Inspector Clouseau (1968)

[Clouseau]

Inspector Clouseau (1968)

Plot Notes - well as far as the actual, basic plot to this film is concerned, it's actually quite interesting and funny... it's the script-writing and execution that spoil it, i think... the basic premise is that an unknown villain is using the loot from a British train robbery to finance something larger - a bank robbery - and not just any bank robbery... he's going to rob all the banks in Switzerland (or something like that) simultaneously, disguised as Inspector Clouseau... Clouseau is sent to London, and then to Zurich to investigate... unfortunately, as i said, it's a decent premise, but poorly done, and i'm not a bit surprised that neither Blake Edwards nor Peter Sellers wanted a thing to do with it...

Cast Notes:

• Alan Arkin - the first time i sat through this film, i blamed Arkin for this flop of a film, but upon re-viewing it, i've determined that it can't be all his fault... what i've determined is that - like Steve Martin's Clouseau in the 2006 movie - Arkin's Clouseau is much more enjoyable if you do not view him as the same character portrayed by Peter Sellers in so many films... his mannerisms are different, he stutters a little, the accent is straightforward, and i would even say that Arkin's Clouseau is more inept than Sellers'... all things taken into consideration, i'd say that Arkin did a moderately interesting take on the character, though he's far too annoying... 2 hours was more than enough for me, and i'm glad he didn't do another Panther film after this one...
  
• Delia Boccardo - i liked Boccardo as Lisa, but IMO she wasn't given a large enough role... for being the leading lady, she was hardly on screen at all... Clouseau met her at the Weaver's house, and she later turned out to be a member of INTERPOL, but while Clouseau was emphatuated with her at the onset, she never showed any real interest in him, his interest in her seemed to dwindle, and she became purely utilitarian, giving Clouseau an excuse to enter certain scenes and only setting up one or two jokes... a terrible waste of a well-enough actress, if you ask me...
  
• Patrick Cargill - as Commissioner Braithwaithe of Scotland Yard, Cargill was intended to fill the shoes of the curiously missing Herbert Lom... the best evidence of this is the fact that the character's first name is Charles, just like Dreyfus'... apart from being a Commissioner named Charles, however, Braithwaithe has almost nothing in common with Dreyfus, and in my opinion was just another waste of space... he became annoyed with Clouseau, but that seems to be about it, and his screen time was also minimal...
  
• Frank Finlay - as Supt. Weaver, Finlay made an interesting double agent-type character, and was perhaps one of the best-used characters in the film, though at times, it's still difficult to tell what's going on if you're not paying careful attention...
  
• Beryl Reid - if Supt. Weaver was among the best characters of the movie, his Scottish wife, played by Reid, was among the worst... so annoying was she that i cringed every second she was on the screen... interestingly enough, that would make it seem that Reid did her job well, since Clouseau also admits in one scene, "But I can't stand Mrs. Weaver!"

Animated Titles - this is the first film (and only, so far) of the series to have no pre-title sequence... as for the title sequence, itself, this may be the most boring of the series, as well... there is, again, no Pink Panther in the sequence... instead, it focuses on an Inspector character, who runs around getting shot at and blown up, much like in the titles to ASITD... the gags are mostly predictable, though, and not nearly as funny as the ASITD titles... if i were to describe the titles to this film in one word, it would be: forgettable...

Music - the main theme for this film is somewhat catchy, but as is my complaint with the majority of the film, it lacks the class and sophistication the rest of the series is known for... the Pink Panther Theme (for legal reasons, i'm sure) is never used in the film, and while Ken Thorne's score is mildly interesting, to say "he's no Mancini" would be a huge understatement... not that it was all bad... it just wasn't all that good, if you know what i mean...

Special Note - i do not wish to give the impression that this film is totally without merit... it's not all bad... for completists like myself, it's an interesting entry, but for those who maybe are not completists, i would venture to guess that the majority of you could do without and never feel like you're missing anything that big... it has its share of funny situations, but it just doesn't measure up to some of the other films in the series, if that makes sense... regardless of what i think of his actual performance, i must at least give Mr. Arkin an A for his effort!

[ben]

I saw this on DVD..I still don't know If I want to get it..If it had at least Herbert Lom or one other familiar face sure I could take it, but it's just too different..

I will buy it though at least to complete my collection, at some point..

[Dreyfus]

I love the film. I really enjoyed it. It was completely different to the other non-sellers films and I thought it was quite funny. Although the cast is quite unknown apart from Alan Arkin.

[brandon]

I thought the film was pretty good up until the "I ruin everything I touch" scene, which, to me, is the penny that crashed this train.

One scene I thought was kind of amusing is when Arkin is filling the phone booth with coins, trying to fool the operator. Doesn't work of coarse, but still kinda funny.

[Clouseau]

brandon said:

I thought the film was pretty good up until the "I ruin everything I touch" scene, which, to me, is the penny that crashed this train.

the reason i dislike this scene you mention is not because everything from then on is sub-par, or something like that, but really, the reason i hate it is because i feel like Arkin momentarily stops playing Clouseau... i mean, to me, one of the key elements with Clouseau is that - like Maxwell Smart - even though he's a bumbling idiot, he doesn't really believe he's a bumbling idiot... in his mind, he is a master detective, and if something doesn't work out right, it's because another idiot has screwed it up! thankfully, he recovers quickly, and by the end of the scene, Clouseau seems to be back to his usual self when he starts talking about all the wonderful things he's done by himself in the film...

[panther67]

The best thing about this movie, IMO. Is the story, and the scenery. My problem is with Arkin. I do think Arkin is WAY better than Benigni though, but also suffers from a mental condition, which Sellers, Wass, and Martin did not.

I mean to offense to people with mental conditions, but Arkin acted too retarded. Like when he was going to get his plum pudding, and when he was trying to explain the bank robbery, and just his actions in general, and the way he spoke, was like he was mentally slow. His character reminded me of Borat in many ways, but Borat even didn't seem retarded. I know this may be an un-PC term, and I don't mean to offend anyone.

Now we point the finger usually at the actor, but his dialogue, style, etc, must also be from the screenplay and director, so maybe Arkin could have done it better with different material and people.

While not Clouseau, I liked Wass' character more, but I like the story in IC more than Curse.

Carl