Yesterday I was reunited with the adult British film “The Deep Blue Sea” which I hadn’t seen since I was 15 in Spokane’s stately State Theater as a second feature with mom and dad. One scene which has haunted me for years is when Vivien Leigh contemplates suicide by putting coins in a gas heater (which is a very British thing). This London Film deals with adultery and also features Kenneth More. Advertising for the movie advises “not suitable for children” although there was no nudity. No doubt Julia Ormond created her Vivien look in “My Week with Marilyn” after seeing this film.
Also from Great Britain is the wonderfully twisted 1965 film noir “Bunny Lake is Missing” with Laurence Olivier, Carol Lynley and Keir Dullea. Almost from the start there is a sense of impending doom where a toddler disappears in a crowded bedlam like day school. Subsequent scenes in the dark basement of a doll shop and on city streets add to the nightmare. British playwright and actor Noel Coward adds to the creepiness as the demented landlord in this Otto Preminger film. Martita Hunt is great as the daffy head mistress of the school. It’s a must see for film noir fans. Cable TV subscribers can see it next month on TCM.
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