The Pink Panther (1963)
There are so many little hilarious slips and slights of hand by Peter Sellers, it's hard not to love this movie. For sure, there is filler, and some of the other acting is fair to partly cloudy at best (including Robert Wagner as a hottie nephew, and Claudia Cardinale, who has a large role as the princess. A surprise is the poise of little known Capucine (one name), who didn't appear in later Pink Panther sequels, but did (to her credit) show up for the spoof, What's New Pussycat, written by Woody Allen two years later. David Niven is respectable and fun, though he doesn't strike our generation as a lady killer, which he is supposed to be.
What else? Hmmm, some widescreen shooting, a mature use of the format eight years after its full introduction. A fast pace, scene even cutting off into a fade as they are still finishing up. Some mad cap bedroom scenes with people hiding under beds, under soap bubbles, behind curtains, on and on. And Peter Sellers, tripping and looking debonaire despite his utter incompetence. Very funny stuff. Imperfect and silly, but very funny.
There are so many little hilarious slips and slights of hand by Peter Sellers, it's hard not to love this movie. For sure, there is filler, and some of the other acting is fair to partly cloudy at best (including Robert Wagner as a hottie nephew, and Claudia Cardinale, who has a large role as the princess. A surprise is the poise of little known Capucine (one name), who didn't appear in later Pink Panther sequels, but did (to her credit) show up for the spoof, What's New Pussycat, written by Woody Allen two years later. David Niven is respectable and fun, though he doesn't strike our generation as a lady killer, which he is supposed to be.
What else? Hmmm, some widescreen shooting, a mature use of the format eight years after its full introduction. A fast pace, scene even cutting off into a fade as they are still finishing up. Some mad cap bedroom scenes with people hiding under beds, under soap bubbles, behind curtains, on and on. And Peter Sellers, tripping and looking debonaire despite his utter incompetence. Very funny stuff. Imperfect and silly, but very funny.