The Return of the Pink Panther

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Draco L Apr 17, 2019 The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) 5 out of 10: After an eleven-year absence (or a seven-year absence if you are one of those weirdos that consider Alan Arkin's Inspector Clouseau a proper Pink Panther film) Inspector Clouseau is back on the case. Someone has stolen the Pink Panther diamond. They have left the calling card of Inspector Clouseau's old nemesis the notorious Phantom. The Good: Herbert Lum as Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus is for my money the best thing in the movie. His gag with the cigarette lighter that looks identical to his service pistol never fails to get a laugh and is easily the funniest thing in the film. The opening credits by Who Framed Roger Rabbit animation director Richard Williams are incredible. The Return of the Pink Panther sports some of the best opening credits of any film in the seventies and yes I include James Bond films in that statement. There is some lovely scenery in the film with location shooting in Gstaad and Morocco among others. The Bad: Do you like slapstick? What is your current threshold for slapstick? The Return of the Pink Panther is going to test those thresholds. Part of the problem is that slapstick has both fallen out of favor since 1975 and gotten a bit more creative and sophisticated. Jackie Chan falling off ladders one after another is a world apart from Peter Sellers with a bad false nose accidentally vacuuming a bird. The Return of the Pink Panther isn't just Slapstick mind you there is also a diamond heist that honestly is right out of a Mission Impossible movie. It is very well done but has nothing to do with the rest of the film tonally or otherwise outside of getting the Mcguffin in play. Speaking of not fitting the tone of the rest of the filmï¿ 1/2 Look I love to see Christopher Plummer tan, blonde, and happy but good Lord is he wrong for this role. Replacing David Niven as Sir Charles Litton, alias "the notorious Phantom," Plummer has a different feel to him. Plummer looks like he can kill someone with a karate chopï¿ 1/2 possible because in real life he can. Then there is the plot with which The Return of the Pink Panther saddles poor Christopher Plummer. It is one straight action scene after another with Plummer in a white dinner jacket as if he was rehearsing for a Bond film or a Saint reboot. The straightforward homage to Casablanca in these scenes was so over the top that Overdrawn at the Memory Bank was embarrassed. The Ugly: Burt Kwouk as Kato. What was a fan favorite in 1964's A Shot in the Dark simply doesn't work here. It isn't just Peter Seller's continually saying things such as "Cato is in hospital. They nearly blew his little yellow skin off!" that sounds a bit rough to my delicate modern sensibilities. The more significant issue is that Kwouk is too old to play a houseboy, looks awful in drag and doesn't seem as fun as he did in A Shot in the Dark. Maybe it is because the surprise is gone and the gag had run its course. Not in conclusion. I don't know where to put the former Bond girl and Space 1999 alumni Catherine Schell on this list. She plays Christopher Plummer's wife and bluntly has a more prominent role than he does. On the one hand, she is easy on the eyes with an adorable smirk that reminds one of Priscilla Barnes or Cameron Diaz. On the other hand, she keeps laughing uncontrollably during her scenes with Peter Sellers. She is like a female Jimmy Fallon. I can only imagine how bad were the takes they didn't use. In conclusion: I don't think this was ever a great film, but I can't help think it was once an entertaining film. It has aged fairly badly but make no mistake this is hardly the worst Pink Panther movie ever made. There is some stiff competition in that category. See more

Albus M Feb 7, 2019 For a time "The Return Of The Pink Panther" had me worried. We spend a good portion of time following around the same character that had turned me off so decisively in this franchise's first installment -- Sir Charles Litton (this time portrayed by Christopher Plummer in lieu of David Niven). Thankfully, though, Clouseau is still the focus of this Blake-Edwards-directed romp, with Sellers' masterfully performed antics representing the film's clear high points. I still wish there was a bit more of him to go around -- and less of Litton -- but I suppose it's better than the aforementioned film that started it all. See more

Theodore S Jul 25, 2018 I think I'm done with this franchise. I was hoping that, after watching The Return of the Pink Panther, I would understand why this film series was so successful, but I'm still baffled. The comedy has not aged well. The slapstick is lazy, and the story is predictable. I respect the work of Peter Sellers, but this movie made me think a little less of his sense of humor. See more

Harry W Mar 12, 2017 Not seen this for years and years. A rather ordinary comedy is made exceptional by the dazzling performance of Peter Sellers.

Luke P Feb 27, 2017 After an 11 year absence Sellers returns as the legendary Inspector Clouseau and though it does tread some old ground this is still an hilarious film with Sellers putting another great comedic performance be it physical comedy or otherwise. It also has a solid supporting cast (with returnees from A Shot in the Dark), a decent plot, solid script, a really well filmed opening heist scene and a great score. See more

Anakin S Jun 25, 2008 This entry to the series does have a few decent moments, but the overall story is unfocused and gets a bit dry from time to time. Thankfully Peter Sellers saves most of the movie when he can. It is okay, but not the best entry in the Pink Panther series. See more

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The Return of the Pink Panther

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