BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING.

UK, 1965, 107 minutes, Black and white.
Laurence Olivier, Carol Lynley, Keir Dullea, Martita Hunt, Anna Massey, Clive Revell, Lucie Mannheim, Finlay Currie, Noel Coward, Adrienne Corri, Victor Maddern, Percy Herbert.
Directed by Otto Preminger.

Bunny Lake is Missing is a superior police investigation mystery. Set in England, and written by veteran Penelope Mortimer, it focuses on a mother who comes to search for her little girl to take her home from school. There is no evidence that the girl ever existed. However, the mother’s brother gives testimony that she did.

What follows is a very interesting, even literate screenplay in developing character, exploring the mystery, truth, fantasy and reality.

Laurence Olivier has a very good and substantial role as the police investigator. Carol Lynley is the mother and Keir Dullea her brother. There is a very strong supporting British cast of character names from the 50s and 60s. Noel Coward also appears. The music is by The Zombies – who also appear as themselves.

The film is directed by Otto Preminger, a former actor, who emerged in the 1940s in Hollywood as a strong director, especially with a similar kind of mystery, Laura. Preminger was noted for his clashes with the production code in 1953 with The Moon is Blue and in 1966 with Hurry Sundown. Towards the end of his career, especially in the 60s, he made a number of big-budget spectacles including Exodus and The Cardinal.

1. How successful a thriller was this? How successful a mystery? What were its best thriller? mystery ingredients?

2. The importance of the credits, the clue of the title?

3. How do films like this play with their audiences? In terms of puzzle, suspense? How successfully did the film manipulate audience thinking and feeling? The impact of the ending?

4. How did the film use the contrast between appearances and reality? Truth and lies? Madness and sanity? Convincingly? What insight into these did the film give?

5. How much did the film rely on atmosphere rather than plausibility? How did it build atmosphere with the initial rush and the school? Establishing the characters of Anne and Stephen? Getting the police on the scene? Making audiences forget the implausibilities? The importance of black and white photography, London locations, the music. the ironic dialogue etc.?

6. How well did the film establish the relationship between Anne and Stephen? Anne seeming mad and Stephen practical? The role of Bunny? Anne's imaginary Bunny and Stephen's version of this? The real Bunny? How did the relationship manifest itself towards the end? Stephen's cruelty and hurting Anne, Anne's relying on games and taking charge of Stephen? Why was Stephen obsessed? Was this explained well? His jealousy of the imaginary Bunny, his jealousy of the real Bunny? The eeriness of the games at the end? Stephen's madness and Anne's skill? How central was this to the success of the whole film

7. The importance of Inspector Newhouse? Laurence Olivier's personality and style? Why did he not believe Anne? What made him change his mind? Comment on the detail in the police investigations, the style in which they were filmed? Newhousels interrogations and searchings, his meal with Anne etc. The picture of the assistant police doing their job?

8. The importance of the atmosphere of the school? The harassed nature of Elvira? The threats to the reputation of the school by Stephen? The search far Bunny? The eeriness of Miss Ford and her recordings, her conversation with Stephen, with the police? The disappearance of the cook? The strange coincidences?

9. How did small scenes contribute to audience response and to the thrust forward of the thriller? The sequences with Miss Ford, the character of Mr Wilson and the eccentricity of Noel Coward, the eccentric humour
and menace? The importance of the sequence where Anne recovers the doll's ticket, the doll shop? The sequence in the pub with the television and the Zombies singing? The finality of the games between Stephen, Bunny and Anne?

10. How real did the film seem? How unreal? Did this seem important?

11. How much did the film rely on audience response to mothers, children, searches, police, madness?