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The inimitable Peter Sellers strikes again as Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau, in this fourth installment of the classic “Pink Panther” series, “The Pink Panther Strikes Again,” directed by Blake Edwards. Given the fact that the assessment of comedy is intrinsically subjective, this film is arguably laugh for laugh and sight gag for sight gag the funniest of the five (followed closely by the second of the series, the hilarious farce, “A Shot In The Dark). In this one, former Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) is about to be released from the mental hospital– in which he has resided since being driven crazy by Clouseau– when on the very afternoon of his hearing he is visited by none other than Clouseau himself, who has come to speak on behalf of his former boss. Suffice to say that by the time Clouseau is through “helping,” he is driven from the premises by the relapsed, raving madman, Dreyfus. And it’s only the beginning of the inept French Inspector’s antics that, before it is over, will include a trip to the Ocktoberfest, encounters with a dozen hit-men from around the world, a beautiful Russian spy named Olga (Lesley-Anne Down), a surprise Egyptian spy (who will remain nameless) and a one-man assault on a castle. As Laurel and Hardy proved so many times before, for every action there is a reaction; a theorem of which proof is unequivocally provided here by the relationship between Sellers and Lom. This was the film in which Edwards and his stars not only further devised, but honed to perfection, their foolproof formula for laughs: After the “first wave” of hilarity provided by Sellers, it is followed up– in just enough instances to be totally effective– by Lom’s reaction to 1.) Sellers directly (as in the first, classic scene at the mental hospital), or 2.) Lom’s reaction to Seller’s antics as they are related to him by a third party. It’s a one-two punch that never fails and which, in effect, derives twice the fun from a single gag. And it’s brilliant. But at the end of the day, it must be noted that there is one element above all else that accounts for the success of this film, and that, of course, is the Man himself, Peter Sellers. Sellers must be regarded as– if not “the,” then at least one of the– funniest actors ever to grace the silver screen. There was no end to the ways he could make you laugh; from the subtlest expression– an eye averted or perhaps the slight raising of an eyebrow– to the broadest slapstick, it was all within his personal domain, and he was the Master. Physically, practically all he had to do to get a laugh was show up; consider the scene in which he arrives at the hospital to visit Dreyfus: As he saunters across the lawn of the vast grounds surrounding the buildings, a croquet mallet and ball lying to one side catches his eye; there is just the slightest hesitation in his step, the subtlest change of expression in his eyes and the merest inclination of the head. And there, in that briefest of moments upon the screen, you know– beyond the shadow of a doubt– what is about to transpire. And you’re right; a moment later Clouseau has the mallet in his hand and his foot on the ball, and even as it’s happening– just as you knew it would in that split second before it did– he has you on the floor laughing. That was the gift– and the genius– of Peter Sellers. Was every film he made a classic? A great film? Of course not; but you would be hard put to find a single performance of his, even in a bad film (Like 1970′s “There’s A Girl In My Soup”), that did not embody that unique spark that defined him. It was certainly alive in his portrayal of Clouseau (possibly the definitive Seller’s character), and in retrospect, what a shame it seems that there were only five “Panther” movies ever made. But so it is, and shall ever be. The supporting cast includes Burt Kwouk (as the ever faithful and attacking manservant, Cato), Andre Maranne (Francois), Colin Blakely (Alec Drummond), Leonard Rossiter (Inspector Quinlan), Richard Vernon (Dr. Fassbender), Briony McRoberts (Margo) and Michael Robbins (Jarvis). A funny movie that showcases one of Cinema’s truly unique and funny actors, “The Pink Panther Strikes Again” is a side-splitting, fun movie you can watch over and over and never grow tired of. The best of the series, it stands as a glowing tribute to the comedic genius of Peter Sellers.
This is my all time favorite Pink Panther film. I think that I like it the best of the series as is dwells so totally on Herbert Lom’s madness, which is, of course, entirely caused by Clouseau. The opening scene of the film sets the pace, with the brilliant slapstick ‘Dreyfus in the lake’ segment (I am particularly fond of the role of the rake in that scene.)
The characterizations of Dreyfus and Clouseau are totally wonderful in this film. Watching Dreyfus descend into total madness is one of the all time greatest comic performances. Sellers as Clouseau is wonderful playing off of Lom, in such great segments as the ‘hallucinatory dentist’ and the ‘hunchback and the bomber’ scenes. This film is much less subtle than my other favorite from the series “A Shot in the Dark”, but what it loses in subtlety, it gains in situational humor unrivalled in any other comedy (“Does your dog bite?”…”No.”…”I thought you said your dog did not bite.”…”That is not my dog.”) Only Sellers could make these scenes work, and work they do, brilliantly so.
There are so many great scenes and lines that I couldn’t possibly list them. Some of the best lines ever written for a comedy are in this film. To go with the brilliance of the script, the excellent direction from Blake Edwards, the always entertaining animated credits, the beautiful sets, the acting from everyone, led, of course, by Sellers and Lom, is letter perfect.
The DVD is an excellent transfer, and very pleasant to watch. The only real options are language and subtitle related, though there is an original trailer. I would have loved to have seen some outtakes as extras. Reportedly the cast frequently broke up laughing during the filming of this movie, and there is no wonder, given how funny the material is.
I first saw this in the theater when I was a kid. I loved it so much then that I went back several more times, and never tired of it. Now, almost thirty years later, I still never tire of this film. If you haven’t seen “The Pink Panther Strikes Again”, by all means do so at once. If you have, it’s time to get reacquainted with a brilliant old friend!
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