The Pink Panther, 1963.
Directed by Blake Edwards.
Starring David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner, Capucine, Brenda de Banzie, Colin Gordon, Fran Jeffries, and Claudia Cardinale.
SYNOPSIS:
Blake Edwards’ 1963 classic The Pink Panther, which spawned not only a movie franchise (including a two-film reboot with Steve Martin in the Inspector Clouseau role) but a cartoon franchise too, arrives again on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The film has been remastered and looks great. KL didn’t commission any new bonus features, but what’s here should be enough to satisfy any fan.
This one confused me when I saw it on TV as a kid in the 1970s. I had seen the Pink Panther cartoons, and I couldn’t figure out why that feline didn’t show up during the movie, other than during the opening credits.
I’d love to say that I was sophisticated enough at the age of eight or nine to appreciate this Blake Edwards comedy, but, no, I didn’t revisit it until my adult years. Now, of course, I can appreciate Peter Sellers’ role as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau, although I do think that Edwards and his co-screenwriter, Maurice Richlin, went to the pratfall well a little too often over this film’s 113-minute run time.
Sellers is joined by Capucine in the role of Simone Clouseau, who is actually in league with the professional thief the Phantom, who is none other than the esteemable Sir Charles Lytton (David Niven). Claudia Cardinale is Princess Dala, who owns the fabled Pink Panther diamond that she received as a child.
The Phantom has targeted the jewel during the winter in the ski resort in Italy’s Cortina d’Ampezzo, and Clouseau arrives to try to thwart the theft and finally apprehend the Phantom. The arrival of Lytton’s brash nephew George (Robert Wagner), who harbors his own secrets, complicates the Phantom’s plans, especially when he decides to try to steal the Pink Panther too.
And Lytton doesn’t do himself any favors by falling for Princess Dala, who is also wooed by George. The end result is a series of awkward situations and close calls worthy of any sitcom, although it should be noted that such scenarios were still new on TV at the time, which made them still suitable for use in feature films.
Kino Lorber has issued The Pink Panther on on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray, sporting a new high-def master from a 4K scan. The Blu-ray I received for this review is also available with the 4K edition, and the film looked solid on my setup. Fans of this film will be happy with its appearance regardless of which version they choose. (Yes, I don’t have access to the 4K disc, but I can only imagine it offers an incremental upgrade, which tends to be true of a lot of 4K presentations on typical setups.)
In the bonus features department, this disc isn’t lacking either, although I don’t have any previous home video editions to compare it against. Here’s what you’ll find (all of it is archival; nothing new was created for this release):
• Commentary track: Edwards is the sole participant here, and he gives a thorough overview of the making of the film.
• The Pink Panther Story (29 minutes): Edwards, producer Walter Mirisch, and others show up for this retrospective look at not just this film but also the many sequels that followed its success.
• Behind the Feline – The Cartoon Phenomenon (11 mibutes): I wish I could go back in time and how little kid me this featurette, so he’d understand how this film’s animated opening sequence (the character reappears at the end, too) also launched a cartoon franchise.
• The Coolest Cat in Cortina (11 minutes): Robert Wagner looks back on the movie, with a particular focus on Sellers’ performance. He notes that the original pick for Inspector Clouseau, Peter Ustinov, would likely not have worked as well. I agree wholeheartedly, and imagine most film fans would nod in agreement.
• An Italian Indian (12 minutes): The title of this featurette is a reference to the fact that Cardinale was Italian but played an East Indian character in this film. This is an interview with her that was actually conducted in French, but don’t worry — it’s sub-titled.
• Diamonds (7 minutes): The jewel at the heart of this story gets an examination by various diamond experts who note, unsurprisingly, that, yes, it would truly be a priceless stone if it really existed.
• The Tip-Toe Life of a Cat Burglar (10 minutes): The final extra is another of the “based on real life” variety, in which former jewel thief Bill Mason and writer Lee Gruenfeld, who co-wrote the book Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief with him, talk about the profession, so to speak.
The film’s trailer rounds out the platter.
SEE ALSO: The Pink Panther at 60: The Timeless Comedy Caper Revisited
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
