... even though it is not officially part of the Pink Panther series. Like The Thin Man series, the Pink Panther franchise has come to represent the sleuth on the job - Peter Sellers as inspector Jacques Clouseau - when originally the Pink Panther was a diamond that a classy thief was planning to steal.
Marie Gambrelli (Elke Sommer) plays a maid at a large estate who is accused of murder. The circumstantial evidence has her looking very guilty, but Clouseau is convinced of the woman's innocence. He is a bumbler, and his antics get him thrown off the case. Several times. But his boss Charles Dreyfuss (Herbert Lom), who did the firing, is asked by his assistant - What if you, a respected member of the force, turn out to be wrong and Clouseau, a complete fool, is right? This possibility drives Dreyfuss crazy and he keeps rehiring Clouseau. Who keeps releasing Gambrini. Who keeps turning up in the strangest places with a newly murdered body nearby and often the murder weapon in her hands. And yet she can never remember how the weapon got there.
This is probably one of the best movies of the 60s in spite of the fact that movies made around this time period tend to age badly because they are positioned at the very beginning of the sexual revolution, and what seemed "mod" then just seems mundane now. What keeps the film fresh is the timeless humor of Sellers' sight gags.
The ending is rather unsatisfying, but everything up to that point is hilarious. Bert Kwouk as "Cato",Clouseau's valet who is also supposed to attack him at unsuspected moments to keep him alert, is funny in a very minor role as he picks some of the most awkward times to pounce. Highly recommended.
Marie Gambrelli (Elke Sommer) plays a maid at a large estate who is accused of murder. The circumstantial evidence has her looking very guilty, but Clouseau is convinced of the woman's innocence. He is a bumbler, and his antics get him thrown off the case. Several times. But his boss Charles Dreyfuss (Herbert Lom), who did the firing, is asked by his assistant - What if you, a respected member of the force, turn out to be wrong and Clouseau, a complete fool, is right? This possibility drives Dreyfuss crazy and he keeps rehiring Clouseau. Who keeps releasing Gambrini. Who keeps turning up in the strangest places with a newly murdered body nearby and often the murder weapon in her hands. And yet she can never remember how the weapon got there.
This is probably one of the best movies of the 60s in spite of the fact that movies made around this time period tend to age badly because they are positioned at the very beginning of the sexual revolution, and what seemed "mod" then just seems mundane now. What keeps the film fresh is the timeless humor of Sellers' sight gags.
The ending is rather unsatisfying, but everything up to that point is hilarious. Bert Kwouk as "Cato",Clouseau's valet who is also supposed to attack him at unsuspected moments to keep him alert, is funny in a very minor role as he picks some of the most awkward times to pounce. Highly recommended.