The Pink Panther Strikes Again 1976 Poster
| The Return of the Pink Panther | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Blake Edwards |
| Written by | Blake Edwards Frank Waldman |
| Produced by | Blake Edwards Animation: Richard Williams Ken Harris |
| Starring | Peter Sellers Christopher Plummer Catherine Schell Herbert Lom |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Unsworth |
| Edited by | Tom Priestly |
| Music by | Henry Mancini |
| Production | ITC Entertainment |
| Distributed past | United Artists |
| Release date |
|
| Running time | 114 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom The states |
| Language | English language |
| Upkeep | $5 million |
| Box office | $75 million[1] |
The Return of the Pink Panther is a 1975 comedy pic and the fourth picture show in The Pink Panther series. The film stars Peter Sellers, returning to the part of Inspector Clouseau, for the first time since A Shot in the Night (1964), after having declined to reprise the part in Inspector Clouseau (1968). The moving-picture show was a commercial striking and revived the previously dormant series and with information technology Peter Sellers' career.
Herbert Lom reprises his role equally Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus from A Shot in the Dark; he remained a regular thereafter. The character of Sir Charles Litton, the notorious Phantom, is now played by Christopher Plummer rather than David Niven, who played the office in The Pink Panther (1963) and was unavailable. The Pink Panther diamond once again plays a central part in the plot.
Plot [edit]
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 in one case again missing, the Shah of Lugash requests the assistance of Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) of the Sûreté, as Clouseau had recovered the diamond the last time information technology was stolen (in The Pink Panther). Clouseau has been temporarily demoted to beat cop by his boss, Primary Inspector Charles Dreyfus (Herbert Lom), 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, just not before fending off a surprise assault from his servant Cato (Burt Kwouk), who had been ordered to do then 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 (Christopher Plummer), alias "the notorious Phantom," as the thief. Later several catastrophic failures to stake out Litton Estate in Nice, Clouseau believes a mysterious assassin is attempting to kill him. He follows Sir Charles' wife, Lady Claudine Litton (Catherine Schell), to the Gstaad Palace hotel in Switzerland in search of clues to her hubby'due south 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 articulate his name, Sir Charles barely avoids beingness murdered and sent to the Lugash secret police by his acquaintance known every bit the "Fatty Human" (Eric Pohlmann), who explains that with the leading doubtable expressionless, the hush-hush law will no longer have an excuse to go along purging their political enemies. Escaping to his suite, Litton finds secret police Colonel Sharki (Peter Arne) waiting for him, who implies the Fat Human's agreement is right, simply reminds him the diamond must exist recovered eventually. Sir Charles pretends to cooperate, only is unable to hide his reaction when he recognizes a face on the museum'south security footage. He avoids another plot by the Fatty Man and his duplicitous underling Pepi (Graham Stark) 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 abort her in her hotel room. Still, when Clouseau calls back to clarify the gild, he is told that Dreyfus is on vacation. Sir Charles, who in the meantime has chartered a private flying out of Lugash, arrives at the hotel and is start to face up his wife. Lady Claudine admits she stole the jewel to spark excitement in their lives. Colonel Sharki shows up, but but as he prepares to kill them both, Inspector Clouseau barges in. Sir Charles explains things to Clouseau, and Sharki is well-nigh to kill the iii of them. All the same, Dreyfus has followed Clouseau and is exterior 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 equally Dreyfus shoots at Clouseau, the Inspector ducks to check if his wing is undone, and the shot kills Sharki instead. The other 3 accept cover, while Dreyfus, insanely enraged by his latest failure to kill Clouseau, goes berserk until he is arrested.
For again recovering the Pink Panther, Clouseau is promoted to Main Inspector, while Sir Charles resumes his career as a jewel thief. At a Japanese restaurant in the epilogue, Cato unexpectedly attacks Clouseau once again and triggers a massive ball, destroying the bounds. Dreyfus is committed to a lunatic asylum for his actions, where he is straitjacketed within a padded cell and vows revenge on Clouseau. The film ends when the Pink Panther (in cartoon course) enters Dreyfus' prison cell and films him writing "The End" on the wall.
Cast [edit]
- Peter Sellers as Inspector Jacques Clouseau
- Christopher Plummer equally Sir Charles Litton
- Catherine Schell as Lady Claudine Litton
- Herbert Lom as Primary Inspector Charles Dreyfus
- Burt Kwouk as Cato Fong
- Peter Arne every bit Colonel Sharki
- Peter Jeffrey as General Wadafi
- Grégoire Aslan as Principal of Lugash Police force
- David Lodge as Mac
- Graham Stark as Pepi
- Eric Pohlmann as The Fat Man
- André Maranne as François
- Victor Spinetti as Hotel Concierge
- John Bluthal equally Bullheaded Beggar
- Mike Grady as Bell Boy
- Peter Jones as Psychiatrist
Product [edit]
In the early 1970s, Blake Edwards wrote a 15-xx page outline for some other Pinkish Panther film and presented it to series producer Walter Mirisch. The producer loved the thought, but the franchise's distributor and main backer, United Artists, rejected the film every bit they had no involvement in working with Edwards nor Peter Sellers, whose careers had declined.[2]
British producer Lew Grade agreed to finance two films for Blake Edwards every bit part of a bargain to get Edwards' married woman, Julie Andrews, to appear in a Goggle box special for him. The first movie was The Tamarind Seed. Edwards wanted to brand a project set in Canada called Rachel and the Stranger, only Course disliked the thought and offered to purchase Edwards out of the second commitment. Edwards wanted to make a 2d movie, nevertheless; in gild to aid restore his tainted reputation in Hollywood. Grade said he then suggested making a new Pink Panther motion-picture show and Edwards agreed, if Sellers would also hold to practise it. Grade managed to talk Sellers into it and the project was on.[3] UA agreed to give The Return of the Pinkish Panther to Grade in exchange for globe distribution and a share of the profits;[2] thereafter, Course'southward company would permanently own worldwide rights to the film.[4] Grade said that Eric Pleskow of United Artists was offered the chance to come up into the moving-picture show as a partner but declined, thinking the motion-picture show would be a financial failure; he only wanted UA to distribute.[3]
Richard Williams, subsequently the animation director on Who Framed Roger Rabbit, did the animated open up and endmost titles for this picture and The Pink Panther Strikes Again, due to DePatie–Freleng's piece of work on the Pink Panther shorts and other cartoon projects for Tv set and motion-picture show. 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, has a small part as a pond puddle diver.
A soundtrack album, featuring Henry Mancini'south score for the movie, was released by RCA Records.[five] A novelization, written past the film'southward co-author, Frank Waldman, was belatedly published past Ballantine Books in March 1977 (ISBN 0345251237).[ citation needed ]
Reception [edit]
Critical reception [edit]
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."[6] Multifariousness called information technology "another very funny film about the eternal gumshoe bungler, Inspector Clouseau. 'The Return of the Pink Panther' is in many ways a fourth dimension capsule moving picture, full of bright sight gags and comedic innocence."[7] Cistron Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 2 stars out of 4, finding Sellers' get-go scene funny but for the residue of the moving-picture show, "we not only know when each and every joke is coming; we know exactly what that joke will be."[8] Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the moving picture was "I retrieve, not up to what went before. Its calculations show and the inspector is somehow as well entirely the buffoon, lacking a redeeming pathos I seem to remember from the earlier outings. But in its vigorous and bulls-middle fashion 'The Return of the Pink Panther' is a cheerful escape from all the things that ail the states."[9] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post called it "a frequently hilarious and generally satisfying return to comic form on the role of Peter Sellers, recreating the role of the hapless but dogged French sleuth."[ten] Penelope Gilliatt of The New Yorker wrote that Sellers was "working hither at his best."[11]
The moving picture holds a score of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of half-dozen.vii out of 10.[12]
Box office [edit]
The film grossed $41.8 million in the United States and Canada and $75 million worldwide.[13] [i]
Home media release [edit]
The film had been released on VHS, Betamax, CED and Laserdisc in the 1980s past Magnetic Video, CBS/Play a joke on Video, and J2 Communications respectively.
In 1993 and 1996, LIVE Home Video under the Family Home Entertainment label re-released the film on VHS every bit function of the Family unit Habitation Amusement Theater lineup and on a Widescreen Laserdisc. In 1999, Artisan Entertainment (LIVE'southward successor) re-released the picture show on VHS and debuting on DVD for the first fourth dimension in the original widescreen format. The just bonus material seen on this release were cast filmographies, production notes and the film'southward original theatrical trailer.
In 2006, rights holder Granada (owners of the ITC catalog) sub licensed the film to Universal Studios Habitation Entertainment under Focus Features for distribution in the United states and United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, with a new, bare-bones release featuring an anamorphic widescreen transfer being released in 2006 by Universal in both territories. In 2015, the 2006 U.k. DVD was reissued by Fabled Films notwithstanding under licence from Universal and ITV Studios (who caused Granada and the ITC library), followed by a U.k. Blu-ray release by Fabulous in 2016.
As Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has since caused US theatrical rights, along with worldwide tv and digital distribution rights,[14] 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 moving-picture show, along with the other Peter Sellers Pink Panther films, as office of a 6-disc ready for the first time on Blu-ray nether their Shout! Select label.[15] The set was released on June 27, 2017, thus making it the get-go Pink Panther film collection to include the picture show.[xvi]
References [edit]
- ^ a b "The Pink Panther Strikes Over again (advertisement)". Variety. 22 December 1976. p. ix.
- ^ a b Mirisch, Walter (2008). I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History (pp. 170-171). Academy of Wisconsin Press, Madison, Wisconsin. ISBN 0-299-22640-9.
- ^ a b Lew Grade, Still Dancing: My Story, William Collins & Sons 1987 p 227-228
- ^ Ltd, Not Panicking. "h2g2 - 'The Return of the Pinkish Panther' - the Film - Edited Entry". world wide web.h2g2.com.
- ^ "Henry Mancini – Blake Edwards' the Return of the Pink Panther (1975, Vinyl)". Discogs.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (22 May 1975). "Lark Stalks Inspector Clouseau". The New York Times: 32.
- ^ "The Return of the Pink Panther". Variety: 26. 14 May 1975.
- ^ Siskel, Gene (June 16, 1975). "That familiar, zany inspector overstays visit". Chicago Tribune. Section iii, p. 6.
- ^ Champlin, Charles (May 20, 1975). "Sellers Back in 'Panther'". Los Angeles Times. Function IV, p. 1.
- ^ Arnold, Gary (21 May 1975). "Welcome 'Render of The Pinkish Panther'". The Washington Post: B1.
- ^ Gilliatt, Penelope (two June 1975). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker. p. 92.
- ^ "The Return of the Pink Panther". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved eighteen March 2022.
- ^ "The Return of the Pink Panther, Box Office Information". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 22 Jan 2012.
- ^ "Official KINO Insider Announcements Thread: STRICTLY Chastened: READ GUIDELINES".
- ^ "Blake Edwards' 'The Pinkish Panther Film Collection' Blu-ray Announced". highdefdigest.com. 6 January 2017.
- ^ "The Pink Panther Movie Collection Blu-ray".
External links [edit]
- The Return of the Pink Panther at IMDb
- The Render of the Pink Panther at the TCM Movie Database
- The Return of the Pink Panther at AllMovie
- The Return of the Pink Panther at the American Film Institute Catalog
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Return_of_the_Pink_Panther
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