The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)

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

Director:

Blake Edwards

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 Clouseau is called in to catch the thief. The Inspector is convinced that 'The Phantom' has returned and utilises 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:

HE'S BACK...no risk is too daring...No caper is too exotic...No crime is too dangerous

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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

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

Unlike the other films in the original Pink Panther franchise, United Artists was not directly involved in the making of this film. Because the careers of Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers were declining, UA had no desire to finance another Panther film. Edwards took his script of The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) to British producer Lew Grade, who subsequently bought the rights. Grade financed the film himself, while giving UA worldwide distribution rights, ownership in the copyright, and a stake in the profits (as they owned the characters) in order to make the film. Distribution rights in later years reverted back to Grade's company, ITC; this is the reason why, until recently, the film had not been featured in compilation DVD box sets along with the other Panther films. UA (via MGM) has since reacquired domestic rights to this film and it has now been issued in a Blu-ray box set of all of Sellers' "Pink Panther" films, while international rights are now with Universal Pictures.

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Goofs

The wires that lift the old woman's chair when the bomb explodes are visible.

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Quotes

Dreyfus: [after Clouseau has demolished two trucks and a swimming pool in Nice] Now he's off to Gstaad. Today, a paradise in the Swiss Alps - tomorrow, a wasteland.
[rolls his eyes and lets out a deep breath]
Dreyfus: Compared to Clouseau, Attila the Hun was a Red Cross volunteer!

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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 original UK cinema version was cut by the BBFC for a 'U' certificate to remove Sir Charles's audible use of the word 'shit' (though he can still be seen to mouth the word). Despite later releases being upgraded to a PG they all feature the original edited print.

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Connections

Referenced in Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (2011)

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Soundtracks

The Ride of the Valkyries
(from The Valkyries) (uncredited)
Music by Richard Wagner

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!