Directed by:
Blake EdwardsCinematography:
Philip H. LathropComposer:
Henry ManciniCast:
David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner, Capucine, Brenda De Banzie, John Le Mesurier, Claudia Cardinale, Michael Trubshawe, William Bryant, Colin Gordon (more)Plots(1)
The bumbling Inspector Clouseau is on the tail of a famous jewel-thief whose eyes are set on stealing the famous "Pink Panther" gem worn by an Indian Princess. (official distributor synopsis)
Videos (1)
Reviews (4)
I never got attached to the introduction of the series because it simply doesn't fit with the Clouseau series. It is just a slightly mediocre crime comedy with an unremarkable cast, where Peter Sellers steals all the attention, whom I don't laugh at as much as I feel sorry for him, for having such a witch by his side. The real hilarity only comes at the end – the car chase with the zebras is unforgettable.
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This film is my second favorite of the entire Pink Panther series - and it's so different from the subsequent films, in which Inspector Clouseau is going all out. Peter Sellers has undoubtedly created a legendary character, but at the same time it would be unfair to neglect the interplay between David Niven and Claudia Cardinale (the evening flirtation scene is very beautiful) or the lovely Capucine as Clouseau's wife (and therefore probably the most patient woman in the known universe), or forget the spectacular masked finale, culminating in an animal car chase that will make even mummified viewers laugh.
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Sellers is delicate from his first appearance, Niven is extremely charismatic and Claudia Cardinale is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, but the best moments of Commissar Clouseau are yet to come. The pilot puts him too much in the background and his story is not one of those that we would happily devour and whose jokes we would tell to our friends the next day... 65%
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Even after all these years, The Pink Panther still gets me. It's not that the story is absolutely brilliant, although it's not bad, but it's the fact that the acting is absolutely superb, essentially in every role. Peter Sellers may not stand out as much here, but that's okay because Niven, Cardinale, Capucine, and Wagner are equally fantastic.
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