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The Revenge of the Pink Panther

The Revenge of the Pink Panther

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My favorite Pink Panther movie!!!
Review: I concur with the other reviewers who find this an underrated film. Although it is uneven and not as consistently hilarious as "A Shot in the Dark", the sparkling segments compensate for the mild rough spots.
Highlights must include Chief Inspector Dreyfuss' eulogy to Clouseau in which his laughter is taken for tears and Clouseau's outrage to find that the syupposedly grieving Cato has turned his apartment into a brothel. The bit with the fan is one of the funniest gags in any film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Underrated- Recommended
Review: I concur with the other reviewers who find this an underrated film. Although it is uneven and not as consistently hilarious as "A Shot in the Dark", the sparkling segments compensate for the mild rough spots.
Highlights must include Chief Inspector Dreyfuss' eulogy to Clouseau in which his laughter is taken for tears and Clouseau's outrage to find that the syupposedly grieving Cato has turned his apartment into a brothel. The bit with the fan is one of the funniest gags in any film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very enjoyable...
Review: I find most of the Pink Panther series enjoyable... "Revenge" is pretty good... The soundtrack is good considering it was originally recorded in mono... I highly recommend "Return" and "Strikes Again" from this series...I think they're the funniest. Also check out the cartoons...

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not One of My Favorite Panthers
Review: I was never really fond of this film, even though it was Peter Sellers' last portrayal of Inspector Clouseau. It started out excellent but slowly deteriorated into mundane and silly slapstick. By the time it reached Hong Kong I thought it was terrible. Even Henry Mancini's score seems a little tired in this one. It all seems like very forced filmmaking. I suppose some of the same things could be said about CURSE OF THE PINK PANTHER but in that film the script follows a logical progression from the classic Clouseau skits to slapstick and finally into the absurd. It seemed to work wildly in that film. I actually found the scenes in TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER with Peter Sellers much funnier than in THE REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER. THE REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER remains a weak entry in the series for me.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Watchable but flawed
Review: Of the original five Pink Panther films (I'm not counting the Alan Arkin "Inspector Clouseau" movie) this one is the weakest entry of them all. Considering it was the fifth installment in the franchise, it simply may have been too much. Well this time around, the story finds Inspector Clouseau in the sights of a drug lord named Philippe Douvier. Douvier wants to prove to his American counterparts how tough he still is and this is how he wants to do it: by killing Clouseau!! After several failed attempts (which include a bomb and sending out a superhuman assassin) Douvier and his goons think they have succeeded and the entire world thinks Clouseau is dead (upon hearing this news, Dreyfuss regains his sanity!!). But Clouseau is actually alive and is now sneaking around incognito in the hopes of finding his "killers" and bringing them to justice. I'll leave you with that but lets get on with this review. First off, the writing in "Revenge of the Pink Panther" was inferior to the previous films. I mean, there isn't much of a plot; Douvier just wants to prove he's still strong. This wasn't a problem in the other entries which all had decent story lines that kept things a bit interesting. I think the writers would have done well to have made a better head bad guy as well; Douvier wasn't particularly engaging or interesting. And one more thing. I mentioned Dreyfuss is in the film. Wasn't he incinerated in "The Pink Panther Strikes Again"? I guess they chose to ignore that movie (makes sense considering it was so bizzare). But on comic side of things, you can still get a few decent laughs out of this one. Clouseau dons some pretty wacky disguises here, some of which include a peg-legged Swedish pirate (thar she blows!!), dwarf painter Toulouse Lautrec, and even a godfather disguise. There are some other scenes you'll like but I won't spoil them for you here. When all is said and done, "Revenge of the Pink Panther" isn't bad but it still falls short of its predecessors. I'll give this 2.5 stars. See it if you like but don't expect this reach the heights of the previous "Pink Panther" films.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sellers On The Loose Again
Review: Peter Sellers returns as Chief Inspector Clouseau in this fifth and final installment of the "Pink Panther" series, in "Revenge Of The Pink Panther," directed by Blake Edwards. This time around, Clouseau becomes the target of a drug lord, Douvier (Robert Webber), who finds it necessary to prove to colleagues that he is still "strong." When the assassination attempt is summarily pronounced successful, it affords Clouseau the edge of pursuing the criminals through the use of disguise and the deft application of stealth as only Clouseau could effect. Meanwhile, former Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) is pronounced fit, and returned to his position at the department. And, as would be expected, it all adds up to a bad time for the criminals, as well as the hapless Dreyfus. Edwards does a good job with this film, though it's not on a par with the previous outing, "The Pink Panther Strikes Again," which was arguably the best (and funniest) of the series. There are scenes involving behind-closed-door meetings of the criminal element that seem to bog things down a bit, but with Sellers on hand they seem almost insignificant, for as soon as Clouseau arrives on the scene they're up and running once again. And Sellers has some classic moments in this one: Trying on new disguises at the establishment of Dr. Auguste Balls (Graham Stark), a veritable haberdashery for undercover surveillance; posing as a rotund "Godfather" and insinuating himself into the mob; and a foray as a peg-legged pirate with an inflatable parrot on his shoulder. The story line in this one may be considered thin-- Edwards gives it just enough to serve as a setting in which to showcase the talents of his star-- but there's nothing wrong with that; it's funny stuff, and watching Sellers work is worth the price of a ticket alone. One of the most memorable moments in the film, however, is courtesy of Herbert Lom, as Dreyfus gives the eulogy for the "late" Chief Inspector Clouseau and can barely contain his mirth, with his tears of joy construed, of course, as grief. And for the first time in the series, Clouseau's faithful manservant, Cato (Burt Kwouk) accompanies the Inspector during his investigation, which adds to the merriment, but is not necessarily a boon to getting the case, as Clouseau would say, "solv-ed." The supporting cast includes Dyan Cannon (Simone Legree), Robert Loggia (Marchione), Tony Beckley (Algo), Andre Maranne (Francois), Charles Augins (Vic) and Douglas Wilmer (Police Commissioner). With "Revenge Of The Pink Panther," Edwards delivers an above average comedy that is good for a lot of laughs, and he finishes it off with an extended, slapstick finale that really gives some sock to the overall movie. What will stay with you forever, however, is the image of Clouseau, and recalling his antics will provide you with some chuckles for a long time afterwards. In the end, this film stands as a tribute to the great Peter Sellers, as proof positive that NOBODY does it better.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hilarious!
Review: The Revenge of the Pink Panther is at least as funny as any other movie I have ever seen. Clouseau is sleuthing around while everyone in France thinks he is dead. Peter Sellers still has that great accent that makes his character so funny. The Revenge of the Pink Panther is very worth while.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My favorite Pink Panther movie!!!
Review: There are any number of reasons for each film in this much-loved series to be a fan favorite. I certainly wouldn't argue against Shot in the Dark as the all-around best film, or against Strikes Back as having the most big laughs, but Revenge is my personal favorite. I love all the "Godfather" scenes with Sellers because they make me laugh hysterically and I think they rank with the greatest examples of his genius. Like all his best work his portrayal of Mr. Big is both subtle and controlled while at the same time being goofily over the top. And you've got the visit to Dr. Balls, which is as funny as anything in the series and features Sellers'classic rendition of "Little Girls."

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: poor panther
Review: this attempt resembles in several ways the problems of most sequels- no expansion on character, plot etc. Like Clouseau's michelin Corleone, this film is lazy, bloated and not very funny. For interest to die-hards, if only to see Sellers on the screen. What a descent from the first panther!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Familar stuff, but twisted enough to make it a lot of fun
Review: This is really the last of the Clouseau films. The others were cobbled together after Sellers' death and are not as enjoyable. This film is actually quite fresh and very enjoyable. Not only are the regulars in attendance, we get to meet the people who provide Clouseau with his fabulously ridiculous disguises. It turns out that there is a store that provides them and is owned by one Professor Auguste Balls (done to a T by the remarkable Graham Stark).

In this film, Robert Webber plays Phillipe Douvier, who is a gangster that his peers think is losing his edge. So, he kills Clouseau as a demonstration that he is still a powerful man. Well, everyone thinks he has killed Clouseau and that leads to most of the delightful humor in the film. While the familiar elements of Dreyfus and Kato are here, everything is twisted pretty hard and kept fresh even though they are familiar. We get to find out more about Kato and what he turns to once he thinks Clouseau is gone. Amazing stuff.

Dyan Cannon, at her most stunning, plays Simone Legree (ho, ho, ho) who is Douvier's mistress / secretary. The mighty Dourvier is afraid of his wife who demands that he end his relationship with Simone which, of course, makes Simone angry and reckless. Douvier intends to have her killed and she is inadvertently saved by the already deceased Clouseau. Fireworks ensue. When you get all this plus an inflatable parrot, how can you go wrong?


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