The Pink Panther (1963)What happens when you take a gentleman jewel thief, his roguish nephew, an East Asian princess in self-imposed exile, the world's most inept detective, and his wife--who is secretly the accomplice and lover to the aforementioned jewel thief--and swirl them all together in a ski chalet in the Italian Alps? Zaniness ensues, of course! The Pink Panther (1963) is a screwball comedy/heist movie about these oddball characters and their misadventures in pursuit--or defense--of the eponymous "Pink Panther": a massive pink diamond with a notable flaw in its center resembling a leaping panther. Oh, and there's a cartoon cat in the opening credits.
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There was always going to be a certain magic to the collaboration of Peter Sellers--who plays the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau--and director Blake Edwards (who does not, to the best of my knowledge, appear in the film). The chameleon-like Sellers is a physical comedy genius, to the point that his Clouseau has become an iconic figure in cinema. How? Because unlike more overt clowns in comedies, Clouseau believes himself to be competent and tries to act accordingly. His ineptitude becomes evident in one of the simplest and yet most effective introductions. After a whirlwind of prologues across the world, showing the exploits of the notorious "Phantom"--who you will quickly figure out is really the debonair playboy, Sir Charles Lytton (David Niven)--Clouseau describes the urgency of catching his nemesis to a colleague. He spins a globe, but out of emphasis, puts his hand down, unwittingly on said globe, knocking himself over onto the floor. Buffoonery of this caliber doesn't happen every day...unless you're Clouseau, that is. Without exception, every scene with Clouseau is a riot, and Sellers manages to steal every scene he's in as a result. In fact, if you--and I don't know why you would--removed Clouseau from The Pink Panther, you would find that the rest of the film is an altogether dated and derivative jewel thief movie. It's no surprise, then, that this movie launched a cinematic franchise that is still going today, and that's all due to Sellers.
The overall plot of The Pink Panther is about the theft of the gem of the same name by Charles, who ingratiates himself into social circles while trying to pick off wealthy friends of an elderly socialite named Angela Dunning (Brenda de Banzie). This, of course, includes the lovely and youthful Princess Dala (Claudia Cardinale). To that end, Charles sets up a faux dog-napping and equally phony leg injury to garner sympathy from the youthful noble. Dala, it seems, has perhaps absconded with the Pink Panther (the diamond, not the movie), owing to a change in her nation's leadership, and the claim that it was given directly to her by her father instead of being property of the state; hence, she is living on the run in Rome--in a palace in Rome, mind you. (It fits, since Claudia Cardinale is obviously Italian.) Charles sets to seduce the pretty exile, baiting her into enjoying champagne and kissing him with her numb lips by essentially implying that she's "chicken". All standard fare for a burglary flick and light-hearted romance. It's also super convenient that Clouseau's wife, Simone (Capucine), is in bed with Charles (and all that implies). In a more traditional thief picture, this would be the justification for Jacques' failure to catch the Phantom--not here, however, as Clouseau contributes plenty to his failings all on his own, but not for lack of trying. Still, it isn't until the conclusion that it is pointed out to Clouseau that Charles is the only consistent attendee at all of Angela's parties for the past fifteen years, which is how long the Phantom has been operating, underscoring Clouseau's lack of deductive acumen. And throw into the mix that Charles' ne'er-do-well nephew, George (Robert Wagner)--who falsifies photos of graduation ceremonies, et cetera, to keep getting a check from his dear old uncle--suddenly believes that Simone has a yen for him (and Charles is totally cool fanning that flame if it distracts the randy lad from interfering in his enterprise)--and things get silly quickly. It's funny that when the two discover each other's shady sides, both essentially shrug and accept this of the other. Much of The Pink Panther is spent at the previously mentioned ski chalet, which is hip and cool, and even includes a groovy musical song and dance in Italian--where Sellers still manages to add deliciously awkward comedy when he comes into the frame during the performance. Ultimately, this builds to a manic costume party and car chase, echoing the likes of Benny Hill. All in all, The Pink Panther ebbs and flows with Peter Sellers' performance. The movie is constantly on the verge of becoming just another very Sixties-era thief movie that has aged as well as you would expect, yet is perpetually salvaged from being a snore by Clouseau's constant antics. He's the reason the series has survived...that, and probably the cat, too.
Recommended for: Fans of truly great physical comedy, slapstick, and awkward bedroom scenarios all used to shore up a pedestrian jewel thief plot--to great effect, mind you! The Pink Panther constantly entertains, but for those raised on the animated "The Pink Panther Show"--one of many spinoffs from this highly successful movie--you may be disappointed to find that the cartoon cat only shows up in the opening credits and in a brief cameo at the end. And, I promise, if you weren't already hearing Henry Mancini's infectious title song in your head, you will be after watching this movie.
The overall plot of The Pink Panther is about the theft of the gem of the same name by Charles, who ingratiates himself into social circles while trying to pick off wealthy friends of an elderly socialite named Angela Dunning (Brenda de Banzie). This, of course, includes the lovely and youthful Princess Dala (Claudia Cardinale). To that end, Charles sets up a faux dog-napping and equally phony leg injury to garner sympathy from the youthful noble. Dala, it seems, has perhaps absconded with the Pink Panther (the diamond, not the movie), owing to a change in her nation's leadership, and the claim that it was given directly to her by her father instead of being property of the state; hence, she is living on the run in Rome--in a palace in Rome, mind you. (It fits, since Claudia Cardinale is obviously Italian.) Charles sets to seduce the pretty exile, baiting her into enjoying champagne and kissing him with her numb lips by essentially implying that she's "chicken". All standard fare for a burglary flick and light-hearted romance. It's also super convenient that Clouseau's wife, Simone (Capucine), is in bed with Charles (and all that implies). In a more traditional thief picture, this would be the justification for Jacques' failure to catch the Phantom--not here, however, as Clouseau contributes plenty to his failings all on his own, but not for lack of trying. Still, it isn't until the conclusion that it is pointed out to Clouseau that Charles is the only consistent attendee at all of Angela's parties for the past fifteen years, which is how long the Phantom has been operating, underscoring Clouseau's lack of deductive acumen. And throw into the mix that Charles' ne'er-do-well nephew, George (Robert Wagner)--who falsifies photos of graduation ceremonies, et cetera, to keep getting a check from his dear old uncle--suddenly believes that Simone has a yen for him (and Charles is totally cool fanning that flame if it distracts the randy lad from interfering in his enterprise)--and things get silly quickly. It's funny that when the two discover each other's shady sides, both essentially shrug and accept this of the other. Much of The Pink Panther is spent at the previously mentioned ski chalet, which is hip and cool, and even includes a groovy musical song and dance in Italian--where Sellers still manages to add deliciously awkward comedy when he comes into the frame during the performance. Ultimately, this builds to a manic costume party and car chase, echoing the likes of Benny Hill. All in all, The Pink Panther ebbs and flows with Peter Sellers' performance. The movie is constantly on the verge of becoming just another very Sixties-era thief movie that has aged as well as you would expect, yet is perpetually salvaged from being a snore by Clouseau's constant antics. He's the reason the series has survived...that, and probably the cat, too.
Recommended for: Fans of truly great physical comedy, slapstick, and awkward bedroom scenarios all used to shore up a pedestrian jewel thief plot--to great effect, mind you! The Pink Panther constantly entertains, but for those raised on the animated "The Pink Panther Show"--one of many spinoffs from this highly successful movie--you may be disappointed to find that the cartoon cat only shows up in the opening credits and in a brief cameo at the end. And, I promise, if you weren't already hearing Henry Mancini's infectious title song in your head, you will be after watching this movie.