The Pink Panther (1963)

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writers:

Maurice Richlin (screenplay) and
Blake Edwards (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 March 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Family | Romance

Tagline:

You only live once... so see the Pink Panther twice!!!

Plot:

In the first movie starring Peter Sellers as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau, he tries to catch a jewel thief who is right under his nose.

Plot Keywords:

Clouseau | Pink Panther | Inspector | Pink | Panther

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

David Niven	...	Sir Charles Lytton
Peter Sellers	...	Insp. Jacques Clouseau
Robert Wagner	...	George Lytton
Capucine	...	Simone Clouseau
Brenda De Banzie	...	Angela Dunning (as Brenda de Banzie)
Colin Gordon	...	Tucker
John Le Mesurier	...	Defence Barrister (as John LeMesurier)
James Lanphier	...	Saloud
Guy Thomajan	...	Artoff
Michael Trubshawe	...	Felix Townes
Riccardo Billi	...	Aristotle Sarajos
Meri Welles	...	Monica Fawn (as Meri Wells)
Martin Miller	...	Pierre Luigi - Photographer
Fran Jeffries	...	Greek 'cousin'
Claudia Cardinale	...	Princess Dahla

Also Known As:

Der rosarote Panther (West Germany) [de]
La pantera Rosa (Spain) [es]
La pantera rosa (Italy) [it]
La panthère Rose (France) [fr]
O Roz Panthir (Greece) [el]
Pembe panter (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Rozowa Pantera (Poland) [pl]
Vaaleanpunainen pantteri (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | France:U | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:AL | Norway:12 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:Approved (certificate #20449) | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Mirisch Corporation, The

Trivia:

An animated Pink Panther was created for the opening credits because writer and director Blake Edwards felt that the credits would benefit from some kind of cartoon character. David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng decided to personify the film's eponymous jewel, and the Pink Panther character was chosen by Edwards from over a hundred alternative panther sketches. The Pink Panther introduced in the opening credits became a popular film and television character in his own right, beginning with the cartoon short The Pink Phink (1964) the following year.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Clouseau comes back to the bedroom with the violin case, he puts it on the armchair. Later he sits down and the case isn't there no more.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Gem dealer 1: As in every stone of this size, there is a flaw.
Sultan: A flaw?
Gem dealer 2: The slightest flaw, your excellency.
Gem dealer 1: If you look deep into the stone, you will perceive the tiniest discoloration. It resembles an animal.
Sultan: An animal?
Gem dealer 1: A little panther.
Sultan: Yes! A pink panther. Come here, Dala. A gift to your father from his grateful people. Some day it will be yours. The most fabulous diamond in all the world. Come closer.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Muppet Show: (#2.19)" (1977)

Soundtrack:

It Had Better Be Tonight

A true classic - One of the best of the Sixties

To me, the defining moment in The Pink Panther comes when Clouseau is finally asked by his wife to get her a sleeping pill. Frustrated, discouraged, he tramps across the room for the umpteenth time to do his wife's bidding. We see him go into the bathroom, and then we hear - not see - ALL the pills drop on the floor of the bathroom. Without picking them up, or even saying anything or reacting in any way, he crunches across the floor and back into our view, carrying the water and the pill for her. You know exactly what happened; you didn't need to see it.

This is typical of this movie and this style: the jokes are so underplayed, quiet and perfectly paced that people accustomed to seeing "American Pie" and "There's Something About Mary", or even the bunch 'o sequels to this film (that grew progressively coarser and louder with each installment) may not get or even notice them. In the first sight of Inspector Clouseau, we see him pulling the old "leaning on a spinning globe and taking a pratfall" trick. But the moment is over with quickly; it's not made more than it is meant to, because the point of the pratfall is to define Clouseau's character in a moment. (Compare with later, more painful, re-occurences of this spinning-globe idea in the sequels). Most of the other moments derive from this idea: at the center of this caper film is this man who is inextricably dense and clueless, and yet retains a curious grace - not to speak of a total savoire-faire in all moments.

This film could never be made today. In fact, it's a time capsule of a certain sort of late 50's, early 60's sensibility. Examples: all the people showing up for the Princess's dinner in formal evening wear. David Niven's late-night repartee with the Princess - all about numb lips and champagne. The musical number - for no reason whatsoever. The glamorous locales - without a trace of irony, straight out of "To Catch a Thief", the inspiration for this type of "caper" flick. The curiously innocent and unsexual bedroom farce moments. And, of course, the ending car chase with guests in ape suits, a suit of armor, and not one but two cops in a zebra outfit (what a good choice for those interested in speed and efficiency!) And these are just the moments - see how effortlessly the screenplay weaves all the story lines together, and how beautifully the pace gets accelerated throughout the movie. Not to speak of the opening credits, which are like a whole cartoon sequence in themselves. Obviously, I'm crazy about this picture; it's pretty, it's captivating, it's romantic, it's funny, and it weighs about two ounces - it's just delectable cotton candy. And through it all Peter Sellers gives one of the most subtle, and funniest, comic performances put to film, walking around in a fog, totally unaware of reality, and underplaying his role to the hilt.

Rumor has it that a remake is in the works, with Mike Myers in the Clouseau role. Let's compare two moments to get a preview: Peter Sellers bringing his wife a part-full glass of milk that he has spilled most of. At her quizzical look he innocently says,"That was all they had, my dear!" .... compared with Austin Powers drinking, um, the brown substance that is not coffee. Different strokes for different folks, indeed. Looking forward to it, uh huh.