Pink Panther

:This article is about the films and cartoons. For other uses, see The Pink Panther (disambiguation)

Films

The films initially starred Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau and were directed by Blake Edwards. The popular theme music is by Henry Mancini. The Pink Panther of the title is, in the first film, a diamond supposedly containing a flaw which forms the image of a pink panther, whose theft is the concern of the first film. The diamond is not subsequently referred to in the series (except The Return Of The Pink Panther), but the name stuck because of the distinctive animated character of a pink panther seen in the first film only in the opening credits and at the end of the film.

Related Topics:
Peter Sellers - Inspector Clouseau - Blake Edwards - Henry Mancini

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In the original Pink Panther movie, the main focus was on David Niven's role as Sir Charles Lytton, aka the infamous jewel thief "the Phantom", and his plot to steal the Pink Panther from its original owner. The Inspector Clouseau character played essentially a supporting role as Lytton's incompetent antagonist, and provided slapstick comic relief to a movie that was a subtle, light-hearted crime drama. The popularity of Clouseau caused him to become the main character in subsequent Pink Panther films, which were more standard slapstick comedy movies.

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Mancini's theme, with variations in arrangement, is used at the start of all but a few of the Clouseau films.

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Thus far, nine official films have been made, all but two having "Pink Panther" in the title. The films are as follows:

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• The Pink Panther (1963)
• A Shot in the Dark (1964)
• Inspector Clouseau (1968) (stars Alan Arkin as Clouseau, and not directed by Edwards)
• The Return of the Pink Panther (1974) (with Sellers and Edwards back)
• The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
• Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978)
• Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) (features the now deceased Peter Sellers by using clips from previous films)
• Curse of the Pink Panther (1983) (in which Clouseau has conveniently gone missing and returns in the form of an uncredited Roger Moore)
• Son of the Pink Panther (1993) (starring Roberto Benigni as Inspector Clouseau Jr.)

All these films have been released by United Artists, however The Return Of The Pink Panther is the only film in the series not currently owned by MGM/UA as at the time UA sold the film rights to British production company ITC Entertainment (although UA does own the copyright)--that film is now in rights litigation, which is why "Return" is not included in a 2004 DVD box set of the other five Sellers films.

Related Topics:
United Artists - ITC Entertainment

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Although official, the 1968 film Inspector Clouseau is generally not considered part of the Pink Panther "canon" since it did not involve Sellers or Edwards. Some elements of Arkin's performance and costuming, however, were retained when Peter Sellers took back the role in 1974.

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Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers originally intended to produce a Clouseau television series in 1974, but backers ITC felt a movie would better suit the character, resulting in Return of the Pink Panther and a revived Clouseau film franchise.

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A new film, called The Pink Panther, starring Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau, directed by Shawn Levy, and produced by Robert Simonds, started filming in the Spring of 2004 and is set for release in February 2006. Although advance publicity suggests it will be a prequel to the 1963 film, it is set in the present day. Prior to Martin signing to the picture, which he also co-wrote the screenplay for, Mike Myers, Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker had all been announced as candidates to play the role of Clouseau. It remains to be seen whether fans of Clouseau will consider the film to be canonical since Blake Edwards is not involved in the writing or directing of the project.

Related Topics:
The Pink Panther - Steve Martin - Shawn Levy - Robert Simonds - 2004 - February 2006 - 1963 film - Mike Myers - Kevin Spacey - Chris Tucker

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Characters

Inspector Jacques Clouseau

A bumbling simpleton who believes himself to be a detective genius. Inexplicably speaks in English with a ludicrous French accent, while other characters in the films speak English in whatever accent is normal for the actor playing the part. (Clouseau's accent is far less pronounced in the early films; it was only starting in the 1970s that an exaggerated accent became part of the joke). It has been suggested that portraying the incompetent policeman as French is based on a British stereotype of the French police in general.

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Sheer luck or clumsiness usually saves him. For example, in one film, assassins from all over the world are sent to kill him; Clouseau bends down to tie his shoelace, falls over, etc, at just the right moment to ensure that the killers' attempts eliminate one another.

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Played by Peter Sellers, Alan Arkin, Roger Moore, and Steve Martin.

Related Topics:
Peter Sellers - Alan Arkin - Roger Moore - Steve Martin

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Chief Inspector Dreyfus

Clouseau's superior, introduced in A Shot in the Dark, who is eventually driven murderously insane by his exasperation with Clouseau's stupidity. One film (The Return Of The Pink Panther) ends with him strait-jacketed in a padded cell writing "Kill Clouseau" on the wall with his feet. In The Pink Panther Strikes Again he attempts to take over the world for the sole purpose of guaranteeing the death of Clouseau by kidnapping a scientist and forcing him to build a disintegrator ray. Dreyfus appears to disentegrate himself at the end of this film, but subsequently, without any explanation,

Related Topics:
Disintegrator ray - Without any explanation

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returns to his Chief Inspector post in later films.

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Played by Herbert Lom in the Blake Edwards films, and by Kevin Kline in the forthcoming remake.

Related Topics:
Herbert Lom - Kevin Kline

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Cato

Clouseau's manservant, and an expert in martial arts. It's unclear whether he believes Clouseau is a great detective or merely humours him. It is a running joke that he is required to attack Clouseau when he least expects it, to keep Clouseau's combat skills and vigilance sharp. One memorable scene has Clouseau stealthily search the entire apartment on returning from grocery shopping; upon not finding Cato, he opens the refrigerator for a snack. The location of Cato is left to the reader's imagination.

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In later films, Cato helps Clouseau on some cases, including one in Hong Kong. Ever-faithful Cato wears glasses in order to be inconspicuous, but he ends up running into various objects because of his now-impaired vision.

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At first, Cato appears to conform to the Chinese racial stereotype of speaking in "broken English" and grinning, however Revenge of the Pink Panther reveals that Cato is actually a cultured gentleman, fluent in English, who puts on the stereotype as an act for Clouseau. It is suggested that a love-hate relationship exists between the two men, sometimes bordering more on the hate side for Cato.

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In the movie Revenge of the Pink Panther, Cato, believing his master to be dead, ran a covert brothel in his apartment. The code to get into the brothel was to claim to be Inspector Clouseau, which caused a humorous scene when the real Inspector Clouseau showed up. He later opened another brothel in Curse of the Pink Panther, and converted Clouseau's apartment into a museum featuring all the disguises he had worn over the years.

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Played by Burt Kwouk.

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François

Dreyfus's assistant, who generally observes his boss's interactions with Clouseau (and subsequent emotional breakdowns) with placid bemusement.

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Played by André Maranne.

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