Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965)

A woman reports that her young daughter is missing, but there seems to be no evidence that she ever existed.

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

John Mortimer (screenplay), Penelope Mortimer (screenplay)

Stars:

Keir Dullea, Carol Lynley, Laurence Olivier

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Laurence Olivier	...	Superintendent Newhouse
Carol Lynley	...	Ann Lake
Keir Dullea	...	Steven Lake
Martita Hunt	...	Ada Ford
Anna Massey	...	Elvira
Clive Revill	...	Andrews
Finlay Currie	...	Doll Maker
Lucie Mannheim	...	Cook
The Zombies	...	The Zombies
Noël Coward	...	Wilson
Adrienne Corri	...	Dorothy
Megs Jenkins	...	Sister
Delphi Lawrence	...	1st Mother
Jill Melford	...	Teacher
Suzanne Neve	...	2nd Mother

Storyline

Ann Lake has recently settled in England with her daughter, Bunny. When she goes to retrieve her daughter after the girl's first day at school, no one has any record of Bunny having been registered. When even the police can find no trace that the girl ever existed, they wonder if the child was only a fantasy of Ann's. When Ann's brother backs up the police's suspicions, she appears to be a mentally-disturbed individual. Are they right?

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Plot Keywords:

investigation | abduction | disappearance | reel to reel tape recorder | mother daughter relationship | 

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Taglines:

A conspiracy of madness

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bunny Lake ist verschwunden

Filming Locations:

Cannon Hall - 14 Cannon Place, Off East Heath Road, Hampstead, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wheel Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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.

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Goofs

Steven uses the fuel from the oil lamp to light the doll's hair on fire; but he should have burnt his hand when pulling off what should have been a very hot glass chimney from the top of the lamp.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Steven: She may be a few minutes late. Will you please wait for her?
Mover: Yes sir.
Mover: Thank you.

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Crazy Credits

The names in the opening credits are revealed by a hand tearing away parts of the black background as if it were paper, revealing the names printed beneath on a white background.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Dead Talk Back (1994)

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Soundtracks

Frère Jacques
French Traditional
Sung by the school pupils

User Reviews

More surprising than the outcome is how well Carol Lynley holds her own against Laurence Olivier!

Carol Lynley does some fabulous work here as American woman newly arrived in England whose little daughter is apparently kidnapped from school on her first day. The catch is, nobody knows the child and Lynley is having trouble proving she even exists! Terrific mystery from director Otto Preminger, an uneven filmmaker who does strong work just up to the finale (which is somewhat anti-climactic). Laurence Olivier is the police inspector on the case and he's very smooth, cunning and yet sympathetic to Lynley. There are some mod overtures which seem misplaced, and Noël Coward has a gratuitous bit as Carol's drunken landlord (and BBC celebrity!), yet the film does have many sharp bits of minute detail, intriguing and funny supporting characters, terrific cinematography and locations. Does it all add up? No, but it's inscrutable fun nevertheless. *** from ****