In tribute to the Pink Panther movie franchise, Odd Moon Media Reviews offers its own candid assessment. Considering that Blake Edwards directed the first eight of them, what’s mind-blowing is this franchise’s inconsistent quality control, not to mention, a number of lapses in even basic continuity.
With that in mind and ignoring box office numbers, what matters now is a film’s watchability. The movies will be ranked in reverse order.
Note: Considering neither Blake Edwards nor Peter Sellers participated in 1968’s obscure Inspector Clouseau film (starring Alan Arkin), it has been excluded from this overview.
ANALYSIS:
10. Curse of the Pink Panther 109 Min. (1983). Meant to spawn a cheaper MGM spin-off franchise starring Soap’s Ted Wass, Curse concocts a stunning waste of film. For instance, the nonsensical plot twists re: Inspector Clouseau are an insult to long-time fans. Or why would Blake Edwards unnecessarily confuse viewers by recasting Joanna Lumley in a different role than the one she had just played in Trail of the Pink Panther?
Even epilogue cameos by original stars David Niven, Capucine, and Robert Wagner meant to bring the franchise full-circle twenty years later are wasted by a crummy script. Suffice to say, Peter Sellers’ most middling outtakes recycled for Trail surpass anything new filmed in Curse.
Note: Despite their absurd continuity flaws, Trail and Curse are meant to be viewed as a two-part storyline.
9. Son of the Pink Panther 93 Min. (1993). Regardless of its good intentions, this feeble and misguided homage falls far short of funny. Squandering a nostalgic premise, Edwards’ final effort at reviving the franchise, unfortunately, treads closer to Curse’s badly diluted material than even the weakest Panther starring Sellers. Worse yet, Robert Benigni’s ultra-annoying portrayal of Clouseau’s long-lost son will shred virtually anybody’s nerves.
Appearances by franchise veterans Herbert Lom, Claudia Cardinale, and Burt Kwouk (along with Bobby McFerrin’s reworking of The Pink Panther theme) provide welcome elements, but such classiness can’t overcome Benigni’s shrill miscasting. Had someone concocted an inspired reboot script in the mid-80’s, casting Robin Williams as ‘Clouseau, Jr.’ might have easily salvaged this tone-deaf film.
Notes: Instread of reprising her ‘Princess Dala’ from the original 1963 film, Cardinale confusingly replaces Elke Sommer as ex-housemaid ‘Maria Gambrelli’ from A Shot in the Dark. Had Cardinale simply reprised her original role, the results could have been intriguing. Also, the franchise’s jack-of-all-trades, Graham Stark, makes his second-and-final appearance as disguise maker ‘Professor Auguste Balls.’
8. Trail of the Pink Panther 96 Min. (1982). Literally a throwaway scene, this film’s generic pre-credits Pink Panther diamond heist is a dire glimpse of what’s still to come. If begrudgingly construed as a Clouseau retrospective (i.e. its festival of old and deleted scenes), then the otherwise unnecessary Trail has some reason for existence.
For instance, the best Strikes Again outtake depicts Sellers’ Clouseau in a hilarious misunderstanding with a British hotel desk clerk. Another outtake re: a misfiring ‘car bomb’ gag isn’t half-bad. In support of a reliable Herbert Lom, Joanna Lumley’s presence as a TV investigative journalist outclasses Trail’s tired plot. Yet, sadly enough, the vintage Clouseau clip show accompanying the closing credits is the film’s best asset. Suffice to say, Clouseau’s ‘greatest hits’ package far surpasses Trail’s tired content.
Notes: After his ‘Col. Sharki’ was killed off in Return of the Pink Panther, Peter Arne confusingly resurfaces in both Trail and Curse as a different Lugash official: the lookalike ‘General Bufoni.’ Per Strikes Again’s outtakes, Harvey Korman is now Clouseau’s disguise maker: ‘Professor Auguste Balls.’ In lieu of appearing as ‘Professor Balls,’ Graham Stark reprises A Shot in the Dark’s ‘Hercule Lajoy’ (Clouseau’s retired and world-weary ex-partner).
7. The Pink Panther 2 92 Min. (2009). It’s no shocker that this weak sequel slides further into mediocrity. Steve Martin is again unconvincing as an idiotic Clouseau. Rather than casting Alfred Molina (already relegated to an expendable role), a far-too-old John Cleese is a noticeable downgrade replacing Kevin Kline as Chief Inspector Dreyfus. Thankfully, Martin wasn’t called upon to complete a trilogy of this disappointing reboot.
6. The Pink Panther 93 Min. (2006). Steve Martin really should have known better, as his effort succeeding Peter Sellers proves even worse than his weak homage to Phil Silvers in 1996’s Sgt. Bilko. Rather than pursuing a straight-up remake, this reboot’s originality displays some decent plot potential when it isn’t being sabotaged by mediocre gags.
Though Martin’s casting surpasses Roberto Benigni on any given day, the producers really should have tried harder finding a contemporary (and relatively young) European comedian to play Clouseau. Hence, an ounce of plausibility could have made plenty of difference.
5. Revenge of the Pink Panther 98 Min. (1978). Sellers’ fifth-and-final Panther is easily his most forgettable. Still, Revenge sports sufficient entertainment, thanks to Sellers’ reliable chemistry with Herbert Lom & Burt Kwouk. Revenge, more significantly, is the last Panther film peppered with some fun slapstick gags. The biggest distraction hampering the movie’s credibility is the presence of American co-stars Dyan Cannon & Robert Webber unconvincingly portraying French characters.
Notes: Robert Loggia plays a different mobster here than the one he would later appear as in Trail and Curse. Graham Stark makes his first official appearance as ‘Professor Auguste Balls.’
4. Return of the Pink Panther 114 Min. (1975). Though a nimble Christopher Plummer isn’t nearly as endearing as David Niven’s take on ‘The Phantom,’ the film serves up solid mid-70’s fun much of the time. As with the other ‘70’s Panthers, the disagreeable element is Clouseau’s off-hand racial slurs directed at Cato.
Notes: In addition to Plummer’s substitution for David Niven as ‘Sir Charles Litton,’ Catherine Schell’s ‘Lady Claudine Litton’ makes her sole appearance. Without explanation, Schell’s ‘Claudine’ would be replaced by Capucine’s ‘Simone Clouseau’ from the original 1963 film as Sir Charles’ wife for Curse and Trail. For Graham Stark, his role as Lugash underworld contact, ‘Pepi’ is the second of five different characters he plays during the franchise.
3. The Pink Panther 113 Min. (1963). Including one of the funniest movie car chases ever, the original Panther caper remains an utter delight. The chemistry David Niven and Peter Sellers both generate with their co-stars, Claudia Cardinale, Capucine, & Robert Wagner, is terrific.
Even better is how Clouseau’s on-screen magic steals this movie, as compared to his adversaries merely swiping the movie’s fictional diamond. Undeniably, there’s slow stretches, but the film’s sophisticated comedy mingling Keystone Kops-like humor and bedroom farce make up all the difference.
2. A Shot in the Dark 102 Min. (1964). Although its groovy ‘60s ambiance is obviously dated, Shot is among the best comedic whodunnits in movie history. Lacking the Pink Panther altogether this time, the addition of Burt Kwouk’s Cato & Herbert Lom’s long-suffering Dreyfus highlights a superb supporting cast. The chemistry that Lom, Kwouk, Elke Sommer, and Graham Stark (as Clouseau’s skeptical subordinate, Hercule Lajoy) all share with Sellers serves up classic Hollywood magic.
Before pushing his character’s persona into full-on buffoon mode for the 1970’s, Shot is Sellers’ best acting as Clouseau.
And No. # 1 is:
The Pink Panther Strikes Again 103 Min. (1976). Instead of the three-hour opus that Blake Edwards reportedly sought, this hilarious slapstick caper is ideal entertainment as is. Considering the mostly unimpressive outtakes he later recycled for Trail, Edwards wisely deleted them from Strikes Again. The cast (especially Sellers & Lom) is on its A-game, as the well-paced script enjoys some outlandishly fun plot twists.
From start to finish, Sellers’ fourth Panther is an inspired comedy gem!
Notes: For double-feature options, we recommend 1976’s spoofy Murder By Death (with Sellers & Niven co-headlining an all-star cast) and 1980’s Cold War-flavored Hopscotch (a Walter Matthau spy comedy co-starring Lom).
Per the picture below, this DVD set includes all but one of Sellers’ Pink Panther capers. As 1975’s Return of The Pink Panther was produced by an outside studio, that film is sold separately.
