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

During the sequence when the bath tap is left running the crew overfilled the tank so that when Clouseau opened the door literally tons of water poured down the chute and ripped the set apart. Mike Grady and Victor Spinetti were nearly drowned but continued to improvise in the flooded wreckage.

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Goofs

Sir Charles Litton's valet/butler calls Clouseau "Inspector" while Clouseau is in the guise of a telephone repairman.

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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

During the animated opening credits, the credit for the Hal David song "The Greatest Gift" is the first credit seen after the title, occurring between the star and supporting cast credits. In the 1970s, songwriting credits usually appeared about midway though the opening credits and usually were paired with the film's composer credit; it was unusual for a song credit to be singled out in such a way.

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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

References Brats (1930)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Not the best "Panther", but still fun.

This picture has some very funny gags, but it is hampered by Blake Edwards' miscalculations: the opening robbery sequence goes on too long, and there's too much irrelevant footage with supporting players that only interrupt the comedy. This reminds me of those Marx Brothers films where you have to sit through many long, pointless scenes with secondary characters to get to the funny stuff. Still, the movie DOES have Peter Sellers at his best - and Herbert Lom is every bit his equal. (**1/2)