Pink Panther, The (Blu-ray Review)
Director
Blake EdwardsRelease Date(s)
1963 (January 13, 2026)Studio(s)
United Artists (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: A-
Review
Director Blake Edwards’ fascination with silent comedy and comedians is on full display in The Pink Panther, the film that introduced the world to the well-intentioned but hopelessly accident-prone Inspector Clouseau, and started a mini franchise.
In one of the best title sequences of all time, an animated pink panther has fun with the credits, often putting names up with incorrect spellings, looking guilty, and quickly re-arranging them in the right order. He scampers around, making mischief as Henry Mancini’s world-famous theme music accentuates his feline movements.
We then segue into multiple locations. In Rome, the mysterious “Phantom” has stolen millions in priceless jewelry from more than a dozen victims. In Hollywood, George Lytton (Robert Wagner) owes a lot of money to gangster Big Joe (John Bartha). In Paris, a fence and his elegant accomplice become the first clues to catching up with the Phantom but successfully elude the police, led by Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers). In the ski resort of Cortina D’Ampezzo in the Italian Alps, Princess Dala (Claudia Cardinale), owner of the famous Pink Panther diamond, becomes the target of George’s uncle, conman Sir Charles Lytton (David Niven).
With numerous characters and locations, Clouseau nevertheless dominates the proceedings. His slapstick clumsiness takes many forms and Sellers is expert at selling every one of the sight gags as he stumbles, bumbles, crashes, and tumbles his way through the plot and recovers without skipping a beat to keep his dignity intact. Despite being a high-ranked detective, Clouseau is oblivious to the infidelity and deception of his wife Simone (Capucine). As she removes a luxurious mink coat, for instance, Clouseau asks, “How can you manage on a police inspector’s salary?” He unquestioningly accepts her explanation that she saved for it from the household money.
Though David Niven is top-billed, Peter Sellers’ antics and buffoonery are so clever that director Blake Edwards substantially increased his screen time and he emerged as the picture’s biggest draw. He’s the comic heart of The Pink Panther, and when he’s on screen, there’s always some form of chaos. Whether he casually leans on a spinning globe, attempts to adjust a finicky shower, mistakes a bottle of champagne for a telephone, or wrestles Capucine into a clothes closet, he always lands the gags with the assurance of Chaplin. He reportedly wasn’t used to physical comedy and had to be given specific instructions by Edwards, who grew up loving early comedians such as Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Laurel & Hardy. To see his expertise with physical comedy, one would assume he had been perfecting his style for years.
As for David Niven, he’s appropriately suave as Sir Charles. A scene in which he charms Princess Dala with his urbane manner, champagne, and smooth talk while making love to her on a tiger rug is a highlight. He plays it straight, allowing the ridiculousness of the situation to elicit laughs. Cardinale projects innocence and controlled heat while Capucine projects experience and cool sophistication. Cardinale spoke with such a heavy accent that her entire role had to be dubbed, but her intriguing aura comes through and works perfectly for the character of an Indian princess. Capucine is adept at keeping her character’s unflappable composure throughout as she fends off her clueless husband’s inept advances, serving as an effective foil for Sellers’ Clouseau. A young Robert Wagner is a handsome addition to the cast as the ingratiating nephew with a streak of larceny.
The production value is rich, with full advantage taken of the picturesque locations and elaborate party sequences with many extras in eye-catching costumes. Henry Mancini’s score was written in a period when many of his movie themes became mainstream hits. Apart from the Theme from The Pink Panther, the prolific composer also wrote Moon River (for Breakfast at Tiffany’s), Charade, and The Days of Wine and Roses, all for films directed by Blake Edwards. His score for The Pink Panther also includes the bossa nova tune Meglio Stasera (It Had Better Be Tonight), sung by Fran Jeffries.
The plot of The Pink Panther is too heavily weighted toward scenes with Sir Charles, and cutting a good ten to fifteen minutes out would have created a brisker pace and kept the plot foremost while still retaining the best gags. Sellers dominates the picture with Clouseau’s bumbling ineptness. When he’s off screen for too long, we miss his absurd incompetence. Slapstick depends not only on the gag, but on the performer’s ability to elicit the laugh. Sellers masterfully handles each gag as efficiently as a Shakespearean actor infuses emotion into a soliloquy.
The Pink Panther was shot by director of photography Philip H. Lathrop on 35mm, 8-perf film using anamorphic lenses, appearing on normal screens at the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The Super Technirama 70 process was also employed to blow the film up to 70mm for large format presentations at the aspect ratio of 2.20:1. The Kino Lorber Studio Classics Blu-ray presentation is taken from a 4K scan of the original Technirama camera negative, maintaining the normal viewing aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Clarity is excellent, with the Italian Alps scenery and skiing scenes looking especially vibrant in widescreen. The color palette is broad, ranging from the brilliant golds in a “Once upon a time” prologue to the bold primary hues in the massive costume party sequence. Details are sharply delineated, such as those found on a tiger rug, Claudia Cardinale’s dresses, arrays of flowers, automobiles, and decor in Clouseau’s hotel suite.
Two soundtrack options are provided: English 5.1 and 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio. English SDH subtitles are an option. The film was released in mono for normal screenings and 4-track stereo for large format screenings. Dialogue is clear and distinct. Sellers affects a French accent, which would become more exaggerated in subsequent Pink Panther films. Sound effects include fireworks, rockets, automobiles racing back and forth through narrow streets, a champagne cork popping, ambient party noise, and assorted crashes, bangs, and bumps resulting from Clouseau’s collision into objects, incessant clumsiness, and pratfalls. Some of these sounds are heard off screen leading us to imagine how Clouseau stumbled yet again. The score by Henry Mancini is a highlight of the film and gives it considerable class. The Pink Panther Theme is iconic, and the rest of the score includes light jazz with upbeat chase music and romantic themes. Meglio Stasera is given prominence, performed without cutaways to dialogue, a practice often employed in non-musicals.
Bonus materials on the Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber Studio Classics include the following:
- Audio Commentary with Blake Edwards
- The Pink Panther Story: A Documentary (SD – 28:44)
- Behind the Feline: The Cartoon Phenomenon (SD – 10:53)
- The Coolest Cat in Cortina: A Conversation with Robert Wagner (SD – 10:57)
- An Italian Indian: The Pink Panther Princess with Claudia Cardinale (HD – 11:12)
- Diamonds: Beyond the Sparkle (SD – 6:56)
- The Tip-Toe Life of a Cat Burglar (SD – 9:46)
- Trailers:
- The Pink Panther (SD – 3:52)
- A Shot in the Dark (SD – 3:47)
- The Return of the Pink Panther (SD – 2:31)
- The Pink Panther Strikes Again (SD – 2:45)
- Revenge of the Pink Panther (SD – 2:13)
- Trail of the Pink Panther (SD – 2:11)
- Curse of the Pink Panther (SD – 1:32)
- Son of the Pink Panther (SD – 1:10)
- The Party (SD – 2:02)
Audio Commentary – Director and co-writer Blake Edwards talks about his idea of using a cartoon for the title credits. The character became less feline, more human in his actions in later Panther films and inspired a “merchandising empire.” Edwards and Henry Mancini did over 20 films together and the composer was always adept at capturing and enhancing the mood of the pictures he scored. Peter Sellers wasn’t Edwards’ first choice to play Clouseau. Peter Ustinov was originally cast but backed out at the last minute. Sellers wasn’t a big a star at the time, so Edwards was hesitant to cast him. Filming was done in the Italian Alps, which offered beautiful panoramic views of the mountains. Edwards, under contract to the Mirisch Company, was permitted to make any film he wanted. Mirisch would serve as liaison with United Artists and secure distribution deals. The character of Inspector Clouseau embodied the eleventh commandment—“Thou shalt not lose.” Despite his clumsiness, Clouseau is determined to get his man. Edwards speaks about his personal relationships with cast members and his longtime affection for silent comedy. His heroes are Buster Keaton, Laurel & Hardy, and Harold Lloyd, who became a good friend. Directing the Panther films gave Edwards the clout to make other movies. His best times and worst times working in the film industry were with Peter Sellers. He “loved me and hated me.” The Pink Panther was a major turning point in Edwards’ career. It made him independently wealthy and was the reason for his coming back to Hollywood.
The Pink Panther Story – Director Blake Edwards speaks about his father, who was in the movie business. Edwards viewed filmmaking “as an easy way to make money.” He and a partner made two Westerns. It was Operation Petticoat starring Cary Grant that gave Edwards his big break. The Mirisch brothers understood that filmmakers didn’t need real estate. The company “was a miniature major.” They interfered little, trusting that the filmmakers knew what they were doing. Peter Ustinov and Ava Gardner were cast as Clouseau and wife Simone, but both left the production. Peter Sellers replaced Ustinov because Edwards was desperate; he had a start date and needed a Clouseau. Sellers wasn’t a proficient physical comedian but he was a great improvisational actor. Edwards encouraged him and shot scenes many ways to get the funniest version. The Clouseau character was so popular that A Shot in the Dark, based on a stage play, was rethought with Clouseau in the lead and rewritten to accommodate the character. After A Shot in the Dark, Sellers didn’t want to make another Panther film but the lure of money drew him back to make three more. Because of his declining health, Sellers was often doubled in physical scenes in later films.
Behind the Feline – The cartoon Pink Panther is a fun-loving prankster. He’s also sophisticated. Friz Freling understood comic timing in cartoons. David De Patie and Freling came up with 100 variations of the cat for Blake Edwards and laid them out on Edwards’ living room floor. He immediately, decisively focused on the one that was used in the film. Its theme complemented the Pink Panther’s actions. Mirisch and United Artists agreed on a contract of 156 cartoons. As part of the deal, De Patie and Freling received 25% of the copyright. The theatrical cartoons eventually led to a Saturday morning TV show. The character was huge in Europe.
The Coolest Cat in Cortina: Robert Wagner – Actor Robert Wagner talks about Edwards’ hand being in every aspect of the film. It was fun to make. Sellers was “full of madness.” It was amazing to see the Inspector Clouseau character come to fruition during filming.
An Italian Indian: Claudia Cardinale – This interview is conducted in French, Cardinale’s first language. English subtitles appear at the bottom of the screen. Cardinale started acting at age 16. She recalls that skiing was difficult for her to master. She was dubbed in The Pink Panther as well as other movies because of her heavy accent. She speaks about working with Edwards, Fellini, Visconti, and Marcello Mastroianni. Clips featuring Cardinale are shown during the interview.
Diamonds: Beyond the Sparkle – Experts from the Gemological Institute of America discuss diamonds. Colorless diamonds are the most desirable. Only 20% of diamonds mined can be used in jewelry. Several famous diamonds are discussed—the Hope, the Koh-i-Noor, and the Cullinan. As the hardest natural substance on Earth, the diamond represents to many a statement of love and permanence, and is the favored gem for engagement rings.
The Tip-Toe Life of a Cat Burglar – This is a conversation with Bill Mason, “one of the best jewel thieves in the country.” Mason avoided notice and maintained a debonair, suave manner and managed to engage affluent people in conversations. He started his side hustle as a jewel thief when he saw Phyllis Diller wearing lots of jewelry on a TV show. Mason was a craftsman. He loved the planning and outwitting security measures. Eventually, his heists weren’t about the money, but the challenge. He was a realtor in his day job, earning a decent salary, and his profession allowed him to case homes. He was always non-violent and preferred hitting his targets when no one was home. “It became a game.” He tells how he robbed apartments in high-rise buildings. Mason spent three years in prison and says he never wants to go back.
There are few items from previous releases that haven’t carried over. The Shout Select Pink Panther Film Collection included a couple of still galleries, while the 2004 and 2006 DVD releases from MGM contained a subtitle trivia track. It’s also worth noting that several Region 2 and Region 4 DVD releases contained a bonus disc featuring several classic Pink Panther cartoons, the documentaries That’s Panthertainment and The Unknown Peter Sellers, three TWA commercials starring Peter Sellers, and a featurette about the commercials.
With its intricate heist story, first-rate cast, colorful scenery and great music, The Pink Panther harks back to silent film days through a contemporary lens. The film was so popular that the sequel, A Shot in the Dark, was initiated immediately. It expanded the role of Clouseau considerably and is regarded by many as the best film in the series. Several additional sequels would follow, some with Sellers, others without.
- Dennis Seuling