Post by Clouseau on Jun 28, 2006 5:05:35 GMT
The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
Plot Notes - this fourth Pink Panther film is only the second to deal specifically with the theft of the Pink Panther diamond... the diamond disappears, and the only clue is a white glove with a monogrammed "P" - the famous calling card of the notorious Phantom - but the Phantom didn't do it, so he comes out of retirement to catch the real thief, with Clouseau hot on his trail! with some of my favorite scenes of the entire series, including one of the most perfectly executed diamond theft scenes ever put on film, this is definitely a must-see film for anyone even mildly interested in Pink Panther films!
Cast Notes:
- Peter Sellers - triumphantly returning to the role of Inspector Clouseau after an 11 year absense, Peter Sellers reminds us what Clouseau is supposed to be all about... from his run-in with a man and his "minkey" to his investigation of the Lugash crime scene to his bumbling disguise as a telephone repairman to the destruction of not one, but two hotel rooms in Gstaad, Sellers' Clouseau seems to move from one genius scene to the next, throughout the film... only Clouseau's introductory scene at the club as Guy Gadbois was less than perfect, but after that lull, everything seemed to pick back up fabulously...
- Christopher Plummer - playing a much more physical version of Sir Charles "The Phantom" Lytton than David Niven ever did, Plummer makes the role his own... however, while the strong, active nature of the character is advantageous and moves the plot along nicely, i can't help but feel that Plummer's Lytton has lost some of the charm and sophistication that Niven brought to the role... Plummer does a good job, but just doesn't match up to my expectations...
- Catherine Schell - Schell's Lady Lytton is named Claudine, which makes me wonder what happened to Simone, but she does an excellent job, nonetheless... as she leads Clouseau on a wild goose chase, Schell's beauty captures your attention nearly every time she's on the screen...
- Herbert Lom - reprising his role from ASITD, Lom's Chief Inspector Dreyfus hates Clouseau from the very beginning, and his hatred, coupled with Clouseau's bumbling, drives him over the edge into insanity until he once again goes on a homicidal rampage! despite the fact that the jokes with his scenes are totally predictable, Lom pulls it off in a way that is hilarious every time you see them, which is a sign he is definitely at the top of his game in this installment!
- Peter Arne - although the name "Col. Sharkey" always sticks out in my mind, nothing about Arne's performance really strikes me as particularly amazing... that's not to say there was anything wrong with Arne's performance... it just doesn't stand out that much to me... i guess somebody had to play straight for the rest of the cast!
- Eric Pohlmann - The Fat Man is better known to some of us as the voice of Blofeld in some of the early James Bond films, so it was a treat for me to see his face in this film... that said, he really played a relatively minor role, and it was a fairly unremarkable performance, IMO...
Music - although the bulk of the film's score is primarily based around only two themes (that i could tell), the music does seem to fit very well throughout the entire film... actually, one of the strengths of the film, i think, is that they knew when not to play any music, and they use silence to their advantage more than once... the overall score was simple, but very effectively used...