BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING (1965) Or is she?

BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING, a British thriller directed by Otto Preminger, is about a young American single mom (Carol Lynley) who has moved to London with her daughter Bunny. We never see the girl, even when she is supposedly left at a nursery school – and when she goes missing, we begin to wonder whether Bunny exists at all. On a desperate search around London, the increasingly hysterical mother has to deal with some peculiar types, not least, her own brother (Keir Duella). This black-and-white film has a surreal feel, and Preminger's Hitchcock-like approach leads to a gripping, if not unexpected, climax. No great acting by the American actors Lynley and Duella, who are pretty, but pretty bland compared to Brits Lawrence Oliver (as the suave police inspector) and Noel Coward (as, well, Noel Coward). Watching these two lions ply their considerable skills is a joy. Also wonderfully watchable are British actress Ada Ford, who plays an odd but knowing school owner, and in his final screen appearance, Scottish actor Finlay Currie, as a sweet old doll maker. Praise and positive notices failed to multiply when BUNNY came out, but today it's something of a cult film. (Movie note: Coward’s many bon mots belie his tiny part. For example, trying to seduce Lynley’s character and rebuffed, he utters smarmy-ingly, “Why return the bottle till you’ve had a taste of the wine?” *wink* *wink*.)