  Peter Sellers: Inspector ClouseauChristopher Plummer: Sir Charles LittonCatherine Schell: [Lady] Claudine [Litton]Herbert Lom: Chief Inspector DreyfusWriter (Screenplay): Frank WaldmanWriter (Screenplay): Blake EdwardsProducer: Blake EdwardsDirector: Blake Edwards |
Return of the Pink Panther, Blake Edwards’ The (1974)
The world’s largest and most famous diamond, the Pink Panther, has been stolen from its resting place at the Lugash National Museum. A religious symbol of extraordinary importance, it must be recovered, and who better than the man who recovered it the last time, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Everyone is convinced the Phantom has made off with the gem except the now-retired Phantom himself. He is the only one sure he did not do it and so he too joins the chase for the unknown culprit. 7/10 Often funny, sometimes hilarious film which suffers whenever Sellers or Herbert Lom are not on the screen. Inspector Clousea’s Guy Gadoir may be the funniest thing Sellers has ever done. Wihle there are occasional missteps in taste and Christopher Plummer and Catherine Schell are bland, if you’re in a slightly silly mood this is one of the funniest films ever made. This movie contains mild non-sexual nudity.
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Classified PG by BBFC. Parental Guidance.
The strongest films in the Pink Panther series (The Pink Panther, Shot In The Dark) utilised a great supporting cast to strong effect. In this movie, we have the rather uninspiring pair of Catherine Schell (cute but a bit flat) and Christopher Plummer (dull and not used well at all). They’re both okay but not more though Schell does have chemistry with Sellers and giggles agreeably. Herbert Lom does compensate and the sheer brilliance of Sellers and director Blake Edwards’ impeccable comic timing nearly helps the film overcome this problem. The remainder of the cast are largely awful.
There are several memorable scenes in this film such as Clouseau’s initial inspection of the crime scene, his problems with a revolving door and his attempts to hide in a sauna.
There are also some super lines…
- Dreyfuss: “How does an idiot become a policeman!? Tell me that!”
Clouseau:”Oh, it’s quite easy, you simply enlist and…” - Dreyfuss on how much he hates Clouseau: “How high is up?”
…and some sublimely timed comic gags which are often totally unexpected and all the better for it.
- witness Sellers crossing the dance floor disguised as Guy
- the lightbulb in Lady Litton’s hotel room
- “His calling card.”
- the demolition of two trucks and a swimming pool
- “Where is your nearest phone?”
- “Do not come in. I’m just putting my tools away” as he pulls his trousers on while disguised as a phone engineer
- “‘scuse Senor, may I take your coat? Your gloves? Your hat?” from a thief who drives off with Clouseau’s coat, gloves and hat
- the ‘safe’.
A number of the gags were used again a couple of films later in “Revenge of the Pink Panther” and some of them were recycled from The Pink Panther (the soggy jumper) and A Shot in the Dark (breaking down a door just as it opens, Herbert Lom’s Chief Inspector Dreyfuss trying to kill Clouseau, walking into a wall instead of through the door) but still remain hilarious in this movie.
While Henry Mancini probably never delivered anything less than an outstanding score in his entire career, his work here is, again, worthy of mention despite a bit of a lacklustre title sequence. Mancini always seemed to manage to compose melodies (and wonderful melodies, at that) for his film scores and here backs up some of the scenes wonderfully. Of particular note is Clouseau’s arrival in Gstaad and the background song during Gadoir’s seduction. It is utterly remarkable, given the absolutely iconic brilliance of it, that the Pink Panther theme is almost never used in the body of any of the Pink Panther movies. It is also never, ever used for Inspector Clouseau.
There are notable missteps. The lack of quality in the cast has already been highlighted. Edwards’ regular Graham Stark getting his fingers repeatedly broken and then being used for torture isn’t funny or appropriate. A couple of comedy moments are slightly awkward.
All told, though, if you’re in a slightly silly mood this is one of the funniest films ever made.
