| | | A Madcap Frolic Of Crime and Fun!
Features: DVD, Collector's Edition, Widescreen, English, Spanish, Subtitled
Meet Inspector Jacques Clouseau, the bumbling French detective whose career is one gigantic banana peel. Showcasing the comic genius of Peter Sellers, this "delightful caper" (Leonard Maltin) brims with "winning charm" (The Film Daily) and clever slapstick. David Niven, Robert Wagner and Capucine co-star in the sidesplitting film that launched one of the greatest comedy series of all time! Arriving at an Italian ski resort with a large diamond known as the Pink Panther, Princess Dala (Claudia Cardinale) encounters the suave Sir Charles (Niven), who also happens to be the notorious jewel thief The Phantom. Can Clouseau (Sellers), the clumsiest inspector ever to trip over a case, stop Sir Charles' plot...or will The Phantom steal the "cat" and leave Clouseau holding the bag?
"Hilarious no matter how many times you watch it. Slapstick for the sixties." Brandon Judell, RottenTomatoes.com
"Sellers is at the top of his game." Nick Schager, RottenTomatoes.com
Editor's Note
The first in Blake Edwards's series of enormously successful Pink Panther films, it introduced Peter Sellers in the role of epic bumbler Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Ultrasuave jewel thief Sir Charles Lytton (David Niven), aka the Phantom, is in hot pursuit of the Pink Panther, one of the world's most precious jewels, now in the possession of Princess Dala (Claudia Cardinale). Clouseau, a detective who has raised bungling incompetence to an art form, is in hot pursuit of Sir Charles, who has successfully eluded him for the past 15 years. He also seeks the Phantom's female accomplice, little realizing that she's actually his own wife, Simone (Capucine), who naturally prefers to sleep with the dashing thief. To complicate matters, Lytton's nephew George (Robert Wagner) arrives on the scene, dismaying his uncle with his desire to follow in his footsteps. When, during a costume party at the princess's Roman villa, the safe containing the Pink Panther is opened, it contains only a white glove--the signature of the Phantom. Sellers, playing a character part with relatively little screen time, stole the film so completely that he went on to star in the series' subsequent installments. The marriage of his comic brilliance with Edwards's mastery of farce made THE PINK PANTHER a huge worldwide hit. The suavely amusing pink cartoon panther featured in the opening and closing credits went on to became the star of his own cartoon show.
Plot Summary
Peter Sellers introduces Inspector Clouseau, a role he repeated in many sequels. Here the bungling French policeman is assigned to catch a jewel thief known as the Phantom. Academy Award Nominations: Best (Original) Score (Henry Mancini).
| Features | Audio: Dubbed French, Spanish Dolby Digital Mono | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
|
Release Information
| | Studio: TCFHE/MGM |
| Release Date: 8/6/2009 |
| Running Time: 115 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1964 | | Catalog ID: 113233 | | UPC: 00883904132332 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Grammy (1965) | | | Henry Mancini, Nominee, Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Show | |
Oscar (1965) | | | Henry Mancini, Nominee, Best Music, Score - Substantially Original | |
Golden Globe (1965) | | | Peter Sellers, Nominee, Best Motion Picture Actor - Musical/Comedy |
|
| | Professional Reviews | Premiere
"[A] gem of madcap mayhem..." 04/01/2004 p.96-9Variety 8 of 10
Quite apart from the general air of bubbling elegance, the pic is intensely funny. The yocks are almost entirely the responsibility of Peter Sellers, who is perfectly suited as a clumsy cop who can hardly move a foot without smashing a vase or open a door without hitting himself on the head...The Panther is a priceless jewel owned by the Indian Princess Dala (Claudia Cardinale), vacationing in the Swiss ski resort of Cortina. The other principals are introduced in their various habitats, before they converge on the princess and her jewel...Sellers' razor-sharp timing is superlative, and he makes the most of his ample opportunities. His doting concern for criminal wife (Capucine), his blundering ineptitude with material objects, and his dogged pursuit of the crook all coalesce to a sharp performance, with satirical overtones...David Niven produces his familiar brand of debonair ease. Robert Wagner has a somewhat undernourished role. Capucine, sometimes awkward and over-intense as if she were straining for yocks, is nevertheless a good Simone Clouseau.
|
| |
|
|
|
