Excellent but underrated film

Admirable film.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

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.

Blake Edwards The Pink Panther turned out to be the first in a series of movies that focused on the inept police detective Jacques Clouseau. But in this first instalment the formula is quite a different one to that used in the later films. The reason is simply that Clouseau is merely a support character here, with the top billing going to David Niven as the character The Phantom. In fact, Peter Sellers was relatively unknown internationally at this time and, at best, he shares billing with Claudia Cardinale as the princess, Robert Wagner as Niven's nephew and Capucine as his unfaithful criminal wife. But in the event he was so good in the role his character easily became the most popular aspect of the film and the subsequent sequels all focused on him. In truth, he gives a masterclass in comic timing here, both with regard to his lines and also his physical comedy. So this first film in this series now seems a little odd in that it marginalises the character that we now see as synonymous with the Pink Panther series.In some ways, I think having Sellers share screen time with other performers actually works in this film's favour. As his moments are less regular but more consistently good, while the other characters add more interest to the story overall. This ensemble aspect allows the film to work more successfully both as a crime caper and as a farce, while the more glamorous aspects of the story-line are allowed to flourish more too. For some people, the best in the series is the immediate sequel A Shot in the Dark (1964), but for me its this first installment where the series peaked. It has more rounded characters and less absurd comedy and this, for me, makes it a preferable experience overall. It additionally benefits a lot from its early 60's continental stylishness. The Italian Alps make for a glamorous setting and any film featuring the likes of Cardinale is always going to invoke a certain dolce vita and va va voom. Adding to the overall gloss, is a justifiably famous easy listening score from Henry Mancini which of course would go on to be associated with those – still quite hilarious – cartoons featuring the one and only Pink Panther – who also makes his debut here in the opening credits. Of course, the Pink Panther in the film itself is no more than a McGuffin - a gem worth millions of pounds which sets into motion a crime caper about suave thieves, glamorous women and bumbling law enforcers. It additionally operates as a farce too, with one extremely well-timed comic sequence involving four characters in a hotel room being particularly great. One of my favourite moments though isn't a comic one, it's the section where for no real reason a slinky female singer calls a halt to proceedings and delivers a bit of early 60's Italo-pop, namely a lovely ditty entitled 'Meglio Stasera'. Bella, bella!Interestingly, things wrap up ultimately with what can only be described as a slightly odd ending. Expected Hollywood morality doesn't really pan out here as it does in the vast majority of movies, with criminal activity not necessarily being punished. It's a strange way to end the story but it couldn't be accused of being a predictable finale at least. On the whole, I think this is one of the great 60's films, its combination of still funny comedy, high glamour and general stylishness is for me a fabulous concoction.

While this Blake Edwards comedy introduced the immortal Peter Sellers character of Inspector Clouseau to the world, it is worth noting that he is only a supporting character in the proceedings here as the focus of 'The Pink Panther' is would-be jewel thieves David Niven and Robert Wagner. The first half of the film is in fact hard to endure at times with so much focus given to Niven and Wagner, whose characters are not very remarkable or funny. This balance shifts around halfway in though and there are several funny moments in the second half of the film - the best of which is a sequence in which Capucine has to balance hiding not one but two men in her room without the second man catching onto the first, or Sellers catching onto either! There is also a hilarious homage to the Marx Brothers near the end with twin gorilla suited men doing their take on 'Duck Soup''s broken mirror scene. Clouseau's ultimate fate here is memorable too as he actually gets too clever for his own good. No matter how much of a high note the film ends on though, it is still hard to discount the clumsiness of the first half. That said, repeat viewings are kind to the film. While the frequent absence of Sellers is perplexing the first time round, the film is easier to endure upon revision knowing that this will be the case and that his character will surface in further depth towards the end. Henry Mancini's bouncy, mysterious music score is a delight either way and without 'The Pink Panther', there would be no 'A Shot in the Dark', regarded by some Blake Edwards' funniest comedy.

As a child, Princess Dala was given the Pink Panther diamond (named for a flaw in the stone) from her father, the Shah of Lugash. In Rome, jewel thief The Phantom makes a big score. In Paris, Simone (Capucine) tries to fence the jewels and is almost caught. Bumbling French police inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) is desperate to catch The Phantom but he doesn't know his wife Simone is involved. In Cortina D'Ampezzo, Princess Dala (Claudia Cardinale) is vacationing. Sir Charles Lytton (David Niven) is also there who is secretly The Phantom. His American playboy nephew George Lytton (Robert Wagner) is in debt to thugs, coning his way through life, and also plans to steal the jewel. Clouseau arrives with his wife.Clouseau is the break out character. Sellers steals the movie from Niven. The comedy works when Sellers is on the screen but the movie is flat without him. Simone is also not a particularly good comedic partner for him. She's more of a wet blanket. The audience has to wait for the second movie 'A Shot in the Dark' before Clouseau becomes the lead, and we get Dreyfus and Kato. At least, this first one introduces Clouseau to the world.