Feb. 10, 2011
35. Bunny Lake is Missing (1965)
Starring Laurence Olivier, Carol Lynley, Keir Dullea
Produced & Directed by Otto Preminger
Plot: “A woman reports that her young daughter is missing, but there seems to be no evidence that she ever existed.”
I didn’t really care for this one. Besides the multitude of plot holes, it seemed very drawn-out, and I never really got into the story. I understand that the tedious pacing could’ve been done in an effort to build the suspense, but to me it just came off as unskillful editing/writing. ***SPOILERS*** I never once doubted that Bunny Lake was real, so that may have been why I found myself a little bored. There are also some just plain weird sequences—like Noel Coward’s performance—that seem to be put in solely as red herrings. As for acting, Olivier seems rather wasted in a dry part; I think they could’ve done more with his talent—especially in the awkward conclusion. Dullea was adequate, at best, but Lynley seemed a little wooden in her line delivery. Over all, this isn’t a movie that I liked (in case you can’t tell. Lol)
P.S. Funny story: I really hate horror movies, so I made sure beforehand that this wasn’t one. It’s not (in case you’re interested, I would classify it as more of a mystery/suspense with an eerie atmosphere) however when I saw “Zombies” in the opening credits it caught me off guard. I quickly Googled it and found out that the Zombies were just a band featured in the film. Doh!
P.P.S. Keep in mind that I really don’t even know what I’m talking about when I critique ‘editing’ and ‘line delivery’. :P
