Product: Bunny Lake is Missing (1965)
Rating: 4.0
BUNNY LAKE: you'll enjoy this 60's moody drama
Having not seen this film since it came out in 1965, I was anxious to rediscover it. Turns out, my memory of it, after 40 years, had faded completely except for the fact that I did recall Noel Coward had a good cameo in it. (It's always fun to see people in films who are known primarily for something else. Watch Kay Thompson in FUNNY FACE for a top-drawer example of this!) The plot seems simple enough: Lynley's young daughter, Bunny, is missing on her first day of school in London. Is Lynley crazy? Does Bunny exist? Is Lynley's brother trying to protect her? What's going on? These questions are resolved somewhat jarringly at the end, but the ride is worthwhile. The black and white photography adds to the moodiness of the film, and check out the interesting Saul Bass titles. Then there's Keir Dullea as the brother. Ever since DAVID & LISA (one of my favorites), I've had trouble seeing him in most roles (my problem). He always looks to me like his nice features mask a very troubled mind underneath. This quality, however, serves him well in the BUNNY LAKE mystery. In fact, he reminds me (certainly not in appearance) of Willem Dafoe, an actor who probably can never effectively play a "normal" character. As for the acting in this picture, Lynley and Dullea aren't exactly Streep and Pacino, but they do okay. Some of the supporting performers, however, are just wonderful and really give the film a nice foundation. This picture is well worth the roughly one-hour-and-forty-five-minute run time. Wish there had been some extras on the DVD, but I'm happy someone even decided to put the thing on DVD in the first place.