Rating: 
Summary: Decent package, but missing essential material!
Review: I was very excited when I heard they were releasing a Pink Panther collection on DVD. So much so that I held off on buying any of the currently available individual DVD titles. The day the set arrived I raced home to watch... and disappointment struck.
In the first place, the set does NOT contain RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER; one of the best/funniest in the series (in my opinion). I now understand this was because of legal/copyright issues, but still a major disappointment. If you buy this set, you will need to go out and purchase Return separately to have all the Sellers' renditions of the film.
Secondly, the other (non-Sellers) films in the series are not included. I wasn't too disappointed about this because Peter Sellers is, in my opinion, what made the Pink Panther series so great, but the other films are pretty decent as well (and this is supposed to be a Pink Panther collection, not necessarily a Peter Sellers collection). Son of the Pink Panther was a box office dud, but one of my personal favorite non-Sellers' Clouseau movies. Roberto Benigni, who played Clouseau's son was just great! And the movie, in general, had the feel of one of the older Panther films. It also featured the brilliant Herbert Lom (Chief Inspector Dreyfus) and Burt Kwouk (Cato Fong); both a pleasant surprise! Curse of the Pink Panther is also not included in this set, which had a brilliant soundtrack.
Thirdly, the extra features are duds! And there's only slight mention in the commentary of Alan Arkin's film, Inspector Clouseau, and absolutely no mention of Steve Martin's upcoming rendition.
I think a nice added feature would have been to maybe include a new soundtrack featuring music not included on previously released soundtracks of the films (along with the classics). For example, none of the previous soundtracks include the spectacular song Meglio Stasera, sung by the beautiful Fran Jeffries in the first film. And some of the great music from Shot In The Dark that was never included on albums. It would have been nice to have all these.
But, we are left with only a mediocre collection of Pink Panther movies and no real advantage over buying the titles separately, except that you might save a buck or two.
I give this package 3 generous stars since it's not an ideal package and could have been MUCH better. But, it's still the Pink Panther and the DVD's are very good quality. Definitely an upgrade from the VHS copies. It comes in a very attractive, well-protected package and does include a few extra features. So, it's not bad, but certainly not perfect. Fans will be disappointed that Return of the Pink Panther is not included and none of the non-Sellers Panther movies are included either, so it's not a complete set by any means. Perhaps one day the movie studios will work out their differences and create a new (deluxe) Panther collection with ALL the movies and some better extras. For example, I know there are outtakes from the films (I've seen them on TV Bloopers shows). Those would have been a nice addition to the DVD's. For now, it's all we've got and it's not too terrible. 3 Stars. Enjoy! :)
NOTE: See my review concerning the first Pink Panther movie too on Amazon.com
Rating:
Summary: This set is a good thing...but lacking, sadly
Review: I'm not quite sure why there is so much anger that this set includes only the Sellers Pink Panther movies. The other ones, first of all, aren't very good or even worthy to come in the same package as the Sellers films. Just view this set as all the Sellers films in the series (as it claims to be on the packaging). Another complaint is that this doesn't include Return of the Pink Panther...the rights to that one is owned by Artisan. Just pay the 6 to 15 bucks (it's a cheap one in bargain bins) and buy it and your Sellers set will be complete. Unless this was supposed to be the complete Pink Panther Experience, I wouldn't complain those films being abscent. MGM has been known to put out older and more obscure movies out on DVD so I'm sure well see a release of those films someday...perhaps after that long-awaited, development-hell Pink Panther remake is finally made.I don't feel there's much to complain about. I think this set is great because we get new editions of the films that include features abscent in the previous release on DVD. The previous DVD's were fairly bare bones with two video modes for the film, trailer, and secret hidden feature showing a poster design (woo-hoo!). But now we get these films with remastered picture and sound. These films have never looked better -especially the early films. This set also includes the controversial "Trail of the Pink Panther" which never did get a proper DVD release prior to this set. To me, the series worked because of Sellers and the other films were failed attempts to capture what the Sellers films had. I'm grateful that MGM put out this set the way they should be presented. But I guess maybe I just don't appreciate the other films or see the need for this to be the archival Pink Panther set. All praises aside, this set is flawed. Previous to buying this set I read reviews of the Region 2 edition of this collection. This European set was filled with much more substance in the way of documentaries, outtakes, and extra footage. In addition the the Pink Panther Story documentary (30 min.) this set also included the following (and lengthy extras): That's Panthertainment documentary (47 min.), The Unknown Peter Sellers documentary (50 min.), and The Commercial Peter Sellers which was made up of Sellers commercials and behind the commercial looks. Needless to say that is a substantial amount of extra footage missing from the North American R1 release. Perhaps there were copyright issues. The R2 version also included a booklet which isn't all that amazing but is just another thing missing from the R1 edition. Either way, this is a great set to own, I just wish it was was up to par with the Region 2 edition.
Rating: 
Summary: Good set, but some serious problems...
Review: I've been a big Panther fan for decades. This set's great, the lack of Return notwithstanding (I already have it anyway...) The big problem I have is that the main menus refuse to come up on our DVD player. The only disc which works correctly is the Bonus Disc. The five other discs do not display the menu. I can get access to the different choices (set-up, chapters, extras), but only by winging it with the enter key. Pretty annoying. This is one of the only DVD's I've ever had this happen with. Be Warned, but probably buy it any way.
Rating:
Summary: Massage, anyone?
Review: MGM's "Panther" set wastes no time in showing off its quality once the menu queues up, as the tenor-sax notes of Henry Mancini's eternally cool theme song slink out of the speakers. Director Blake Edwards delivers a delightful solo commentary on the first and best film, "The Pink Panther." The DVDs' fine (5.1) audio is complemented by the vivid widescreen images on the first "Panther," a gorgeous relic of the swinging '60s. The reproduction allows contemplation of detail such as the amazing topography of David Niven's hair. There's a lot for the Technicolor to take in -- fabulous clothes, beautiful people and to-die-for European locations. A half-hour docu on the "Panther" films checks in with the series' surviving principals. A brisk DVD documentary tells the tale of the Pink Panther cartoon character, found money for Blake and his partners. A bonus disc collects the Panther's animated adventures. The five original "Panther" films collected in this set range from the nostalgic pleasures of the first to the sludge of "Trail of the Pink Panther" -- a barely watchable collection of Sellers outtakes borne along by a why-bother story -- but with Peter Sellers onscreen the laughs never completely faded away. DVD viewers are both warned and encouraged.
Rating: 
Summary: The Funniest Films Of Any Time
Review: MOVIES: Within this collection are some of the funniest movies ever conceived by man. Not only did these movies spawn off the Oscar winning cartoon that is known worldwide and is still being shown on Cartoon Network today, it also created a model for new generation "screwball" comedy (well in 1964) that can be seen in films today. Characters such as Harry and Marv from the first two Home Alone films follow this formula. The characters Leslie Nielson plays in almost all of his satires are all modeled after Peter Seller's Inspector Clouseau. This character is so perfectly crafted that it will have you rolling around in laughter. Peter Sellers is a legend of comedy, a brilliant comedic actor. The way this character is, is that he is the most clumsiest, reckless, and graceless person there is and he always tries to recover from everything he does by acting serious about it. The collection includes all films except for The Return of the Pink Panther, Curse of the Pink Panther, and Son of the Pink Panther. Return of the Pink Panther should be there but is owned by another distributor, Curse of the Pink Panther really has nothing to do with the series since it does not star Peter Sellers, and Son of the Pink Panther was an abysmal. These classic films are the funniest you will ever see, if you have never seen them I highly suggest this collection. The title "Pink Panther" was never intended as a cartoon but actually was referring to the diamond in which the bumbling inspector was to find because within the diamond there was a minor flaw that resembled the shape of a panther and the diamond had a pink hue so that's how it fits together. So, all in all every collection should have this sitting on the shelf for you will never see a better comedic performance in past, present, or future. VIDEO: WOW! That's all I can say. I am shocked at how crisp these transfers are. I have recent movies that don't look as good as these do, they really cleaned up the print from the original 1964 reel, and same for the other four films. Anyway, the film is in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio as well. I have to say though the picture was impressive for a film 40 years old (referring to the first one). AUDIO: Another wow in this department. You'll get a 5.1 surround mix that is excellent for these classic films. The audio does not sound degraded or present any loss of quality. Very good PACKAGING / EXTRAS: The case comes in cardboard slip case. Once taken out you'll have fun with the squishy plastic/foam digipak that resembles a book. When the digipak unfolds the discs are aranged in three sepreate segments in a very creative way yet with one minor flaw. The discs overlap eachother, two per segment. And even though they look mighty cool all set in place this is where the flaw is. Discs 2, 4, and 6 are overlapped by 1, 3, and 5. So if you need to get to those even numbered discs then you need to pop out the odd numbered one on top of it. As goes for extras we get a nice collection of original Pink Panther cartoons (4 to be exact), and two others. One that has nothing to do with the Pink Panther (it's just released by the same people whi created the original toons), and then one modeled after the actual character of Inspector Clouseau. There is also a 10 minute featurette explaining the phenomenon of these cartoons. Then we have a documentary titled "The Pink Panther Story". Each film also contains their original theatrical trailers on their own discs (not on the bonus disc), and each film has a photo gallery, and The Pink Panther has a commentary track. A limited number of extras plauge the set slightly, but not enough to hurt the quality of the set overall. One of the best collections to come out of MGM in a while.
Rating:
Summary: What the younger generation is missing...
Review: On the movie timeline our younger generation (ages 10-12)have missed out on some of the best movies due to being born too late and the increase of film technology which nowdays can do anything on the screen. The young expect this even more with digital.That is why older films must be restored, maintained and available. To keep it simple and still get your emotions unleashed. So it was refreshing to have my 11 yo son experience the "Return of the Pink Panther" as his first "pink" film. He never laughed so hard and never seen such concepts, even from all the kid movies he had previously watched. From the surprising/hiding Kato to the heavy accented words ("That's what I said.")and all the stumbling around Sellers did. We discovered the dvd ...in a big bin of older movies.(This group set will be an anticipated addition at my house.)In fact my son can't wait to see all of them. We even tried to rent them at Blockbusters but of course older movies are never carried to make room for newer ones. There are movies out there which will instill clean simple comedy for the younger generation.
Rating:
Summary: A great collection showing Peter Sellers' comedic brilliance
Review: Peter Sellers' performances as Inspector Clouseau are cinematic comedy classics that have inspired many other movies and comedians right up to present day, but few are anywhere near as entertaining as Peter Sellers at his best. The original Pink Panther film, A Shot In The Dark, and Revenge of The Pink Panther are particularly funny, with A Shot In The Dark standing out as best among the best, generating laughs continuously throughout. Sadly, The Trail Of The Pink Panther is a less than brilliant compilation of clips of Sellers strung together with some new material after the actor's death, but fans will still wish to see it just to get a few more great glimpses of one of the finest comedians of all time. Sellers gets great support from a host of other fine actors, Herbert Lom being the most notable. If you've never seen those two with Alec Guinness in the original Lady Killers, by all means buy that one too, it's terrific! I don't know why anyone would complain about not having the Pink Panther films that did not star Peter Sellers in this collection as some reviewers have done: Peter Sellers is what these films are all about. When he is on screen, even the most inconsequential dialogue and situations are funny, and he makes even the weaker entries in the series worth watching. Just putting the words "Pink Panther" in the title of a film does not really make it a Pink Panther film, it was the magic of the cast, writing and time that they were made. Attempts to capture the magic after Seller's premature death from heart problems were limited in their success to say the least. It's only a shame that, apparently, some extra features included in the British version of this set were not included in the U.S. release, but it is still a wonderful and lengthy collection of some of the funniest films around. These films are fun for everyone in the family, with the clever adult humor sailing over the heads of children yet providing them with plenty to laugh at as well. Sellers' physical comedy was every bit as great as his ability to deliver a funny line.
Rating:
Summary: Why no "Return of The Pink Panther"? :: the answer,
Review: Return of The Pink Panther is missing for the simple reason that MGM does not have the rights to it. ITC financed the film and still maintains the distribution rights, which surely is not in their best interest to sell off as long as MGM continues to reissue the films. What would have been nice here is to have entered into a one-time joint effort for a comprehensive 40th Anniversary set.
Rating:
Summary: Bonus disc not much of a bonus
Review: The Bonus disc contains one 30 min documentary on the making of the Pink Panther films, plus a few Pink Panther cartoons, and a documentary on the cartoons. Not much of a 'bonus' However, I am a fan of the series, and the films are great.
Rating:
Summary: Great set
Review: The bonus dvd was not really great. If I would have done a bonus dvd, then I would have added the great outtakes from the making of these movies. They are almost as much fun to watch as the movies themselves.
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