MovieChat Forums > Bunny Lake Is Missing (1966) Discussion > A Peculiar and Stilted Film

A Peculiar and Stilted Film

posted 16 years ago by Schmoozette
15 replies | jump to latest

I just finished watching "Bunny Lake" for the first time, and not only was it unsuspenseful, I experienced the worst feeling one can with a film--BOREDOM! I don't really understand why Otto Preminger had such prestige in Hollywood. He had a lousy sense of timing, and could turn any interesting story (such as "Anatomy of a Murder") into an ill-timed, finger-tapping, yawning stretch. The acting was fakey, the plot turns made no sense whatsover, Olivier was completely wasted (and seemed embarrassed, to boot), Keir Dullard did his typical weirdo character, and the resolution was laughably ridiculous. Moreover, what was with Noel Coward's character? Ye gads, was he supposed to be a red herring, possibly a suspect, because he was a lascivious oddball? Why didn't the police interview him as a routine matter when they first went to the apartment? Well--at least it had the Zombies (although I don't know how that happened), and they're the only good thing in the film!

[–] mistresszhivago 16 years ago

Schmoozette, you hit the nail on the head! I couldn't describe it - but it was peculiar and stilting. The mother was weird. She seemed such a pushover - the freaky landlord would have caught a skillet to the head the first day. Her child is missing and he's talkin BS and trying to come on to her!!

It was so disjointed - could have really been a grand movie like Psycho had it been done properly.

I could tell early on there really was a child, but boy - Otto and the actors dragged this one into the ground!

I mean the scene in the pub when they changed the channel! I would have yelled - "Turn that back you ##@%%^!!! That's my daughter they're talking about!"

I lost brain cells on this one!

They are doing a remake in 2009 - should be interesting.

[–] wvmcl 16 years ago

What makes you think people in London in 1965 would react the same way you would? No British person of that era would dream of making a scene in a pub, and I don't think a naturally shy American visitor would either.

We can't judge films that take place in other times and places by current American standards of behavior. Our habit of emotionally acting out all the time has been fed by decades of schlocky TV shows.

[–] mistresszhivago 16 years ago

wvmcl...

Why is it every time it has to be about bashing America when a British film is on the plate? What does that have to do with it? Where are you from? Do you even know where I'm from? What does any of that have to do with the fact that it was poorly directed, written and acted?

LIFE LESSON: STUPIDITY IS UNIVERSAL... Although we Americans are pretty spiffy, we don't have the market cornered.

Whether the perfect Brits or other aliens like it or not.

SCENE from the movie:
1. The mother breaks a window to enter the house. The brother hears the window break, but has NO reaction to it whatsoever.

2. The mother runs in to discover that her deranged "dual personality" brother is the one who has taken her child for weeks and is now in front of her eyes planning to strangle the girl to death with his neck tie. She does nothing but stand there.

3. Mother/Sister realizes the brother is now his alter personality "Stevie" and I'll give her credit for trying to psych him out and go along with him. You always want to be nice to crazy when you're standing within arms reach...

4. She manages to get her daughter from him and run - here's the kicker...
SHE RUNS RIGHT PAST THE OPEN FRONT DOOR THAT SHE, HERSELF, JUST BROKE INTO AND TRIES TO GET INTO A LOCKED DOOR FURTHER INSIDE THE HOUSE - CAN'T FIND ANY UN-LOCKED DOORS DOWN Stairs, SO SHE RUNS UP Stairs!!!! NOT OUT THE FRONT DOOR AND OUT TO GET HELP.

Regardless of the time/year, place, continent - that's STUPID! I thought the film was peculiar and stilted and that's a nice way of putting it, so... Sod off you wanker!

[–] eugeneconniff-1 15 years ago

Dear, I think you win.

[–] grybop 8 years ago

I am not trying to defend this flawed film really, but there are flaws in your observations above.

1. The mother breaks a window to enter the house. The brother hears the window break, but has NO reaction to it whatsoever.

Odd indeed, but remember, this was a man who was about to kill a child and could be talked out of it in a split second, just by asking him to play hide-and-seek with you. In other words, you can't expect normal reactions from soneone who is not well in the head.

2. The mother runs in to discover that her deranged "dual personality" brother is the one who has taken her child for weeks and is now in front of her eyes planning to strangle the girl to death with his neck tie. She does nothing but stand there.

It seemed that it was not news to her, that her brother had a dual personality, and she very obviously knew how to handle him. Also, the child had not been abducted for weeks, but for a day.

4. She manages to get her daughter from him and run - here's the kicker...
SHE RUNS RIGHT PAST THE OPEN FRONT DOOR THAT SHE, HERSELF, JUST BROKE INTO AND TRIES TO GET INTO A LOCKED DOOR FURTHER INSIDE THE HOUSE - CAN'T FIND ANY UN-LOCKED DOORS DOWN Stairs, SO SHE RUNS UP Stairs!!!! NOT OUT THE FRONT DOOR AND OUT TO GET HELP.

I thought the exact same thing, but then I thought, No, THAT WAS NOT THE FRONT DOOR, was it?

It was the door to the back yard. The only way to get to the front door was to go through another door, which had been locked by "Stevie" just minutes earlier - which, naturally, was the first door she tried to open. Do watch the entire scene again when you get the chance.

[–] katydid579 16 years ago

I thought I'd try to watch this film again today. I have to admit, I have tried in the past and could just never get through the whole thing. I may not today, either. However, I just have to share something from my distant past about this film. My older brother would always get Mad Magazine and they did a parody of this movie. I don't remember much about it except Carol Lynley was ALWAYS crying (just like the movie)and in the end nobody cared about Bunny. It was quite funny. I believe they usually only parodied silly and self important movies. The Sand Piper with Richard Burton was another I vaguely recall. Gee, I hadn't thought of that in years.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jawebster2000 11 years ago

WOW! What a coincidence! Here it is, the last day of 2012 and thanks to my DVR and Turner Classic Movies, I started watching "The Sandpiper" two nights ago, got half way through it, then watched "Bunny Lake" last night. I stuck with Bunny to the end, but was disappointed in the ending. I may watch the rest of "The Sandpiper" tonight. Then again, I might not.

[–] PsychoDingo 11 years ago

don't you just love how instead of coming up with creative ways to defer the introduction of new facts to the case, they played the "oh wow, we conveniently forgot all about this" card...twice?

[–] zombi_catgrrl_from_planetx 15 years ago

Damn, guys...am I the only one who enjoyed this film?

I can understand it not being everyone's cup of tea, but I think you're all being a bit harsh.

Personally I found it to be completely captivating and although it was obvious that something was off with the brother and sister's relationship, I didn't think it was clear whether or not Bunny really existed. The end left me feeling pretty uneasy, though I'm not sure that "resolution" is the word I'd use. As far as Dullea not hearing the window breaking, or not responding rather, I think it's safe to say he was rather dellusional and obviously in some bizarre trance-like state.

at any rate, I enjoyed it...

www.myspace.com/scumbalinascinema

[–] Master_X_3_1_1 15 years ago

The first 15min were stilted a bit, but it got better and better there on in. And I think the purpose of some of the early scenes was to convey to the audience the feeling of frustration the characters were experiencing.

"No man is just a number"

[–] jhpen22 9 years ago

Spoilers.... Nobody saw the brother walk into the house from somewhere in the garden, stop the swing from moving, and pick up the doll? Put that together with how they "buried" the first, make believe, Bunny, and the movie is its own spoiler. It's not just telegraphed from the first scene, but Ann allows Mr. Wilson to try seducing her (that's believable?) and just sits there staring into space. Worse yet, she knows her brother is a nut case who resents being displaced by Bunny, but she never suspects him--until it's convenient for the movie maker. It's a pretty thoroughly botched job. There are only two good bits: the wise (and clever) old lady upstairs and the scenes in the doll hospital. I guess it's also pretty smart to have the police off following the lead about what ship they came on while the nonsense in the garden is going on: we don't know how Ann will get out of the mess alive, and with Bunny, but the second shoe drops when the cops show up having solved the case.

[–] jrhpax 8 years ago

I am not saying that "Bunny Lake" is without flaws, but I think it's a good movie with lots of pluses -- an original plot, many macabre characters and scenes, a wonderful look at 1960s London, great acting. It's an underrated and almost unknown Otto Preminger movie -- and I enjoyed it.

I recently watched "Hurry Sundown" for the first time; critics trashed it when it was first released, and yet I found it entertaining. I loved watching Jane Fonda, Faye Dunaway and Michael Caine in early roles, and the plot moved along. It's worth checking out.

[–] richard-III 8 years ago

Stilted, unnatural. Peculiar. YES!
That's what I LOVE about this film. Everything looks normal and bland, but something's not right. I was absorbed very quickly in the mystery when I first watched the movie. Who could she trust?

Later i watched it again, knowing the plot, and still got absorbed in the weird atmosphere. One of my favorite Otto Preminger movies.

-I don't discriminate between entertainment
and arthouse. A film is a goddam film.-

[–] liscarkat (16530) 2 years ago

So many people here didn't enjoy this movie. Oh well, too bad, so sad...their loss.