If aliens arrived on Earth and wanted to understand the meaning of the word 'creepy,' I'd show them 'Bunny Lake is Missing.' I'm just not sure where I'd find it. Tragically, Otto Preminger's 1965 psychological thriller is MIA, just like its titular character.
I was lucky enough to see this fantastic movie in a film class and again in our university's film series. In between those two viewings, I also watched it on a bootleg VHS copy (purchased from eBay by my friend Jen) which was useless since the black and white cinematography of BLIM is so ravishingly beautiful. 'Bunny Lake' was filmed on location in London in anamorphic 35 millimetre with an aspect ratio of 2.35 to 1. So, if you see it playing at your local art house cinema, you should be first in the queue to buy tickets. Otherwise, you just have to hope it will be released on DVD one of these days.
Ann Lake (Carol Lynley) is a young American who
has just moved to London. She drops her four-year-old daughter Bunny off at a daycare centre, but when Ann goes to pick up her daughter that afternoon, Bunny is nowhere to be found. Things go from bad to worse for Ann as the police who are called in to investigate the case begin to question her sanity and wonder if her daughter was just a figment of her imagination.
When Ann returns home to try to find some of Bunny's things to give to the police for the search, she finds that the girl's things have disappeared. None of the teachers at the school admit to having seeing Bunny either, as Ann dropped her off in a hurry and left her in the care of the cook. Thinking that Ann is insane, the police brush off the case, and Ann and Stephen Lake (Keir Dullea) are left to investigate on their own. Who is sane and who is crazy? What is real and what is imagined? First impressions often turn out to be completely wrong in this eerie tale.
The two top suspects in the case are the German cook in the nursery school, who quit that day after being left in charge of Bunny, and Ann and Stephen's extraordinarily creepy landlord Wilson (Noel Coward), whose flat is filled with sadomasochistic props and who speaks in riddles. Wilson has the keys to the Lakes' apartment and walks around with his Chihuahua, leaving African fertility masks around the house.
The only police officer who seems to believe that Bunny is a real girl is Superintendent Newhouse (Lawrence Olivier). In a memorable scene, Newhouse takes Ann out to a London pub and waxes philosophical as The Zombies play 'Just out of Reach' on the telly above the bar. The barman changes the channel from a news story on the missing girl to a Top of the Pops style program complete with screaming girls. Ultimately a scathing criticism of the coldness of modern society, 'Bunny Lake is Missing' shows that one cannot, in fact, rely on the kindness of strangers.
Stephen and Ann also interview a peculiar, witch-like old woman, who lives above the school. This retired teacher keeps tapes of children talking about their dreams, but can't provide any information regarding Bunny's whereabouts. She and Wilson both seem trapped in their own somewhat seedy worlds, and are remarkably calm in the face of the Lakes' crisis.
The old woman and the landlord's inflated performances are balanced by the understated acting of Lynley and Dullea, although Stephen gradually becomes more extreme as the film builds tension. Blonde Lynley seems slightly vacant and reminded me of the female characters in some of Alfred Hitchcock's films.
Desperate to prove that her daughter exists, Ann rushes to a doll hospital in SoHo. The ensuing scene is one of the most bizarre and disconcerting I have ever scene. The rows and rows of doll parts in a shop owned by a blind man epitomize creepy. This scene includes the first of two moments in the film that made many people in my film class scream audibly.
In this manipulative film about identity, you'll find, incest, innuendo, insanity, mod rockers, and characters that will make your hair stand on end. What more could you ask for?
UPDATE: Rumour has it that someone is going to remake 'Bunny Lake is Missing!' Unfortunately, it will star the insipid Reece Witherspoon, but I'm hoping that they'll re-release the original, as well.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: K.C. Bascombe - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jesse James, Rachel Skarsten, Charles Powell, Linda Purl, Kevin Zegars
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
This is a really good review. I have never heard of this film but i am going to hunt it down no matter how long it takes- it sounds like an amazing film. Jo xx
No_name 07.02.2004 10:39
I've seen BLIM at least twice and never sure if I like it or not. For Preminger it's certainly a bit of a curious film to make because it doesn't feel like any of his others; though I'll admit BLIM doesn't feel like an film anyone has ever made, which is certainly a positive trait, yet I always felt it was missing that special spark that makes an unusual film a great film, as it is with Pandora and the Flying Dutchman.
eve6kicksass 28.01.2004 11:57
I must watch this film now!!! I've heard of it, but mostly read mediocre reviews on it. Hey, since you love Beyond the Valley of the Dolls like me, then I'm sure I'll love this...not sure about a Reese Witherspooon remake, though i like most films she has done...I'll see if i can find it on Ebay....Superb op once again.....Chris xxx
May 2nd, 2003
(Nov 9th, 2003)
very helpful by (100%):
