Customer Reviews

The Return of the Pink Panther

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

No need to comment on the plot which is hilarious, just the DVD picture quality.
While it's in letterbox, the image is fuzzy (as in VHS quality). I suspect that instead of using 35mm film, Artisan Entertainment simply pulled this from a laserdisc and burned it down to DVD. If you see it in a bargain bin it's ok for the kids, otherwise wait for a newer version to be released.

Artisan has released yet another low quality DVD of a classic movie. Regardless of your feelings about Seller and the "Panther" series, this one is to be avoided, based solely on a non-anomorphic picture with the quality of an EP-recorded VHS tape and sound with a continual hiss throughout.

Hopefully the original studio will see fit to give this movie a decent transfer in the future.

A very good movie but the DVD quality is really disappointing compared to the rest of the Pink Panther series. It is just like watching a video copy.

No question, if you are a Peter Sellers fan this movie is a must-have. But why such a lousy transfer to DVD. My laserdiscs of "Shot in the Dark" and "The Pink Panther Stirkes Again" were much better. Now I'm completely gun-shy about buying these DVD's until someone improves their quality.

Has there ever been a more catchy theme than Mancini's "Pink Panther?" I can't think of any off hand, and in this third entry in the Clouseau series, the music and the animated panther are back in fine form.
Mainly a vehicle for the superb Peter Sellers, this sequel is tired in plot, and struggles for some of its laughs, but one cannot deny the superlative hijinks of Sellers as the impossibly inept Inspector Clouseau. He has so many brilliant moments, it's hard to think of them all, but Sellers is in top form. Christopher Plummer and Catherine Schell do okay, but Herbert Lom and Burt Kwouk as Dreyfuss and Kato are outstanding in their supporting roles. Lom's slow decline into mental illness is hilarious in its cartoonish way, and Kato's fights with Sellers are priceless.
It's an entertaining if inconsequential movie, but I had lots of fun watching it!!

The movie had a few humorous moments, but I found some of it tedious. Cato and Dreyfus are still a riot. though. Cato and Clouseau have their karate fights, culminating in Cato dressing as a Japanese waitress. Clouseau finally drives Dreyfus into the nuthouse after Dreyfuss repeatedly shoots himself with a cigarette lighter.

I still prefer "A Shot in the Dark" and think it is the best of the series. I did not care for the original "Pink Panther" as I found it unfunny.

Although the picture was not razor-sharp, it is not as bad as the one-star whiners would have you believe. With minimal extras, if you don't have high expectations, then the low-priced DVD may be worth your time.

Peter Sellers is great as Inspector Clouseau, with his mispronunciations and bumbling, especially when teamed up with Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus (Herbert Lom), who hates him.

The wonderful David Niven, of course, is gone from the series, but is replaced by Christopher Plummer as Sir Charles Lytton (The Phantom).

Both Lom and Sellers are a great comedy team and provide a laugh a minute, as they try to catch a jewel thief in Lugash.

I suggest you see the whole pink panther series.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

The Return of the Pink Panther
DVD ~ Peter Sellers

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Except for a trailer, there are no real extras on this dvd, thats why it loses a star. The film itself, however, is magnificent. I've noticed a few reviewers that have chosen to point out that the plot isnt as "cohesive" as it was in the original "Pink Panther" or it's legendary follow up "A Shot in the Dark." Phooey. Who cares? I didn't see this movie for the plot anyway - I was there to see Peter Sellers reestablish himself as Inspector Jacques Clouseau, and that's exactly what I was given. This movie is painfully funny at times (particularly when Herbert Lom is onscreen as Clouseau's boss, the long suffering Dreyfus), and if the plot is a little weak, all is forgiven thanks to a series of sight gags that are the best of their type since Chaplin did his thing. For those who must have a plot, it goes like this: the Pink Panther diamond is again stolen from a museum in Lugash, and a white glove emblazoned with a letter P is left behind- the sign of the jewel thief the Phantom. Sir Charles Litton (Christopher Plummer, doing an admiral job of assuming the role after David Niven) - the original Phantom, and the one who stole the diamond the first time - is accused of the theft. He is innocent of the crime, though, and sets out to clear his name. While this is going on, the worlds worst detective is assigned to the case at the behest of the Lugash govt. They figure that if he caught the Phantom the first time, Clouseau can do it again. Havoc ensues.
You have to understand, it doesn't matter where he is or what the circumstances, Clouseau walks into a room and literally manages to destroy it within minutes. This leads to some very , very funny moments (my favorite being a scene involving a hapless bellboy, a sauna and some VERY slippery shoes). This could be absolutely supid, but Blake Edwards still has a great sense of comic timing, and Peter Sellers could do slapstick like nobody else before or since. If you're a fan of the "Pink Panther" films, then you'll definitely want to have this in your collection. As comedies go, its indispensible.

Peter Sellers was one of the most gifted comic actors of the 1960s and 1970s; Inspector Clouseau was his most beloved role. Blake Edwards, the film's director and creator, was a master of both subtle humor and slapstick. For these reasons, The Return of the Pink Panther is a true classic for many of us. It's a movie that never fails to leave me in a great mood. However, as other reviewers have noted, there are some serious issues with the DVD. I purchased it (and am glad I did) because I didn't have a VHS copy of the film. To be honest, I don't know what advantage this particular DVD can offer versus a VHS, since there are no real extras here, and no choice between widescreen and full screen (and no anamorphic widescreen!). I sincerely hope that this film is reissued in the future, complete with outtakes and remastered sound, and treated with the respect it deserves.