Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers combined their formidable talents to create the character of Inspector Clouseau for the first time in 1964’s The Pink Panther, followed soon after by a second installment called A Shot in the Dark. When approached for a third movie in 1968, neither Sellers nor Edwards was interested. The movie Inspector Clouseau was made with Bud Yorkin at the helm and starring Alan Arkin (!) as Inspector Clouseau. This movie was, as they say, a box office disappointment. With the franchise remaining viable only via the Pink Panther Cartoon series, Edwards and Sellers again teamed up in 1974 for The Return of the Pink Panther. As surely no one but Peter Sellers could ever be Inspector Clouseau, this is most certainly the third installment of this long running franchise. A box office success, this movie revived the series. One could even say that the third time’s a charm!

The Return of the Pink Panther was originally to be a television series pilot. Plans to turn it into a TV movie caused the creative team to simply go ahead with a big screen feature.

The film begins with a tour of a museum in Lugash, which houses the Pink Panther, the world’s most valuable diamond. Security is state of the art (for 1974). When asked the origin of the stone’s unusual name, the guide tells of how the stone is flawed. If held to the light one can see the form of a springing panther…

…leading us directly into this installments version of some of the most creative and famous opening credits in the history of film. The animated sequence, done by Richard Williams, has our mischievous panther leading his hapless inspector through the credits in the guise of a number of Hollywood locales and personae. You have to admire a film franchise whose credits spawned one of the most beloved cartoon characters of a generation.

In The Return of the Pink Panther, Clouseau’s (Sellers, of course) nemesis, the Phantom, appears to have returned and stolen the Pink Panther. The scene of the actual robbery is quite fun in a hindsight sort of way. It has shades of many heists to come, especially reminding me of the first big screen Mission Impossible, with its wires, gadgets and remarkable twists of luck. As Clouseau recovered the stone the first time it was stolen, the Lugash government insists that he be put on the case. Clouseau’s superior, Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) is horrified at this development, as he wants nothing more than to see Clouseau off the force, or better yet, dead. Clouseau is, of course, the worst police officer in the world. He is completely without a clue on every level, yet bumbles his way into the right place at the right time. Every time. This is the tableau of Clouseau, played to the hilt by Sellers. With each of Clouseau’s classic screw-ups, the Chief’s mental state deteriorates about a notch and a half, beginning with a facial tic and plummeting steadily downhill.

Seeing as how the scene of the crime is marked with the calling card of the Phantom (a white glove with a sparkling letter “P”), Clouseau immediately uses his finely honed “instinct” to conclude that the perpetrator is none other than the Phantom, aka Sir Charles Litton (Christopher Plummer). David Niven, the original Phantom, was unavailable for this film, and I’ve always thought that Christopher Plummer plays Sir Charles with elegance and style (granted, at the time of the movies original release, I was still in love with him from seeing The Sound of Music - but this of course in no way affects my absolutely objective and unbiased opinion!). It seems, however, that Litton is innocent, and to avoid being framed, sets off for Lugash to find the real thief. Meanwhile, Clouseau, having set his sights on Litton, is led a merry chase by the beguiling Lady Litton (Catherine Shill), who delights in throwing out red herrings that Clouseau naturally snaps up like a hungry seal. His pursuit of Lady Litton involves numerous ridiculous disguises, ruses and accomplices, each hilarious both in its stupidity and its execution.

Naturally, we are treated throughout the film to Clouseau’s unbelievable ineptitude at virtually everything. We are also treated to the first (I've actually been informed that this is his second appearance, the first being in A Shot In The Dark) appearance of Cato (Burt Kwouk), the servant who attacks Clouseau at will, much to the Inspector’s delight and with his full encouragement. Peter Sellers as Clouseau is absolutely one of a kind. Mumbling, bumbling, fumbling hilarious slapstick at its best. His mangled pronunciation of words like “room” and “monkey” makes for a running joke, and his struggle with inanimate objects (my particular favorite – the scene with the telephone) is absolutely over the top hilarious. For that matter, the man is funny just standing still and not speaking. He is Inspector Clouseau, no one else could ever do the role justice (which he pretty much said at the time – there are some fun tidbits in the production notes on the DVD). The character has such a delightful ignorance of his own ineptitude that it’s a joy just to watch him march purposefully down the street. Herbert Lom as the increasingly disturbed Chief Inspector adds some extra chaos (and his bandaged nose is just so damned funny!).

No review of this movie would be complete without mention of Henry Mancini’s absolutely classic score. It does everything it’s supposed to do, adding tone without being overbearing, foreshadowing in a most wonderful way, and perfectly balancing with the movie.

For those unfamiliar with the Pink Panther movies, The Return of the Pink Panther undoubtedly looks and feels dated. And an appreciation of Peter Sellers particular (or is that peculiar?) screen presence is a vital component of enjoying any of these films. For anyone seeing it again, or even anyone who has enjoyed the other movies in the franchise, The Return of the Pink Panther is both nostalgic and absolutely hilarious. If you haven’t seen this in a while, treat yourself to a dose of Peter Sellers at his finest.

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Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD