The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)

Inspector Jacque Clouseau (Peter Sellers) is put on the case when the Pink Panther diamond is stolen, with the Phantom's trademark glove the only clue.

Directors:

Blake Edwards, Richard Williams (uncredited)

Writers:

Frank Waldman (screenplay), Blake Edwards (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter Sellers, Christopher Plummer, Catherine Schell

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Sellers	...	Insp. Jacques Clouseau
Christopher Plummer	...	Sir Charles Litton
Catherine Schell	...	Lady Claudine Litton
Herbert Lom	...	Chief Insp. Charles Dreyfus
Peter Arne	...	Colonel Sharki
Peter Jeffrey	...	General Wadafi
Grégoire Aslan	...	Chief of Lugash Police (as Gregoire Aslan)
David Lodge	...	Mac
Graham Stark	...	Pepi
Eric Pohlmann	...	Fat Man
André Maranne	...	Sgt. François Chevalier
Burt Kwouk	...	Cato Fong
Victor Spinetti	...	Hotel Concierge
John Bluthal	...	Blind Beggar
Mike Grady	...	Bell Boy

Storyline

That famous jewel, The Pink Panther, has once again been stolen and Inspector Jacque Clouseau (Peter Sellers) is called in to catch the thief. The Inspector is convinced that "The Phantom" has returned and utilizes all of his resources, himself and his oriental manservant, to reveal the true identity of "The Phantom".

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Plot Keywords:

assassination attempt | bread | clumsiness | doorbell | watermelon | 

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Taglines:

You may rest assured that there's trouble, because Inspector Clouseau is on the case. (That's the trouble.)

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 May 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

El regreso de la pantera rosa

Filming Locations:

Djemaa el Fna, Marrakech, Morocco

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$41,833,347

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$41,833,347

Company Credits

Production Co:

ITC Films, Jewel Productions, Pimlico Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

David Niven was unavailable to reprise his role as gentleman-thief Sir Charles Litton from The Pink Panther (1963), so Christopher Plummer took on the role instead. (Niven was actually not a huge fan of the original movie. It was meant to be a vehicle for him, but was stolen by Peter Sellers and his Inspector Jacque Clouseau character.)

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Goofs

The hotel staff in Gstaadt, Switzerland repeatedly speaks French (addressing guests as "Monsieur" and "Madame" for example); however, Gstaadt is located in the German-speaking part of Switzerland and so it would be very unusual for the hotel staff to use French, but rather they would speak German.

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Quotes

Doctor: Describe your thoughts. Get them out in the open. You'll feel much better.
Dreyfus: All right. See, it's always the same. Clouseau is sitting there, in a chair, just like you, with his back to me. Then suddenly, my hands go round his throat, and I begin to squeeze. It's wonderful. It's marvelous. I'm squeezing. And the more I squeeze, the freer I feel. I'm in ecstasy. And then suddenly, suddenly my problem is solv-ved.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits, the Pink Panther's actions and costumes provide references to Carmen Miranda, Esther Williams, Charles Chaplin, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Groucho Marx, George Raft and Boris Karloff (as Frankenstein's monster).

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Alternate Versions

The first DVD release, put out by Artisan Entertainment, did not feature the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio version of the film. Instead, the pan-and-scan version of the film was cropped, and the DVD was presented in a matted aspect ratio of 1.85:1--approximately 25% of the screen was lost in this process.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Fourth Installments in Movie Franchises (2015)

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Soundtracks

The Pink Panther Theme
Written by Henry Mancini
Performed by Henry Mancini

User Reviews

Hold on to your hats!!!

Return Of The Pink Panther marked Peter Sellers first appearence as Inspector Closeau since A Shot In The Dark (1964) and kicked off a celebrated Pink Panther sequel trilogy. To follow was The Pink Panther Strikes Again and Revenge Of The Pink Panther. I say trilogy because of course 'Revenge' saw Sellers' last outing before his premature death.

This film is a refreshing return to the roots of the original with Closeau on the trail of the PP diamond after it is once again stolen by the infamous Phantom. The Phantom's alter-ego, Sir Charles Webb (Christopher Plummer taking over from David Niven), is naturally assusmed to be the culprit but he is in fact innocent and so joins in the search.

Steve, from the first page, is spot on with his review of the film. It is slow and quite dismal when Sellers is not on screen and the sub-plot involving Sir Charles is weak and uninteresting, which was not the case with Niven in the original but nevertheless Plummer is an inspired choice for the role. Actually, the whole story isn't really clear or upfront, just Sellers at his best. And when he is on the screen, its gleaming with hilarity with a genius at play.

The result is a comedy which has its obvious flaws but also one which has many, many memorable and rip-roaring laughs. Return Of The Pink Panther is an irrestible treat and a must-see. I'm just having trouble figuring out which is better - this or Strikes Again. They're both great!