bunny Lake" added dimension.

"Bunny Lake" isn't a great thriller, but it's a good one. The story itself doesn't rise above a certain amount of contrivance, but the performances are mostly solid enough to keep you glued to the screen until the suspenseful climax. Best are Olivier, beautifully restrained as the chief inspector, Lynley as the frantic heroine, and Martita Hunt as the eccentric owner of the school where Bunny first goes missing. As Lynley's brother whose feelings for his sister are almost incestuous, Kier Dullea does well walking a tightrope between normal brotherly concern and something darker, but occasionally overdoes his role.

Unfortunately, Preminger can't help but indulge his desire to titillate and shock with the character played by Noel Coward. Watching the playwright/actor caress his face with a leather whip handle (a scene not in the original novel, I believe), is a piece of vulgarity that will produce more adolescent giggles than gasps.