Revenge of the Pink Panther

source: Revenge of the Pink Panther

Trailer—Revenge of the Pink Panther

Revenge of the Pink Panther

Fifth in the "Pink Panther" series (sixth if you count 1968's "Inspector Clouseau", which starred Alan Arkin) opens with a promising set-up--Clouseau, who is marked for assassination by the millionaire businessman who heads up the French mafia, is mistaken for dead--but fails to come up with anything remotely funny following the introductions. Director/producer/co-screenwriter Blake Edwards (who also gets a story credit!) does some uncharacteristically lazy work here. Peter Sellers can't even get laughs dressed in transvestite's clothes or disguised as a mafia godfather. Edwards must have been relieved to close the chapter on Clouseau after this abysmal installment, though he was persuaded to piece together another film (1982's "Trail of the Pink Panther") from series outtakes after Sellers' demise. * from ****

Or at least it should have been the end as this is the last Pink Panther with the very funny Peter Sellers as the star as he would die sometime after this movie. They would go on to make three more sequels and one that is sort of a remake, but in my view it should have ended with this one. This one has the mob boss after Closseu to prove he still has what it takes to get the job done. In fact Closseu is seemingly killed and guess who is assigned the job of tracking Closseu's killer, none other than his ol' buddy Chief inspector Dreyfeuss. Of course, Closseu is not really dead and he too is on the case. Lots of funny stuff happen as our inspector tracks down the mobster and you also get to see a very funny eulogy given by Dreyfeuss for Closseu. Sure there are some flaws in the story such as Dreyfeuss even being alive after the last movie and granted this one ended rather differently than the others, but in the end it is a nice little ender to the character of Closseu.

Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau has given us countless laughs. Revenge of the Pink Panther is not as funny as previous Pink Panther films, but still, there is enough here to recommend it. Herbert Lom as Inspector Dryfuss is not present in enough of the scenes. Diane Cannon sparks things up with her presense. If you love Peter Sellers portrayal of Inspector Clouseau, you will enjoy many parts of this film. Don't expect it, however, to come up to previous offerings in the Pink Panther series.

I bought this one on DVD, and I read through the booklet that went behind the scenes for production. With only so much time given to write a script, get everyone signed, and make the movie plus the downtime suffered by a health problems (Peter Sellers and Blake Edwards) maybe the causes for a shorter possibly less that usual panther...NOT SO in my opinion...hilarity reigns in this one. I love seeing Clouseau in so many disguises, Dreyfus fainting every 3 seconds (though more interaction with him would have been nice), and CATO HAS A BIGGER ROLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally we get to see HOW inept he really was as Clouseau's assistant/manservant. Honeslty though, the funeral scene, the "Remodeled" Clouseau Apartment, and Hong Kong are the best parts of the movie...THis one is worth it

Once again, Peter Sellers makes a mess of everything as Insp. Jacques Clouseau. This time, a gangster sets up a trap to assassinate him, but kills the wrong person. This sets in motion a few things: Charles Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) is elated at the news of Clouseau's death and leaves the mental institution, and the real Clouseau decides to find out who tried to kill him. Naturally, we have to wonder what's going to happen once the two men meet. Burt Kwouk returns as Cato, and the female lead here is Dyan Cannon. As is the case with every movie in the series, the whole thing is really an excuse for Clouseau to be a doofus. Also, "Revenge of the Pink Panther" was the last Pink Panther movie released during Peter Sellers' lifetime. It remains to be seen how Steve Martin will stack up.

It appears that Peter Sellers' number is finally up, but the attempt on his life fails and he takes it upon himself to find the person who tried to have him assassinated. Naturally Sellers trips into every situation and the results are once again hilarious and tedious at the same time. The by-the-numbers-film-making is apparent here, but still Sellers is able to make the material work to an extent. Sadly this would be his last "Pink Panther" film as he would pass away before the next could come out (the next one just has archived footage of Sellers). Fair once again, but probably the weakest of the first five in the series. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

My second favourite Clouseau film, after The Pink Panther Strikes again. I am at a loss to read reviews from those that fail to find this movie funny, it contains some incredibly funny scenes, it is virtually a live action cartoon, gags an' all. The funniest scene of the lot has to be the Eulogy, Lom's delivery is nothing short of sublime, it is an agonisingly funny moment, only he could have done it in such a way. Other highlights include The Salty Swedish Seadog, it's the look on the dog's face that makes it so funny, and of course there's the hilarious wardrobe scene, where all it took was the word peekaboo, and a reaction from Lom to make a hilarious scene. The first half of the movie is definitely funnier then the second, and it does perhaps tail of a little, but it is still a hugely enjoyable watch, with some super funny moments, who could forget Sellers's godfather? 8/10