Rating: 
Summary: My Favorite Panther
Review: I saw this movie at 13 when it was released during the holidays in 1976 (its big competition was Dino De Laurentis' KING KONG), and I think the Panther won. I absolutely loved it: they pulled out all the stops with this one.
From Chief Inspector Dreyfus's relapse in the opening scene (it was great to see Herbert Lom giving such an inspired comic performance this time out: he's wonderful!) to the animated homage to movies in the titles to the wacky James Bond ending, THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN was and remains my favorite Panther movie. A SHOT IN THE DARK is also great, but STRIKES AGAIN is where I found the biggest belly laughs.
If you're a Panther fan, you've probably seen the recent bio pic, THE LIFE & DEATH OF PETER SELLERS (Geoffery Rush deservedly won a Golden Globe for his performance). I've read the book on which it's based (the original 1000-plus page British version, no less) and MR. STRANGELOVE by Ed Sikov, along with several biographies of Stanley Kubrick.
Obviously, Mr. Sellers had issues. I'd always wondered why there had been a ten-year gap between the first two films (1964's THE PINK PANTHER and 1965's A SHOT IN THE DARK) and the rest (starting with 1975's RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER). It's unfortunate that Sellers had so little regard for what was probably his most popular character, and that he put poor Blake Edwards through such a volatile process every time, but at least a couple genuine comedy classics came together.
DR. STRANGELOVE is Sellers's greatest performance, but Inspector Clouseau is his funniest.
All the scenes work and this is the Panther film I recommend to everyone.
Lesley Ann Down is stunning as the Russian agent, and look fast for Blake Edwards in a cameo in the gay bar (he's wearing sunglasses and checking out Clouseau--who, typically, can't quite figure out where he's at at first).
I even bought the soundtrack album and remember Tom Jones singing "Come To Me" at the Oscars that year. (If I remember correctly, the Best Song went to "You Light Up My Life").
I've seen the trailer for the upcoming movie with Steve Martin as Clouseau...but he, or no one else for that matter, will ever nail it like Peter Sellers.
Rating: 
Summary: Great fun, average DVD
Review: I've always been a fan of the Pink Panther films and I got this one on DVD recently. The film was as funny as ever but sadly this DVD is not as good as it could be. I choose to watch the widescreen version in stead of the pan'n scan version (I don't know what idiot had the idea of pan'n scan anyway) but it surprised me that the widescreen image is cropped and measures more like 2.20:1 but not 2.35:1 (?), but inexplicably the main titles are in 2.35:1. I kept noticing those irritating editing splices that distract from the picture, and the picture is not even anamorphic and looks rather soft. It could have been much worse, but the folks at MGM have just chosen a wrong print of the film and given it a wrong treatment. Now the sound isn't all that bad, but I was shocked to see, at that editing mess in the chapter "Painful interrogation" (the funniest chapter), the sound goes out of synchronization (!?). It could just be my copy of the DVD but still it's awful. I had to look at those lips moving with the sound coming a bit afterwards. The extras are also pretty weak. The pan'n scan version looks much better than the widescreen image, which is a shame. Great fun, a four-star movie with a 2 star DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Attention, all Austin Powers fans:
Review: If you REALLY want to get an understanding of where Mike Myers got the inspiration for the shagadelic superspy, don't bother with the old James Bond or "Our Man Flint" mobies from the '60's...those movies owe more to the era in which they were made than the development of the main character.
>
No, the ORIGINAL Austin Powers was none other than Inspector (later "CHIFF" Inspector, but that's another movie) Jacques Clouseau, every bit as much a credit to French "leau" enforcement as is Austin Powers to British secret service. Even though the "Pink Panther" franchise was originally created to be more of a spoof on the old pulp/film noir genres best typlified with "The Maltese Falcon", et al, this particular entry in the series provides a secret agent parody that even Mike Myers would have to admit exceeds his own (extremely brilliant) undertakings on the same subject.
>
I won't touch on the plot, but the recommendation is simple; if you enjoyed any of the Austin Powers movies, you will love this one, no doubt about it. Jump on it with both feet!
Rating:
Summary: Ok but something is wrong
Review: In this fourth Pink Panther film, Inspector Clouseau is running for his life because his ex-boss Dreyfuss, driven mad by Clouseau's incompetence, is threatening to destroy earth with a death ray unless Clouseau is terminated.When I first saw this film, I thought it was pretty good. Clouseau pulls off some hilarious, over-the-top gags and Dreyfuss is fun to watch in his unhealthy mental state. However, I look on this movie now and see a few things wrong. One is that the movie is bizzare at times. I mean, Dreyfuss in a castle wielding some out-of-this-world death machine? And a hunchback costume? A bit too outlandish, don't you think? Also, the humor is not as charming in this movie as it is in previous Pink Panther films. Everything Clouseau does seems to be crash-and-bang. It can be funny, but the delightful, little zip he displayed before is missing here (see A Shot in the Dark and you'll see what I mean). As for the DVD, it isn't that good. I can see them not including a making-of-documentary since the films star (Peter Sellers) is dead, but they could have included more than just a theatrical trailer and an 8-page booklet. Overall, The Pink Panther Strikes Again could have been a better film. It's big, busy and noisy, but not as charming as its predecessors. Still, if you like a good slapstick comedy, check it out.
Rating:
Summary: The Panther's Best Moment
Review: In this, the fifth entry in the expansive "Pink Panther" film series, a police inspector goes insane, another survives 26 assasination attempts, this same inspector brutally battles his butler, and the former police inspector disappears into thin air. All the pandemonium and ingenuity of this film can be summed up in one simple line: " (After a television broadcast threatening to destroy the world and interrupting an important baseball game airs) Call the FBI, the CIA, and the pentagon! Find out who won the game!" The concept of the unexpected shines through every glorious gag, every fantastic folly, in the pinnacle of the "Pink Panther" series. Peter Sellers, as bumbling Inspector Clouseau, gives a tour-de-force performance and the supporting players add a foundation to the thing that is absolutely crucial to the thing's success.
Rating:
Summary: I have a question.....
Review: Is this the one where Inspector Cluseau asks " Does your dog bite, and when the person says no he goes to pet the dog and he gets bitten? "
Rating:
Summary: the funniest movie I've ever seen!
Review: My sister and I recite entire stretches of dialogue in synch with the movie and laugh till we cry! ( Kleenex factor of 10)
Rating: 
Summary: Is Something Missing?
Review: Okay, I admit this is one of the funniest of the Panther films, but I swear there have to be some deleted scenes. Newsman Howard K. Smith is given star billing in this film and is credited as playing himself, yet I don't spot him anywhere in the movie. Does this mean there may be another reissue of this film on DVD with even more footage? I can only hope.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Only five films should really be considered a part of the Pink Panther/ Inspector Clousseau series: 'The Pink Panther', 'A Shot in the Dark', 'Return of ...', '... Strikes Again, and "Revenge of ...". Forget the Alan Arkin 'Inspector Closseau' movie and the films that postdate Peter Seller's death; they are all terrible and not worth your time. The first two, the original 'The Pink Panther' and 'A Shot in the Dark' are very entertaining, incredible comic masterpieces - well worth inclusion in anyone's DVD collection. Not coincidentally, these two were made within a year of each other when both Sellers and producer/ director Blake Edwards were at the their top form. Unfortunately, when the pair reunited a decade later for the first of three sequels, something was lost. While the final three films were financially more successful than the earliest two, each sequel in succession (starting with 'Return of ... ') increasingly diminshed in quality in every way - in the writing, direction, acting, plot, and comic charm. While '... Strikes Again' does have its moments, it is hardly an excellent film, let alone one of the better 'Panther' or Sellers movies ... Much of the comedy just does not work, especially most of the (former) Chief Inspector Dreyfus' Bond-like mad villian plot, and the Gerald Ford scenes which may have been topical at the time (and was probably a SNL/ Chevy Chase rip-off), but certainly do not pass the test of time. I blame much of the failure of this film on the sub-par writing and direction. As mentioned in several other reviews, this film was inspired by the James Bond series and in turn proved inspiration for the Austin Powers series (and I do not intend that to be a compliment). It's unfortunate that Mike Myers was not inspired more by the Seller's and Edwards' better work in the earlier films. I would suggest that you rent 'The Pink Panther Strikes Again' before purchasing it. I recognize that one's taste in films is subjective, and if you thought the Austin Powers movies were hilarious, you'll love this one as well. (By the way, 'Revenge of the Pink Panther' - the last sequel - is worse than '... Strikes Again'.) The picture quality of the DVD was extremely disappointing. While MGM's 'The Pink Panther' and 'A Shot in the Dark' appear to be remastered/ restored versions, '... Strikes Again' appears to be merely transferred from a VHS edition of the film, and not a very good one at that. Also as other reviewers have pointed out, this DVD version probably is not the complete film but an edited version (perhaps for televison or a revised theatrical release). This is surprising because MGM is marketing their four Panther/ Clousseau DVD's as a series. You would think that more care and consistency would be made for each one. Perhaps someone decided that this entry in the series just was not worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: Peter Sellers is THE best comedian (and actor for that matter) of all time. I have seen almost all the Pink Panther movies of his and they are hilarious!
|
