Bunny Lake Is Missing 1965
7.3 / 10
Bunny Lake Is Missing
A woman reports that her young daughter is missing, but there seems to be no evidence that she ever existed.
A woman reports that her young daughter is missing, but there seems to be no evidence that she ever existed.
Videos & Photos
All 1 Videos & 16 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Ann Lake
... Supt. Newhouse
... Stephen Lake
... Ada Ford
... Elvira Smollett
... Sergeant Andrews
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews23 Jun 2021 by John Chard
Just out of reach. Bunny Lake is Missing is directed by Otto Preminger and adapted to screenplay by John & Penelope Mortimer from the novel of the same name written by Marryam Modell (AKA: Evelyn Piper). It stars Laurence Olivier, Carol Lynley, Keir Dullea, Martita Hunt & Noel Coward. Music is by Paul Glass and cinematography by Denys N. Coop. 1960s Brit Pop combo The Zombies also feature in the film. Ann Lake (Lynley) turns up at her daughter's school to collect her after her first day there, but nobody has any recollection of ever having seen the four year old... It was a film that irked Otto Preminger, he was never happy with the finished product, this even after changing the ending from the one in the novel and relocating the story from New York to London. Yet time has been very kind to the film, after re-evaluations from auteurist critics the film has found a sturdy fan-base, giving it cult classic status and a reputation as a sleeper classic of its type. You feel that with its thematic links to Hitchcock's Psycho, Preminger wanted to make a film worthy of being in the same league as Hitch's classic. Certainly the marketing for the film lends one to think the makers wanted to be compared with it, that it of course isn't on a par with Psycho is a given, otherwise it would be more well known. But it's a damn fine picture, stitched together impeccably by Preminger, film holds attention and intrigue from Saul Bass' nifty opening credit sequence, right to the eerie denouement. Here we go round the mulberry bush, The mulberry bush, The mulberry bush. Here we go round the mulberry bush on a cold and frosty morning. With real London locations used and Coop's pin sharp black and white (shadowy) photography tight to the unsettling mood, story carries an air of psychological discord about it. The mystery element is strong, and this coupled with the edgy, near unhealthy, relationship between Ann and her brother Stephen (Dullea), makes for a "shifting in your seat" experience. Then there's the small matter of Noel Coward as Horatio Wilson, creepy landlord extraordinaire, he may not be in it for much, but the impression made creeps the flesh. Slotted into the tight narrative are scenes that the likes of Hitchcock, Welles and Kubrick would be proud of, where Preminger calls on his film noir know how to feverishly glide around a doll shop and track his actors as they cavort around a children's garden play area. All topped off by the supreme performance of Olivier as analytical Superintendent Newhouse, a man calm and versed in psychology, he is the perfect contrast to the hysteria and borderline mania that surrounds him. Is it Hitchcockian? As some critics have called it? Well yes it is, but not overtly so, it has closer links in tone and narrative thrust to under seen British thrillers like Don't Talk to Strange Men (1962) and Taste of Fear (1961). Is it flawless? No! Dullea is way too animated, some character reactions to situations are eyebrow-raising and Paul Glass' score is at times maddeningly wrong for the mood sequence it accompanies. But they are problems easily forgivably when taking the film as a whole. 8.5/10
Release Date:
Oct 03, 1965 (United Kingdom)
Run Time:
1hr 47`
MMPA Rating:
NR
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United Kingdom
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
Bunny Lake Is Missing
Just out of reach. Bunny Lake is Missing is directed by Otto Preminger and adapted to screenplay by John & Penelope Mortimer from the novel of the same name written by Marryam Modell (AKA: Evelyn Piper). It stars Laurence Olivier, Carol Lynley, Keir Dullea, Martita Hunt & Noel Coward. Music is by Paul Glass and cinematography by Denys N. Coop. 1960s Brit Pop combo The Zombies also feature in the film. Ann Lake (Lynley) turns up at her daughter's school to collect her after her first day there, but nobody has any recollection of ever having seen the four year old... It was a film that irked Otto Preminger, he was never happy with the finished product, this even after changing the ending from the one in the novel and relocating the story from New York to London. Yet time has been very kind to the film, after re-evaluations from auteurist critics the film has found a sturdy fan-base, giving it cult classic status and a reputation as a sleeper classic of its type. You feel that with its thematic links to Hitchcock's Psycho, Preminger wanted to make a film worthy of being in the same league as Hitch's classic. Certainly the marketing for the film lends one to think the makers wanted to be compared with it, that it of course isn't on a par with Psycho is a given, otherwise it would be more well known. But it's a damn fine picture, stitched together impeccably by Preminger, film holds attention and intrigue from Saul Bass' nifty opening credit sequence, right to the eerie denouement. Here we go round the mulberry bush, The mulberry bush, The mulberry bush. Here we go round the mulberry bush on a cold and frosty morning. With real London locations used and Coop's pin sharp black and white (shadowy) photography tight to the unsettling mood, story carries an air of psychological discord about it. The mystery element is strong, and this coupled with the edgy, near unhealthy, relationship between Ann and her brother Stephen (Dullea), makes for a "shifting in your seat" experience. Then there's the small matter of Noel Coward as Horatio Wilson, creepy landlord extraordinaire, he may not be in it for much, but the impression made creeps the flesh. Slotted into the tight narrative are scenes that the likes of Hitchcock, Welles and Kubrick would be proud of, where Preminger calls on his film noir know how to feverishly glide around a doll shop and track his actors as they cavort around a children's garden play area. All topped off by the supreme performance of Olivier as analytical Superintendent Newhouse, a man calm and versed in psychology, he is the perfect contrast to the hysteria and borderline mania that surrounds him. Is it Hitchcockian? As some critics have called it? Well yes it is, but not overtly so, it has closer links in tone and narrative thrust to under seen British thrillers like Don't Talk to Strange Men (1962) and Taste of Fear (1961). Is it flawless? No! Dullea is way too animated, some character reactions to situations are eyebrow-raising and Paul Glass' score is at times maddeningly wrong for the mood sequence it accompanies. But they are problems easily forgivably when taking the film as a whole. 8.5/10
Cast & Crew of
Bunny Lake Is Missing
Directors & Credit Writers
Cast
... Ann Lake
... Supt. Newhouse
... Stephen Lake
... Ada Ford
... Elvira Smollett
... Sergeant Andrews
... The Doll Maker
... Horatio Wilson
... The Cook
... Dorothy
... Sister
... 1st Mother
... Teacher
... 2nd Mother
... Shipping Clerk
SA
Suky Appleby... Felicia
... Cabbie
... Mover
... Policeman at Station
... Hospital Attendant
Produced By
Videos & Photos of
Bunny Lake Is Missing
Videos ( 1)
Photos ( 16 )
Related Movies To
Bunny Lake Is Missing
The Amateur (2025)
0 /10
After his life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack, a brilliant but introverted CIA decoder takes matters into his own hands when his supervisors refuse to take action.
Run Time: 2hr 3` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 09 Apr 2025
Director: James Hawes , Svetlana Punte
Producer: Dan Wilson , Rami Malek , Martin Ware
Stars: Rami Malek , Rachel Brosnahan , Caitríona Balfe , Laurence Fishburne , Jon Bernthal , Holt McCallany
STRAW (2025)
0 /10
What will be her last straw? A devastatingly bad day pushes a hardworking single mother to the breaking point — and into a shocking act of desperation.
Run Time: 1hr 45` . MMPA: R . Release: 05 Jun 2025
Director: Roger Berard , Tyler Perry , Diann Malcolm
Producer: Angi Bones , Kim Taylor-Coleman , Carole Wurst
Stars: Taraji P. Henson , Sherri Shepherd , Teyana Taylor , Sinbad , Rockmond Dunbar , Ashley Versher
The Accountant² (2025)
0 /10
When an old acquaintance is murdered, Wolff is compelled to solve the case. Realizing more extreme measures are necessary, Wolff recruits his estranged and highly lethal brother, Brax, to help. In partnership with Marybeth Medina, they uncover a deadly conspiracy, becoming targets of a ruthless network of killers who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.
Run Time: 2hr 13` . MMPA: R . Release: 23 Apr 2025
Director: Fernando Chien , Gavin O'Connor , Alina Gatti
Producer: Scott LaStaiti , Dani Bernfeld , Wes Hagan
Stars: Ben Affleck , Jon Bernthal , J.K. Simmons , Cynthia Addai-Robinson , Daniella Pineda , Allison Robertson
Final Destination Bloodlines (2025)
0 /10
Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.
Run Time: 1hr 50` . MMPA: R . Release: 14 May 2025
Director: Morgan Beggs , Matt Babinec , Dominic Dobrzensky
Producer: Amy Costa , Dianne McGunigle , Talon Vaillancourt
Stars: Tony Todd , Melissa Barrera , Renata Vaca , Anna Lore , Quintessa Swindell , Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Sinners (2025)
0 /10
Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
Run Time: 2hr 18` . MMPA: R . Release: 16 Apr 2025
Director: Amir R. Khan , Ryan Coogler , Gio Paredes-Utforskare
Producer: Will Greenfield , Chrissy Rosman , Ludwig Göransson
Stars: Michael B. Jordan , Jack O'Connell , Delroy Lindo , Jayme Lawson , Wunmi Mosaku , Hailee Steinfeld
Clown in a Cornfield (2025)
0 /10
Quinn and her father have just moved to the quiet town of Kettle Springs hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she discovers a fractured community that has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down. As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time.
Run Time: 1hr 36` . MMPA: R . Release: 08 May 2025
Director: Puneet Chawla , Eli Craig , Douglas Mitchell
Producer: Marty Bowen , Carrie Wilkins , Georges Bermann
Stars: Aaron Abrams , Katie Douglas , Carson MacCormac , Cassandra Potenza , Verity Marks , Bradley Sawatzky
Out of Exile (2023)
0 /10
Recently paroled thief Gabriel Russell tries to balance his life and mend a troubled family as an FBI agent hunts him down, along with his crew after a botched armored car robbery.
Run Time: 1hr 47` . MMPA: R . Release: 20 Jan 2023
Director: Kyle Kauwika Harris
Producer: Jacob Snovel , Karrie Cox , Kelley Gann
Stars: Adam Hampton , Karrie Cox , Kyle Jacob Henry , Ryan Merriman , Peter Greene , Hayley McFarland
Ballerina (2025)
0 /10
Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Eve Macarro begins her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.
Run Time: 2hr 5` . MMPA: R . Release: 04 Jun 2025
Director: Matej Kricner , Len Wiseman , Chad Stahelski
Producer: Basil Iwanyk , Keanu Reeves , Louise Rosner-Meyer
Stars: Ana de Armas , Ian McShane , Anjelica Huston , Norman Reedus , Keanu Reeves , Lance Reddick
Crypto Legacy (2020)
2.5 /10
Troy Morgan doesn't like his family's farm. The place creeps him out. After spotting some strange lights one evening, Troy and his little sister Carrie go to investigate the creepy barn.
Run Time: 1hr 11` . MMPA: . Release: 01 Oct 2020
Director: Charles Townsend
Producer: Charles Townsend
Stars: Sheri Gill Dixon , Brian Kunz , Brandon Young , Nathaniel Barton , Linzi Gray , Thalia Reynolds
A Working Man (2025)
0 /10
Levon Cade left behind a decorated military career in the black ops to live a simple life working construction. But when his boss's daughter, who is like family to him, is taken by human traffickers, his search to bring her home uncovers a world of corruption far greater than he ever could have imagined.
Run Time: 1hr 56` . MMPA: R . Release: 26 Mar 2025
Director: Kelly Maracin Krieg , David Ayer , Tom White
Producer: David Ayer , Alexis Garcia , Jason Statham
Stars: Jason Statham , David Harbour , Michael Peña , Jason Flemyng , Arianna Rivas , Noemi Gonzalez
Remnant (2024)
0 /10
Grace is a young woman whose life has been turned upside down by tragedy. When she returns home to the family farm to rebuild her shattered life, her world begins to unravel as a series of strange events haunt her, pushing Grace to the edge of madness. A mysterious figure lurks in the shadows and a ghostly woman appears in the darkness of night. Is Grace imagining these apparitions, or are they a warning of a nightmare still to come?
Run Time: 1hr 52` . MMPA: . Release: 30 Jun 2024
Director: Mike Horan
Producer:
Stars: Nicole Pritchard , Shaun Robert Foley , Tsu Shan Chambers , Remi Webster , Megan Bell , Martin Ashley Jones
Shadow Force (2025)
0 /10
Kyrah and Isaac were once the leaders of a multinational special forces group called Shadow Force. They broke the rules by falling in love, and in order to protect their son, they go underground. With a large bounty on their heads, and the vengeful Shadow Force hot on their trail, one family's fight becomes all-out war.
Run Time: 1hr 43` . MMPA: R . Release: 01 May 2025
Director: James Bitonti , Juan Pablo Rico Gómez , Joe Carnahan
Producer: Sterling K. Brown , Karen Suárez , Kerry Washington
Stars: Mark Strong , Kerry Washington , Omar Sy , Da'Vine Joy Randolph , Method Man , Ed Quinn