Product: Bunny Lake is Missing (1965)
Rating: 5.0
A Hitchcockian, first class mystery
This suspenseful, underrated classic directed by Otto Preminger is filled with many unexpected plot twists as well as unexpectedly convincing acting (Keir Dullea in particular). The movie is about an American brother (Steve) and sister (Anne) who have just moved to England. Anne has a young daughter, Bunny, who Steve enrolls in a local preschool. It is when Anne goes to pick up Bunny that the madness begins. Bunny can be found nowhere by teachers or policemen and there is no record of her existence, even at Anne's apartment. Both Anne and Steve remain calm as a detective (Laurence Olivier) investigates Bunny's disappearance. However, after no traces whatsoever are found of Bunny even the detetcitve begins to believe that Anne is insane. After this point, any viewer of the film will begin to question himself if Anne is mad. But I, perosnally, questioned if perhaps Steve was mad, or the teachers at the school...?Two additonal small things to watch for in this film are a brief appearance by the British invasion group "The Zombies" and a small role by Noel Coawrd as Anne's eccentric, creepy landlord.This film, with the slow buildup and thrilling climax that usually characterize a Hitchcock film, will completely surprise you from beginning to end!