My Movie Review on The Return of the Pink Panther · 5:11am Jun 6th, 2021
Greetings and salutations, my friends.
This is your top-of-the-line film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "The Return of the Pink Panther".
Here's the rundown of this sequel:
At a museum in the fictional country of Lugash, the Pink Panther diamond has been stolen by a mysterious thief who left behind a white glove in its place. Believing that it would take more than the Lugash police force to catch this thief, the authorities decide to call in the one person they believe can help recover the diamond: Inspector Jacques Clouseau.
Upon investigating the scene of the crime, Clouseau concludes that the diamond was stolen by a thief called "The Phantom", who secretly goes under the guise of Sir Charles Lytton. The reason that Clouseau concluded that the Phantom stole the diamond is because the white glove the thief left behind is his calling card. Investigating the matter further, Clouseau decides that the only way he can discover the whereabouts of Sir Charles is if he disguises himself and follows his wife, Claudine Lytton, and somehow get her to tell him where her husband is.
Meanwhile, Sir Charles Lytton, having retired from stealing for four years, discovers that he was framed. Wanting to clear his name, he visits Lugash to investigate the matter himself.
In all honesty, I originally planned on making my 224th film analysis a review of another James Bond film starring Sean Connery. But, I later realized that I've been wanting to make a comeback in analyzing Pink Panther movies more than I thought. So, I did just that. This movie was the franchise member I had in mind to review next anyway, so I had no trouble in making a decision on the matter.
So, what do I think of "The Return of the Pink Panther" after all these years?
Well, the one thing I'd like to admit is that I couldn't help but wonder why this movie wasn't rated "PG" instead of "G", especially in contrast to the other films. It's mainly because the film didn't seem like one that was appropriate for children thanks to intense sequences of violence and some slight language. Once again, though, this is a case that I blame squarely on the MPAA rating system, not the movie.
As a matter of fact, "The Return of the Pink Panther" was an absolute blast to watch!
For instance, the acting, casting, characters, and character development were marvelous.
Whether anyone had commented on Christopher Plummer playing Sir Charles Lytton/The Phantom in this movie instead of David Niven is something I don't know. But, I thought that Plummer did a remarkable job filling in for Niven and making the character his own. He brought a terrific charm and sense of humor to the role, and every moment with him and his character was instantly engaging. Catherine Schell was likewise wonderful in the role of Lady Claudine Lytton, and it looked like she was genuinely having fun being a part of the film. Both Charles and Claudine had great development throughout the film too.
In addition to this, Herbert Lot was fantastic in his reprisal of Charles Dreyfus, and Burt Kwouk immediately stole the show as Cato. Both Dreyfuss and Cato provided tons of moments that got me rolling on the ground with laughter, and their overall developments helped them be as human as possible.
On the subject of Dreyfuss, I thought that his apparent struggles to keep a cool head around Clouseau, his further descent into insanity, and his obsessions with actually killing Clouseau, were nice callbacks to his development in "A Shot in the Dark", which was where it all began for him. The fact that he's Chief Inspector of the French Police force instead of the Commissioner was a clear sign that he was demoted because of his previous visible actions towards Clouseau.
But, when it comes to which cast member gave the best performance...it was Peter Sellers who once again astounded me the most with his portrayal of Inspector Clouseau.
In the last two movies, Sellers showed himself to be capable of being hysterical in the physical comedy front. In "The Return of the Pink Panther", though, his abilities with physical comedy were at an all-time high, because he showed that he can do more than things like putting his hands in bowls of porridge. In every moment featuring Clouseau in a physical situation, there was also a sense that Sellers was willing to take risks even if it'd likely cause him to break a leg or something. His delivery in dialogue and apparent improvisation were likewise as fun as ever, especially whenever his character interacted with others. Along with Clouseau himself proving to be an engaging and lovable lead like in the previous films, he continually developed as the film progressed.
The direction by Blake Edwards, and the story by him and Frank Waldman, were brilliant as well.
Like the previous Pink Panther films he helmed, Edwards directed this sequel with creative passion and professionalism. Each of which were strong enough to help the film have a personality. The overall mystery as to who stole the Pink Panther diamond helped everything be intriguing enough for audiences to want to see where things would be going, and the story was unpredictable and thrilling in the best way possible. The only thing I will admit regarding the story is that I have wondered where Simone Clouseau and George Lytton went considering it was implied that they and Charles Lytton became a team at the end of the first film, but I can see that it's possible the team broke apart and moved on from one another.
The humor and comedic-timings throughout the movie were fun as well. From the moment Clouseau came into the picture, I could tell that Edwards was going all-out in making this installment funnier than the last ones, and the results of his hard work clearly paid off. A prime example came from the moments where Clouseau and Cato are fighting one another, because unlike in "A Shot in the Dark" there was a liveliness and greater amount of wit involved.
In addition to the concept being very well-worked, I admired how Edwards extended himself in directing the film on a visual level. The cinematography helped the film to not only be engaging but lovely to look at, and the use of background sounds and surroundings is a great benefit in helping audiences feel like they're amidst the action of the film rather than just watching it. Edwards's use of slow-motion sequences was enjoyable too, and the best part was that they didn't feel out of place.
The animation by Richard Williams was amazing, if I may add.
When I watched the intro Williams animated for this movie, I noted that there was a flexibility and liveliness that made the style entertaining to watch. Plus, the character animation used for both Clouseau and the Pink Panther carried a sense that they were not only animated by hand, but with personality and humor.
Finally, the music by Henry Mancini was as magnificent as ever.
While it is true that the Pink Panther theme he composed for both the intro and ending is a rendition of the original theme from the first movie, the rendition made for "The Return of the Pink Panther" was melodiously enjoyable to listen to. One of the biggest reasons is because Mancini went all-out in helping it stand apart from his work in the 1963 predecessor. The rest of the material Mancini created was marvelous as well, such as the music he made for when the thief was stealing the Pink Panther diamond.
In conclusion, "The Return of the Pink Panther" is a spectacular successor to "The Pink Panther (1963)" and "A Shot in the Dark", and it showcased the cast and film team willing to take things to the next level.
So, I rate "The Return of the Pink Panther" five out of five stars.
As a person who loves this film, 5 out of 5 stars from me too!
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Have you seen my reviews of “The Pink Panther (1963)” and “A Shot in the Dark”, by any chance?
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Not yet.
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I was just wondering. I didn’t know whether you had seen those movies or not.
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I actually have seen the movies though. One of my favorite moments from Return of the Pink Panther is when Cato ambushes Clouseau by hiding in the fridge.
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That’s one of my favorite moments too!
Along with the fact that Edwards and company decided to up the scales with the sparring between Clouseau and Cato, of course.
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Here are my reviews on this movie’s predecessors, in case you’re interested:
My Movie Review on The Pink Panther (1963)
My Movie Review on A Shot in the Dark
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Indeed.