ElMaruecan82 At the end of "The Pink Panther", Inspector Jacques Clouseau, mistaken for the Phantom, is arrested and confronted to a a crowd of hysterical women throwing flowers and determined to chase the car that takes the greatest living Don Juan to jail, not to Clouseau's displeasure if you judge by Peter Seller's little smirk. Now, notice at that very moment, the real Phantom, played by genuinely classy David Niven, the expression on his face says its all: a mixture of relief (he's been proven guilty despite his guilt) and yet a slight annoyance as he's been deprived from what could have been a glorious arrest. He's fading into anonymousness while the idiot is having the time of his life.The ending of Blake Edwards' caper comedy classic "The Pink Panther", might be the series' real establishing moment. David Niven never felt he was the star of the film, which is quite an irony when he's supposed to be the leading star, but he's right and the film's ending is an epiphany. It worked even better because the car runs over the Pink panther (the real one, not the diamond) in perhaps one of the all-time best cameos.So... say what you want about the film, like the titular diamond, it has its flaws, mostly due to the slow pacing or the redundancy of a few gags, but it ends with the perfect note: Sellers being the in-universe star and a final wink from what would be one of the most iconic animated characters and perhaps the last of the Golden Age of Animation. That's the film's double gift: Sellers' talent internationally recognized and the Pink Panther, make it three with the music. Indeed, it says a lot when the only comedy's score to be listed in the American Film Institute's Top 25 Scores is the one Henry Mancini composed for "The Pink Panther", not just a score, but a trope. Of course I was aware of the music before I saw the film, it was the Pink Panther theme, but besides being instantly recognizable, it's how the music perfectly fits the tone. It became associated with the act of sneaking, of getting in some place, in the dark, at night, to steal, or to have a "private affair", but there's a something playful and funny in the music rather than stressful or dramatic, something that is meant to end with a hilarious punchline, you know that so-60s long saxophone sound.And the film; whether to feature acts of benign robberies or bed-sneaking à la sauce vaudeville; is full of these moments. The score isn't just iconic, its jazzy and sophisticated mood is relevant and have a sort of overarching effect on the whole film. So reading myself, I just realized that I basically said the film had a great opening and a great ending, didn't I? Now how about the middle? Well, there's a moment in the middle where nothing much happens yet it sums up what is so delightful about "The Pink Panther". Fran Jeffries sings a sensual and catchy mambo song and while our eyes are glued to her beautiful curves, I love how all the protagonists are relegated to background. They're all here: Niven, Claudia Cardinale, Capucine and Robert Wagner and of course Peter Sellers who's busy talking with his partner Tucker and is brought to the dance. It's fun, doesn't add much to the plot but it creates sort of cool and friendly jet-set atmosphere where even the crooks are affable and the straight ones fallible.As a comedy, the film is fallible too but to its defense, it doesn't try to break the record of highest laughs-per-minute ratio. At one point, I was surprised to see how drawn I was into that growing romance between Niven and Cardinale who plays an Indian (!) princess, the interactions felt genuine and real and even in moments of weakness, Princess Dala was in total control of herself, and even in moments of control, Niven could seem destabilized. I'm not sure I was too fond of Robert Wagner who left me rather cold but I was stunned by Capucine who played the unfaithful wife of Clouseau, what an actress, she had almost stole Cardinale's thunder and that's a cardinal virtue!Still, let's face it, the film's highlights are comedic. And the fun mostly involves Peter Sellers if we except the gorilla moment, the hilarious climactic chase in Rome and perhaps a few other scenes. Sellers is the reason to watch the film, as soon as he appears, tapping his fingers on the desk while the Marseillaise is played, you know something funny ought to happen. When he tries to keep a serious façade, spin the globes, and solemnly declares "We must find that woman!" just before your mind processes it, he's on the floor, after having failed to get a grab on it. The cherry on the cake is that we discover that the woman they're looking after is his own wife but god, that globe gag!You know where you're drunk and try to maintain a façade of respectability, you slowly put your elbow on the table and then it slips, and you lose everybody, no one can take you seriously afterwards. This gag is one of the best comedic establishing moments, Clouseau wouldn't wear yet his iconic trench coat and his hat yet but you've got everything summed up about his character in that first scene, a bumbling idiot, much more oblivious to his wife's cheating but trying to keep it as cool and serious as possible. And he was only supposed to be one part of a cast, a supporting player, a comic relief who knows? But with such levels of hilariousness, who wants to have a straight caper film. "The Pink Panther" can't fool us. It does have the right ingredients, maybe not the right dosage, but definitely, the right taste!

HotToastyRag Is there anyone out there who hasn't seen The Pink Panther? If you shyly raised your hand, get out there and pick up a copy this weekend and bring your Kleenexes. Not for crying, of course, but for wiping tears of laughter from your eyes.This is the first of nine installments, not including the Leslie Nielson remakes, and all but the final three star Peter Sellers as the bumbling French detective Inspector Clouseau. With an endless supply of slapstick jokes, expected but still hilarious gags, and 60s sex references, the Pink Panther movies are unforgettable and a staple in everyone's childhood. David Niven, Capucine, Claudia Cardinale, and Robert Wagner round out the cast in the first movie, so if you want to see Herbert Lom and Burt Wouk as the stock characters you remember from the rest of the series, you'll have to wait for the sequel A Shot in the Dark. Just so you know, David Niven is the real lead in this first movie, playing a suave, dashing, charming ladies' man-in other words, playing who he plays best. Peter Sellers had a much smaller part, but he was such a hit with audiences that the rest of the series increased his part and made him the lead! So, while this first movie might not be the one with the most jokes, it's still very funny and cute.

Hitchcoc Although I like "A Shot in the Dark" better, I find this movie irresistible. From other reviews, I have come to realize that people judge this film on some of the later films which had none of the charm of the original. The case is relatively unimportant. What makes it work is the incredible comedic genius of Peter Sellers. When he died, we lost one of the true comics of our time. He had that wry Britishness to him and an incredible overconfidence that was endearing. The most precious thing to me was his English pronunciation of simple words. "Minkey" for "monkey," for instance. He also would ignore the most awful things going on around him and focus on some triviality. This movie will make your day.

Predrag Most people who think of The Pink Panther, think of the animated show. Which actually, is quite incredible by itself. One of the things with The Pink Panther franchise, is that people seem to love the sequels to this series, than the original that started it all. Pink Panther was never originally going to spawn sequels, it was just an original idea. The Pink Panther was by far one of the best comedies that nowadays is completely underrated. It was a clever look at some of the best acting of comedy legend, Peter Sellers, and one of the first films to establish the dry, goofy comedy that uses the best of it's artistic limitations.The soundtrack song "Meglio Stasera(It had better be tonight)"is excellent and written to fit perfectly into the theme and mood of the film. Fran Jeffries sings it very well to a crowd of people by a fireplace, and she is as delightful as this scene itself. Claudia Cardinale and Capucine show style and charm in their roles. The title sequence runs over 7 minutes and it is as good as the movie itself. The 60's represent, in my opinion, the highest point in fashion and general pop culture which truly reflects the highest level of sophistication and taste; in this context, this movie is one of the movies that best represent the 60's.Overall rating: 9 out of 10.