Bunny Lake is Missing (1965)

Discussion of programming on TCM.
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Mr. Arkadin
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Bunny Lake is Missing (1965)

Post by Mr. Arkadin »

Not entirely true--she's on TCM tonight! 8) Anyone else catching this one?
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MissGoddess
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Post by MissGoddess »

I have the dvd which I watch fairly often but I will be watching "live" tonight!

I find it very unique. It's a delight to see Laurence Olivier as a tired policeman. A tired but so polite policeman. He's skeptical, but he's also kind in his own way. Like no other performance I've seen him in and it adds to my admiration for the skills of this grand Shakespearean, because it's so "quiet".

I think it's also Carole Lynley's best work by far. However, I'll add my comments on Keir after it's over. :wink:
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Post by SSO Admins »

And it's on the same night as Lepus. I sense a theme.
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MissGoddess
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Post by MissGoddess »

jondaris wrote:And it's on the same night as Lepus. I sense a theme.
Lol

I didn't even think of that before!
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mrsl
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Post by mrsl »

Keir Dullea and Tony Perkins, two peas cut out of the same pod. No wonder neither of them ever went very far in their careers. Their first few roles were all waackos, or gay (no criticism from me, just considering the times), they both started out when people thought if you played a role, you WERE that role.

I had seen Bunny Lake long ago but actually forgot the ending, don't ask me how I could possibly forget. I thought it was really good until she found out what was going on, then it became mechanical. She made dumb moves when playing the games with him. I don't care if he is her brother, or that he's sick, she had him blindfolded . . . . . . whack him over the head and knock him out for petes sake, he kidnapped your little girl! ! ! ! :cry:

Old Sir Laurence played a pretty good bobbie boss. There was only one scene where he seemed to not believe her, and the following scene proved he was still on it, but unfortunately, she didn't know it.

Keir looked really wild when he was burning that doll - wouldn't want to run into him on a dark night.

Carol was good except for her crying scene, she needed lessons in crying just like Doris Day always did.

I hope you all watched it, or taped it, it was worth it.

Anne
Anne


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MissGoddess
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Post by MissGoddess »

Keir has a strangeness on screen that tipped me off from the very start that he was behind the whole thing. That's the problem I have with his casting in the role. I think if someone who seemed more wholesome and normal had been cast, it would have been more interesting when the truth came out. I think Carole did a good job, though she's not a great actress. I wouldnt' be surprised if Otto had to terrorize that performance out of her.

The whole last part is very disturbing to me, I generally shut off the movie at this point. I'm with Anne that in a real situation, I would have gone to more violently extreme measures against him. And why didn't she just run out into the street instead UPSTAIRS? Ha ha! I guess there are so many thriller type movies that have these issues and it just goes to show you it's not that easy to write and direct scenes like that and keep them believable---yet keep them going long enough to fill out a movie.

I'm a little in love with Olivier as the detective. I never felt attracted very much to any of his characters except maybe his Maxim de Winter or Heathcliffe, but for some reason I think he's a doll here. He's so smart and seems lonely and kind of sad. He tries to treat Carole's character with some real kindness and compassion.
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Post by cascabel »

There might be plenty of flaws and holes in this movie, but it still manages to be deeply disturbing. It's all beautifully photographed, with wonderful performances by Olivier, Martita Hunt and Noel Coward. Ordinary things and people, who should make you feel safe, appear unreliable--schools, teachers, nurses, dolls. The indifference of pub patrons, landlords and bus drivers, the skepticism of police officers seem nightmarish instead of expected and natural. Not sure I'm remembering this right, but didn't Carol Lynley's character have to dress in front of the caged animals at the hospital? That can't be most people's everyday experience; but by the time she gets to this point, she doesn't expect anything to feel normal. No one seems to really know, like or believe the Lake family, so it's hard to blame her for clinging too long to her brother. This movie and Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte still scare me as much as they did when I was younger. They are studies of loneliness and fear.
MikeBSG
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Post by MikeBSG »

I like this movie a lot. I was lucky enough to see it on the big screen at the Cleveland Museum of Art around 20 years ago, and I was hooked.

One bit I like is when Noel Coward declares that he has the skull of the Marquis de Sade in his apartment, a reference to "The skull," a Peter Cushing-Christopher Lee movie from 1964.
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She's not there...

Post by benwhowell »

I was looking forward to watching it, but my cable was out that night. I think I may have a VHS copy (previously taped from TCM) somewhere(?)
Has it been released on DVD? Or VHS even?
I found a website once selling bootleg copies of several Preminger titles on DVD-for $15. I bought "Skidoo" and was very disappointed with the "transfer."
"Bunny Lake..." is one of my fave '60's "psycho" thrillers with bizarre sexual under/overtones-from one of my fave directors. Preminger was always ahead of his time.
I agree that it's probably Carol's best work.
I'll bet it was an interesting shoot with pros like Preminger, Olivier and Coward mixed with the "acting school" techniques of Carol and Dullea...and an "appearance" by The Zombies.
Also-I can't get enough of the opening credit sequences of Saul Bass.
Handsome Johnny Eck
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