So far, the only exposure I’ve had to Inspector Clouseau and the Pink Panther franchise has been the semi-tacky Steve Martin version of the character (oh, and the cartoon!). But after adoring Peter Sellers’ performances in “Dr. Strangelove”, I knew I wanted to give his most famous comedy performance a shot.
In this first film, the “Pink Panther” actually refers to a large pink diamond with a discoloration that resembles a panther. The gem is in the possession of exiled Princess Dala of “Lugash”. The princess is vacationing at a ski resort in Italy where Inspector Jacques Clouseau is on assignment, looking for famed jewel thief “the Phantom”. Little does the clumsy inspector know, playboy Sir Charles Lytton *is* the Phantom and is present and actively flirting with Princess Dala in hopes of stealing the gem. Throw in Clouseau’s adulterous wife, Lytton’s cunning nephew, and the stunning Italian Alps and you have a heist-spy-royalty-detective-comedy film that runs around everywhere with the tiniest of legs.
Truth be told, if my recap sounds all over the place, it’s because the film was. The story felt equally torn between being a sexy (but tacky) high-stakes heist story and a wacky, slapstick comedy depending on who was in the scene. Allegedly, the story was meant to lean towards the former but Peter Sellers’ brilliant performance meant the film was cut more like the latter. It sounds like the sequels lean more heavily into his silly antics to great success but in this first outing, it felt out of balance.
That’s not to say the film is without merit. Sellers shined whenever he was in the frame and the ensemble around him put on a fantastic show, including a great performance by David Niven as the Phantom. And of course Henry Mancini’s theme is a classic—likely the most recognizable and celebrated score in a comedy (up there with that silly “Austin Powers” theme, for me). Still, I went into this film with tremendous hopes and left just liking it. One day, I’ll check out the sequels!