The Return of the Pink Panther

Last updated

The Return of the Pink Panther
The Return of the Pink Panther poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Blake Edwards
Written byBlake Edwards
Frank Waldman
Produced byBlake Edwards
Animation:
Richard Williams
Ken Harris
Starring Peter Sellers
Christopher Plummer
Catherine Schell
Herbert Lom
Cinematography Geoffrey Unsworth
Edited byTom Priestly
Music by Henry Mancini
Production
companies
ITC Entertainment
Jewel Productions
Pimlico Films
Mirisch-Geoffrey
Distributed by United Artists
Release dates
  • 21 May 1975 (1975-05-21)(United States)
  • 1 January 1976 (1976-01-01)(United Kingdom)
Running time
114 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million
Box office$75 million [1]

The Return of the Pink Panther is a 1975 comedy film and the fourth film in The Pink Panther series. The film stars Peter Sellers returning to the role of Inspector Clouseau for the first time since A Shot in the Dark (1964), after having declined to reprise the role in Inspector Clouseau (1968).

Contents

Herbert Lom reprises his role as Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus from A Shot in the Dark. Also reprising their roles from the previous film are André Maranne as François and Burt Kwouk as Cato; the three thereafter became regulars in the series. The character of Sir Charles Litton is played by Christopher Plummer. David Niven, who played the part in The Pink Panther (1963), was unavailable. The stolen Pink Panther diamond once again plays a central role in the plot.

The film was released on 21 May 1975 on USA and was released on 1 February 1976 on England. The film received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial hit earning $75 million worldwide on a $5 million budget and revived the previously dormant series and with it Peter Sellers' career.

Plot

In the fictional country of Lugash, a mysterious thief seizes the Pink Panther diamond and leaves a white glove embroidered with a gold "P." With its national treasure once again missing, the Shah of Lugash requests the assistance of Inspector Clouseau of the Sûreté, as Clouseau had recovered the diamond the last time it was stolen. [N 1] Clouseau has been temporarily demoted to beat cop by his boss, Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus, who despises him to the point of obsession, but the French government forces Dreyfus to reinstate him. Clouseau joyously receives the news and duly departs for Lugash, but not before fending off a surprise attack from his servant Cato, who had been ordered to do so to keep the Inspector on his toes.

Upon examining the crime scene in the national museum — in which, due to his habitual clumsiness, he wrecks several priceless antiques — Clouseau concludes that the glove implicates Sir Charles Litton, alias "the notorious Phantom," as the thief. After several catastrophic failures to stake out Litton Manor in Nice, Clouseau believes a mysterious assassin is attempting to kill him. He follows Sir Charles' wife, Lady Claudine Litton, to the Gstaad Palace hotel in Switzerland in search of clues to her husband's whereabouts, and repeatedly bungles the investigation.

Meanwhile, Sir Charles is teased about the theft by his wife, and realizes he has been framed. Arriving in Lugash to clear his name, Sir Charles barely avoids being murdered and sent to the Lugash secret police by his associate known as the "Fat Man", who explains that with the leading suspect dead, the secret police will no longer have an excuse to continue purging their political enemies. Escaping to his suite, Litton finds secret police Colonel Sharki waiting for him, who implies the Fat Man's understanding is correct, but reminds him the diamond must be recovered eventually. Sir Charles pretends to cooperate, but is unable to hide his reaction when he recognizes a face on the museum's security footage. He avoids another plot by the Fat Man and his duplicitous underling Pepi and escapes from Lugash, secretly pursued by Sharki, who believes Sir Charles will lead him to the diamond.

In Gstaad, Clouseau, still tailing Lady Claudine, is suddenly ordered by Dreyfus over the telephone to arrest her in her hotel room. However, when Clouseau calls back to clarify the order, he is told that Dreyfus is on vacation. Sir Charles, who in the meantime has chartered a private flight out of Lugash, arrives at the hotel and is first to confront his wife. Lady Claudine admits she stole the jewel to spark excitement in their lives. Colonel Sharki shows up, but just as he prepares to kill them both, Inspector Clouseau barges in. Sir Charles explains things to Clouseau, and Sharki is about to kill the three of them. However, Dreyfus has followed Clouseau and is outside the hotel room with a rifle — Dreyfus is in fact the "mysterious assassin" who has been trying to kill Clouseau all this time — and just as Dreyfus shoots at Clouseau, the Inspector ducks to check if his fly is undone, and the shot kills Sharki instead. The other three take cover, while Dreyfus, insanely enraged by his latest failure to kill Clouseau, goes berserk until he is arrested.

For once again recovering the Pink Panther, Clouseau is promoted to Chief Inspector, while Sir Charles resumes his career as a jewel thief. At a Japanese restaurant in the epilogue, Cato unexpectedly attacks Clouseau again and triggers a massive brawl, destroying the premises; Clouseau chastises Cato for his ill timing but then attempts to attack the latter from behind, only to fail and crash into the kitchen causing more damage. Dreyfus is committed to a lunatic asylum for his actions, where he is straitjacketed inside a padded cell and vows revenge on Clouseau. The film ends when the Pink Panther (in cartoon form) enters Dreyfus' cell and, after watching the credits roll by, films him writing "The End" on the wall with his foot.

Cast

Production

In the early 1970s, Blake Edwards wrote a 15–20 page outline for another Pink Panther film and presented it to series producer Walter Mirisch. The producer loved the idea, but the franchise's distributor and main backer, United Artists, rejected the film as they had no interest in working with Edwards nor Peter Sellers, whose careers had declined. [2]

British producer Lew Grade agreed to finance two films for Blake Edwards as part of a deal to get Edwards' wife, Julie Andrews, to appear in a TV special for him. The first movie was The Tamarind Seed . Edwards wanted to make a project set in Canada called Rachel and the Stranger, but Grade disliked the idea and offered to buy Edwards out of the second commitment. Edwards wanted to make a second movie, however, in order to help restore his tainted reputation in Hollywood. Grade said he then suggested making a new Pink Panther film and Edwards agreed, if Sellers would also agree to do it. Grade managed to talk Sellers into it and the project was on. [3]

UA agreed to give The Return of the Pink Panther to Grade in exchange for world distribution and a share of the profits; [2] thereafter, Grade's company would permanently own worldwide rights to the film. [4] Grade said that Eric Pleskow of United Artists was offered the chance to come into the movie as a partner but declined, thinking the movie would be a financial failure; he only wanted UA to distribute. [3] Grade gave the film a $2 million budget, although it eventually grew to $18 million.

Principal photography took place in the summer of 1974 in Gstaad, Switzerland; Nice, France; Marrakesh and Casablanca, Morocco; and Munich, West Germany. Edwards was dissatisfied with some of the footage and conducted reshoots on a London soundstage in September 1974. [5]

Richard Williams, later the animation director on Who Framed Roger Rabbit , did the animated open and closing titles for this picture and The Pink Panther Strikes Again , as DePatie–Freleng was then unavailable due to its workload producing the Pink Panther shorts and other televised and theatrical animated projects. Williams got help animating this from two noted animators, Ken Harris and Art Babbitt. Carol Cleveland, best known for her regular appearances on Monty Python's Flying Circus , appears in one scene, diving into a swimming pool. A soundtrack album, featuring Henry Mancini's score for the film, was released by RCA Records. [6] A novelization, written by the film's co-writer, Frank Waldman, was belatedly published by Ballantine Books in March 1977 ( ISBN   0345251237). In British cinemas the film was preceded by the short film Where The Americas Meet. [7]

Reception

Critical reception

In The New York Times , Vincent Canby gave the film a positive review, writing, "Clouseau is the very special slapstick triumph of Mr. Sellers and Mr. Edwards." [8] Variety called it "another very funny film about the eternal gumshoe bungler, Inspector Clouseau. 'The Return of the Pink Panther' is in many ways a time capsule film, full of brilliant sight gags and comedic innocence." [9] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 2 stars out of 4, finding Sellers' first scene funny but for the rest of the movie, "we not only know when each and every joke is coming; we know exactly what that joke will be." [10] Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film was "I think, not up to what went before. Its calculations show and the inspector is somehow too entirely the buffoon, lacking a redeeming pathos I seem to remember from the earlier outings. But in its vigorous and bulls-eye way 'The Return of the Pink Panther' is a cheerful escape from all the things that ail us." [11] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post called it "a frequently hilarious and generally satisfying return to comic form on the part of Peter Sellers, recreating the role of the hapless but dogged French sleuth." [12] Penelope Gilliatt of The New Yorker wrote that Sellers was "working here at his best." [13] The film holds a score of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7 out of 10. [14]

Box office

The film grossed $41.8 million in the United States and Canada and $75 million worldwide. [15] [1]

Home media

The film had been released on VHS, Betamax, CED and Laserdisc in the 1980s by Magnetic Video, CBS/Fox Video, and J2 Communications respectively. In 1993 and 1996, LIVE Home Video under the Family Home Entertainment label re-released the film on VHS as part of the Family Home Entertainment Theater lineup and on a Widescreen Laserdisc. In 1999, Artisan Entertainment (LIVE's successor) re-released the film on VHS and debuting on DVD for the first time in the original widescreen format. The only bonus material seen on this release were cast filmographies, production notes and the film's original theatrical trailer.

In 2006, rights holder Granada (owners of the ITC catalog) sub licensed the film to Universal Studios Home Entertainment under Focus Features for distribution in the US and UK, with a new, bare-bones release featuring an anamorphic widescreen transfer being released in 2006 by Universal in both territories. In 2015, the 2006 UK DVD was reissued by Fabulous Films still under licence from Universal and ITV Studios (who acquired Granada and the ITC library), followed by a UK Blu-ray release by Fabulous in 2016.

As Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has since acquired US theatrical rights, along with worldwide television and digital distribution rights, [16] Universal/Focus and ITV still have all remaining worldwide rights for the film. Due to its licensing output deals with both MGM and Universal, Shout! Factory included this film, along with the other Peter Sellers Pink Panther films, as part of a 6-disc set for the first time on Blu-ray under their Shout! Select label. [17] The set was released on June 27, 2017, thus making it the first Pink Panther film collection to include the film. [18] Ironically, Universal was also responsible for MGM/UAR film releases both in physical home media and international theatrical distribution rights.

Notes

  1. ↑ as depicted in The Pink Panther.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Sellers</span> English actor and comedian (1925–1980)

Peter Sellers was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series The Goon Show. Sellers featured on a number of hit comic songs, and became known to a worldwide audience through his many film roles, among them Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blake Edwards</span> American filmmaker (1922–2010)

Blake Edwards was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inspector Clouseau</span> Fictional character created by Blake Edwards

Inspector Jacques Clouseau, later granted the rank of Chief Inspector, is a fictional character in Blake Edwards' farcical The Pink Panther series. Clouseau's immense ego, eccentricity, exaggerated French accent, and prominent mustache are all a parody of Hercule Poirot, the fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. He is portrayed by Peter Sellers in the original series, and also by Alan Arkin in the 1968 film Inspector Clouseau and, in a cameo, by Roger Moore in the 1983 film Curse of the Pink Panther. In the 2006 reboot and its 2009 sequel, Clouseau is portrayed by Steve Martin. Clouseau's likeness also appears in the Pink Panther animated cartoon shorts and segments, where he is known as simply "the Inspector".

The Pink Panther is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the film The Pink Panther in 1963. The role of Clouseau was originated by and is most closely associated with Peter Sellers. Most of the films were written and directed by Blake Edwards, with theme music composed by Henry Mancini. Elements and characters inspired by the films were adapted into other media, including books, comic books, video games and animated series.

<i>The Party</i> (1968 film) 1968 American comedy film by Blake Edwards

The Party is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Blake Edwards, and starring Peter Sellers and Claudine Longet. The film has a very loose structure, and essentially serves as a series of set pieces for Sellers's improvisational comedy talents. Based on a fish-out-of-water premise, the film is about a bungling actor from India, Hrundi V. Bakshi, who accidentally gets invited to a lavish Hollywood dinner party, although having awkward moments, he's generally well liked by the other guests, but gets into borderline trouble and causing both subtle and major nuisances due to his incredibly bad luck and overall clumsiness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbert Lom</span> Czech-British actor (1917– 2012)

Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchačevič ze Schluderpacheru, known professionally as Herbert Lom, was a Czech-British actor with a career spanning over 60 years. His cool demeanour and precise, elegant elocution saw him cast as criminals or suave villains in his younger years, and professional men and nobles as he aged. Highly versatile, he also proved a skilled comic actor in The Pink Panther franchise, playing the beleaguered Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in seven films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burt Kwouk</span> British actor (1930–2016)

Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk was a British actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Cato in the Pink Panther films. He made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of Imperial Japanese Army Major Yamauchi in the British drama series Tenko and as Entwistle in Last of the Summer Wine.

<i>The Inspector</i> American animated film series

The Inspector is an American series of 34 theatrical cartoon shorts produced between 1965 and 1969 by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and released through United Artists. The cartoons are dedicated to an animated version of Inspector Clouseau comically battling against a rogues' gallery of internationally styled villains.

<i>A Shot in the Dark</i> (1964 film) 1964 film by Blake Edwards

A Shot in the Dark is a 1964 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards in Panavision. Produced as a standalone sequel to The Pink Panther, it is the second installment in the eponymous film series, with Peter Sellers reprising his role as Inspector Jacques Clouseau of the French Sûreté.

<i>Trail of the Pink Panther</i> 1982 comedy film by Blake Edwards

Trail of the Pink Panther is a 1982 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and starring Peter Sellers. It is the seventh film in The Pink Panther series, the first film in the series following Sellers's death and also the last in which he appeared as Inspector Clouseau. Sellers died 18 months before production began; his performance consists entirely of his deleted scenes and outtakes from previous films. Although the Sellers estate sued United Artists and the unauthorized use of the footage was ruled illegal, the film was allowed to be released. The newly shot material in the film stars Joanna Lumley as journalist Marie Jouvet searching for the missing Clouseau – and running afoul of the inspector's enemies who do not wish to see him return.

<i>The Pink Panther Strikes Again</i> 1976 American British comedy film by Blake Edwards

The Pink Panther Strikes Again is the fifth film in The Pink Panther series, released in December, 1976. Set three years after the conclusion of The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), unused footage from the film was later included in Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), released over two years following the death of Peter Sellers.

The Pink Panther is a media franchise originating with series of films featuring the fictional Inspector Clouseau, played by Peter Sellers, that began in 1963.

<i>Curse of the Pink Panther</i> 1983 American film

Curse of the Pink Panther is a 1983 comedy film and a continuation of The Pink Panther series of films created by Blake Edwards in the early 1960s. The film was one of two produced concurrently following the death of the series' star Peter Sellers. Whereas the previous film Trail of the Pink Panther made use of unused footage of Sellers as Inspector Clouseau and starred Joanna Lumley as journalist Marie Jouvet, Curse attempted to relaunch the series with a new lead, Ted Wass, as inept American detective Clifton Sleigh, assigned to find the missing Inspector Clouseau.

<i>Son of the Pink Panther</i> 1993 film by Blake Edwards

Son of the Pink Panther is a 1993 comedy film. It is the ninth and final installment of the original The Pink Panther film series starting from the 1963 film. Directed by Blake Edwards, it stars Roberto Benigni as Inspector Clouseau's illegitimate son. Also in this film are Panther regulars Herbert Lom, Burt Kwouk and Graham Stark and a star of the original 1963 film, Claudia Cardinale. It was the final film for both director Blake Edwards and composer Henry Mancini; Mancini died on June 14, 1994, and Edwards retired from film-making in 1995.

<i>The Pink Panther</i> (2006 film) 2006 comedy film directed by Shawn Levy

The Pink Panther is a 2006 American comedy-mystery film and a reboot of The Pink Panther franchise, marking the tenth installment in the series. It is also the first Pink Panther film to be released since Son of the Pink Panther in 1993. In this film, Inspector Jacques Clouseau is assigned to solve the murder of a famous soccer coach and the theft of the famous Pink Panther diamond. The film was directed by Shawn Levy, stars Steve Martin as Clouseau and also co-stars Kevin Kline, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, and Beyoncé Knowles.

<i>The Pink Panther</i> (1963 film) 1963 detective comedy film by Blake Edwards

The Pink Panther is a 1963 American comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and distributed by United Artists. It was written by Maurice Richlin and Blake Edwards. It is the first installment in The Pink Panther franchise. Its story follows Inspector Jacques Clouseau as he travels from Rome to Cortina d'Ampezzo to catch a notorious jewel thief known as "The Phantom" before he is able to steal a priceless diamond known as "The Pink Panther". The film stars David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner, Capucine and Claudia Cardinale.

<i>Inspector Clouseau</i> (film) 1968 detective comedy film by Bud Yorkin

Inspector Clouseau is a 1968 British comedy film, and the third installment in The Pink Panther film series. It was directed by Bud Yorkin, written by brothers Frank Waldman and Tom Waldman and stars Alan Arkin as the title character. It was filmed by Mirisch Films at the MGM-British Studios, Borehamwood and in Europe.

<i>Revenge of the Pink Panther</i> 1978 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards

Revenge of the Pink Panther is a 1978 comedy film. It is the sixth film in The Pink Panther comedy film series. Released in 1978, it is the final on-set performance of Peter Sellers in the role of Inspector Jacques Clouseau. It was also the last installment in the series that was distributed solely by United Artists; the company was absorbed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer three years after the film's release.

<i>The Pink Panther 2</i> 2009 American film

The Pink Panther 2 is a 2009 American comedy-mystery film directed by Harald Zwart. It is the eleventh installment in The Pink Panther film series and the sequel to the 2006 film The Pink Panther, a reboot of the popular comedy series. The film was released on February 6, 2009 in North America. In the film, Inspector Clouseau must team up with detectives from other countries to rout a daring burglar, The Tornado, who has returned after a decade's inactivity.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Pink Panther Strikes Again (advertisement)". Variety . 22 December 1976. p. 9.
  2. 1 2 Mirisch, Walter (2008). I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History (pp. 170–171). University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, Wisconsin. ISBN   0-299-22640-9.
  3. 1 2 Lew Grade, Still Dancing: My Story, William Collins & Sons 1987 p 227–228
  4. ↑ Ltd, Not Panicking (5 April 2012). "h2g2 - 'The Return of the Pink Panther' - the Film - Edited Entry". www.h2g2.com.
  5. ↑ "The Return of the Pink Panther". AFI Catalog. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  6. ↑ "Henry Mancini – Blake Edwards' the Return of the Pink Panther (1975, Vinyl)". Discogs . May 1975.
  7. ↑ "The Odeon Film Centre Nottingham print ad". Evening Post. 3 February 1976 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Canby, Vincent (22 May 1975). "Distraction Stalks Inspector Clouseau". The New York Times : 32.
  9. ↑ "The Return of the Pink Panther". Variety : 26. 14 May 1975.
  10. ↑ Siskel, Gene (June 16, 1975). "That familiar, zany inspector overstays visit". Chicago Tribune . Section 3, p. 6.
  11. ↑ Champlin, Charles (May 20, 1975). "Sellers Back in 'Panther'". Los Angeles Times . Part IV, p. 1.
  12. ↑ Arnold, Gary (21 May 1975). "Welcome 'Return of The Pink Panther'". The Washington Post . p. B1.
  13. ↑ Gilliatt, Penelope (2 June 1975). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker . p. 92.
  14. ↑ "The Return of the Pink Panther". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  15. ↑ "The Return of the Pink Panther, Box Office Information". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  16. ↑ "Official KINO Insider Announcements Thread: STRICTLY MODERATED: READ GUIDELINES". 7 January 2015.
  17. ↑ "Blake Edwards' 'The Pink Panther Film Collection' Blu-ray Announced". highdefdigest.com. 6 January 2017.
  18. ↑ "The Pink Panther Film Collection Blu-ray".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.