![]() The Phantom has again stolen the pink panther diamond, and only Clouseau can catch him… or her, as the case turns out to be. Seller’s bizarre-o “French” accent has changed, too, becoming much harder to understand-a joke initiated by Alan Arkin (Arkin was also the first to wear the Inspector’s now-signature hat and trench coat). The Return of the Pink Panther (1975, Edwards) **** Picks up where 1968’s Inspector Clouseau left off: with Clouseau busted down in rank from inspector to beat cop. Also, no Blake Edwards and no Henry Mancini-but it's an official Mirisch Films production, with animated titles by DePatie-Freling, so it is cannon. I loved Alan Arkin in The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! but his Clouseau didn’t work for me. As a kid I tried several times to watch this one on the late shows, but it’s not very good-not good enough for a kid to stay up late watching, anyway, not even a kid as crazy about Inspector Clouseau as I was in those days. Inspector Clouseau (1968, directed by Bud Yorkin, who went on to revolutionize the sitcom in America by forming Tandem Productions with Norman Lear also directed The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973) with Ryan O’Neal) UNRATED-no stars because I’ve never been able to watch the damn thing. This is the movie that introduces the supporting cast of Chief Inspector Dreyfus and Clouseau’s houseboy, Cato. Arguably one of the funniest movies ever made. The sex in this case is provided by Elke Sommer ( Casino Royale, 1967). So there’s more slapstick than in the original-but just as much sex farce. Featuring David Niven’s elegance and grace, and the timeless beauty of Claudia Cardinale and Capucine, The Pink Panther is the kind of movie that will pause for a gratuitous musical interlude just because the song is cool and the singer is smoking hot.Ī Shot in the Dark (1964, Edwards) **** Based on a French play (which did not feature Clouseau), re-written for the screen by William Peter Blatty ( The Exorcist), there’s no pink panther in this one: it’s a murder mystery featuring Peter Sellers’ breakout character, Inspector Jacques Cousteau. Director Blake Edwards was already famous for TV’s “Peter Gunn,” and the feature films Operation Petticoat and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. A sophisticated sex farce/caper comedy with an all-star cast. The Pink Panther (1963, Blake Edwards) **** The original, and still the best. I’ll start off the discussion with a chronological list of each and every film in the series, along with my own biased thumbnail review. There are good physical set-pieces, and also some overlapping cast members. The Pink Panther film series has a lot in common with the Bond movies: it is nearly as old as the Bond series, has equally memorable musical themes, and has also survived multiple recasting efforts. I'm creating this “Pink Panther Thread” in order not to derail “You Favorite Films?” thread with a bunch of Pink Panther chatter.
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