The Return of the Pink Panther DVD Review:

The Pink Panther series lasted far longer than most care to remember, but the series started out with great promise, which may be why it has been remade with Steve Martin. Although it rarely happens this way, The Return of the pink Panther, the second in the series, is the best of the series. The slapstick humor has picked up a great deal since The Pink Panther, and it is a much funnier film because of this. Peter Sellers is hilarious in his many costumes, disguises and uncomfortable situations.

Once again the Pink Panther diamond has been stolen, and for some reason Inspector Clouseau is asked to try and find the culprit again. The only clue to the amazing theft is a single white glove with the letter “P” on it in diamonds. It is the trademark of the world renowned thief The Phantom, so that is the first person that the Inspector goes to investigate, only to find that The Phantom has retired. In order to clear his name from Clouseau, he must find the real thief of the diamond, all while Inspector Clouseau fails to achieve any success in as many unique ways as possible.

Some of the best humor in this sequel comes from Inspector Clouseau’s ability to push his boss, Chief Inspector Dreyfus, to the edge of sanity. By the end of the film he has forgotten his title and he merely wants to kill Clouseau in any way possible. There is also a great deal of slapstick in this film, either from Clouseau’s plan to have his “assistant” attack him randomly so that he stays on his toes, or from all of the disguises which usually don’t work and just make his job harder.

The film has been released through the Focus Spotlight series and it looks fantastic. The picture and the sound look great even though the film was made n 1975, clearer than any other time I remember seeing the film. This is definitely the funnies film in the series, and if I were to suggest buying any of the films on DVD it would be this film and this version.



Ryan Izay