TinsHeadline Touches You

ThiefHott Too much of everything

Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

seymourblack-1 Saul Bass' opening credits and Paul Glass' jazzy score set the tone for this psychological thriller about the disappearance of a little girl and the police investigation that follows. The atmosphere is dark, unsettling and tense and is beautifully enhanced by Denys N Coop's magnificent cinematography. There's something undeniably perverse about the behaviours of many of the story's characters and this not only complicates the investigation but also increases the number of potential suspects.After arriving in London from the United States, single mother Ann Lake (Carol Lynley) takes her 4-year-old daughter, Bunny, to be enrolled at a local nursery. With no staff members available to receive the new pupil, Ann enters the kitchen and informs the grumpy German cook that she's leaving the child in the building's "First Day Room" and rushes off to meet the removal men who are waiting to move her possessions into the apartment that she's due to share with her journalist brother, Steven (Keir Dullea). Later that day, when she goes back to the "Little People's Garden School" she's horrified to discover that Bunny has disappeared and none of the staff seem very helpful or indeed, willing to take any responsibility. Ann turns to Steven for help and after he carries out a search of the building, they decide to call the police.Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Newhouse (Laurence Olivier) is assigned to the case and discovers that no-one at the nursery remembers seeing the little girl and the cook has quit her job. Furthermore,when one of his detectives goes with Steven to his apartment to get a photograph of the missing girl, they find that all Bunny's belongings have mysteriously disappeared. This leads Newhouse to question whether Bunny actually exists and when he's informed that, as a child, Ann had an imaginary playmate, also called Bunny, he starts to have doubts about Ann's mental state.Ann feels frustrated about not being able to prove that Bunny exists until she remembers that she has a receipt for one of the girl's dolls which she'd taken to a nearby shop for repair. When she succeeds in collecting the doll, things suddenly become more sinister in a way that shocks her but eventually enables the mystery surrounding Bunny's disappearance to be solved.The eccentricities of the characters in this movie, provide a great deal of interest for its audience as well as providing the actors with some colourful roles that they're able to exploit to the full. Ada Ford (Marita Hunt) is the retired co-founder of the nursery who lives (seemingly as a recluse) in an attic room where she spends her time researching and writing about her rather unhealthy interest in children's nightmares. Ann's creepy landlord Horatio Wilson (Noel Coward) is an alcoholic, masochist and radio broadcaster who, despite being gay, still hits on her and tries to impress her with his "melodious voice". Superintendent Newhouse is thoughtful, reserved and methodical in his work and also recognises that Ann and Steven's relationship seems more like that of a married couple rather than that of a typical brother and sister. The acting performances are all of the highest calibre and enormously enjoyable to watch."Bunny Lake Is Missing" didn't receive the critical or commercial success it deserved at the time of its initial release but has achieved greater recognition since. It certainly does well at evoking the period in which it's set and in this connection, the three songs contributed by "The Zombies" are both important and great to hear again.

Syl Lord Laurence Olivier plays the detective in a missing child case. Carol Lynley plays Ann Lake, the mother, who does an excellent job especially towards the end of the film. Keir Dullea plays the strange Uncle Steven Lake. Sir Noel Coward has a small supporting role as the landlord. There are plenty of familiar British faces like Anna Massey, Martita Hunt, Clive Revill, and others in this film. The black and white does wonders in creating the mystery surrounding Bunny Lake. You wonder what the film is about and is stunned to learn the truth. It's a strange title but the film is actually first rate with all star cast. Carol Lynley does hold her own against powerhouse Olivier and against Dullea. I love the London locations on film. The film is a gem in British film history.

ma-cortes Suspenseful film that will have you on the edge of your seat until an amazing finale . Intriguing film is packed with thrills , suspense , plot twists , and results to be quite entertaining . An American woman (Carol Lynley) and her brother (Keir Dullea) report that her young daughter is missing from a nursery kindergarten , but there seems to be no evidence that she ever existed . As the main trouble the police led by a cunning inspector (Laurence Olivier) and his helper (Clive Revill) soon face is : Does the child really exist? . No one admitted while the clock is ticking! Stirring as well as exciting yarn packs intense drama , thrills , suspense , puzzled events , twists and turns . This is a suspenseful flick that really thrills . The atmosphere and perverse intrigue enhance as well as the relationship among protagonist develops . From start to finish the intrigue and thrilling scenes are continuous till a striking ending . Penélope and John Mortimer's script along with uncredited Ira Levin is plenty of enjoyable incidentals and interesting events . Screenplay does something strange by the end : it actually removes the stakes of everything that came before with its surprising revelation that had been built up by that point about the strange missing . Very good cast gives perfect interpretation such as Laurence Olivier as an obstinate cop , Carol Lynley at her best , as an unsettling mother , though 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 ; furthermore , Keir Dullea as the suspect brother . Very good support cast such as Clive Revill as an intelligent deputy , Noel Coward as a drunken old intellectual with a vast collection of sadistic-looking sculptures d'art , Finlay Currie as a doll maker who undergoes surgery at a macabre dolls' hospital , Anna Massey as a nursery attendant and Martita Hunt as a nutty old mistress who records childhood's fantasies . Plus , other Brit secondaries in brief appearances as Adrienne Corri and Percy Herbert . Evocative and adequate photography in black and white by professional cinematographer Denis Coop . Atmospheric and appropriate musical score by composer Paul Glass . A remake to this film was planned during the period of 2007-2009 , Reese Witherspoon was attached to the project which was ultimately shelved. This engrossing , riveting picture was effective and compellingly directed by Otto Preminger . At the beginning he became a stage director and subsequently a notorious secondary actor . Otto directed several films , nowadays many of them are considered as classic movies . He made ¨Laura¨ that was released in 1944 and Preminger ranked as one of the top directors in the world . He realized all kind of genres as Court drama such as the great success ¨Anatomy of a murder¨, ¨Court martial of Billy Mitchell¨ , Noir film as ¨Laura¨ which made him an A-list director in Hollwyood , ¨Angel Face¨ , ¨Man with a golden arm¨, Religious drama as ¨The Cardinal¨ , Musical as ¨Porgy and Bess¨, ¨Carmen Jones¨ , Western as ¨River with no return¨ and historical as ¨Saint Joan¨, ¨Exodus¨ though also had some flop as ¨Rosebud¨ getting scathing reviews , though with ¨The human factor¨ won him respectful notices . However , his powers began to wane after and by the end of the decade of the 60s he was considered washed-up . ¨Bunny Lake is missing¨ resulted to be one of the his best films . Rating : Better than average . Worthwhile watching .

George Wright A new neighbourhood, inhabited by strange people, is not the place where you want to discover that your child is missing. That is what happens to Ann Lake, performed by Carol Lynley, as the mother of Bunny Lake, the missing child. She is close to a brother named Stephen, Keir Dullea, who immediately rushes to her side when the child goes missing. There is little help from the school and the eccentric characters like the founder of the school Martita Hunt, and the alcoholic landlord, played by Noel Coward, are hardly any consolation. The one source of some comfort is a professional inspector named Newhouse, played by Laurence Olivier. He brings police officers and police dogs to the scene and tries to calm the mother as he gathers the facts. It doesn't help that no one has seen Bunny besides Stephen and Ann. The atmosphere becomes more strained as the story continues and there seems to be no answer to the question as to where Bunny has disappeared. The rambling school house is a nightmare for finding a lost child with many rooms, hidden passages and cupboards. Adding to the confusion is the fact that the frenetic activity of the mother early in the day meant that there was only indirect contact with the school staff and no recognition of who the child actually was. After the taut and gripping atmosphere, the ending is disappointing. However, this does not mar the impact of the movie. Director Otto Preminger skilfully created this gut-wrenching nightmare of a parent with a missing child. Keira Dullea and Carol Lynley both give exceptional performances. Olivier, as the rock solid inspector, is superb. The supporting cast mentioned above as well as Luci Mannheim, Finlay Currie and Anna Massey are excellent. This is not a comfortable movie to watch but a movie that takes us out of our comfort zone is a good recommendation for this haunting movie.