Search - The Return of the Pink Panther on DVD

More Important for what it accomplished

gobirds2 | New England | 09/24/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The best thing about this film is that it returned Peter Sellers to the role of Inspector Jacques Clouseau under Blake Edwards' direction after Alan Arkin's single portrayal in 1968's INSPECTOR CLOUSEAU directed by Bud Yorkin. More importantly it did not only return Sellers but it also instituted the Pink Panther and Sellers as Inspector Clouseau in a legitimate film series instead of just a few sporadic sequels and it launched a huge cinematic rebirth and phenomenon. Unfortunately this film seems to lack the magic of 1964's THE PINK PANTHER and the sophistication of A SHOT IN THE DARK. Christopher Plummer replaced David Niven as Sir Charles Lytton in this film. Plummer is good but it seems a shame since Niven reprised his role later in 1982's TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER and 1983's CURSE OF THE PINK PANTHER, which were made after Sellers' death (in 1980) in an attempt to revive the series without him. Catherine Schell as Claudine Litton lacked the charisma of earlier leading ladies Capucine and Elke Sommer. On the plus side, Sellers is brilliant as Clouseau as are Herbert Lom as Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus and Burt Kwouk as Kato back and featured prominently in the rest of all the subsequent Pink Panther films. Much needed and returning is a score composed by Henry Mancini a very integral component of this series. THE RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER has some very good comic sketches and a very good opening jewel heist but the script just doesn't seem to be a very cohesive force. However, better things were yet to come. As for the DVD, the quality is just average. For me, the picture quality is just too soft. The MGM prints of the other Pink Panther films on DVD are much crisper."

Finally Remastered!!!!

AL | PA USA | 01/20/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"You read it here first! I've been anxiously awaiting a release of the Return of the Pink Panther for years to replace the original Artisan DVD, which was horrendous. (Side note: I wish Amazon would stop mixing old reviews from old releases long out of print with the new re-released DVDs!!!! So most of the reviews here, especially the negative ones, refer to the previous Artisan DVD.)

The previous release was not anamorphic and the transfer was from an ancient low-resolution master. This time around, we get a vibrant anamorphic transfer from Universal that is light-years ahead of the previous release. Film grain is still very much visible, but that is the result of the film stock, not a result of careless mastering. However it is never offensive and I think just adds to the old-school charm of this movie. The color and contrast finally have a vibrant punch that closely matches the quality of the other Pink Panther DVDs from MGM. The sound is also a vast improvement, with enhanced dynamics and fidelity, though never hiding the film's age.

I only give it 3 stars out of 5 because this release is completely stripped down to just the movie... no bonus material, not even a theatrical trailer. A real disappointment because even Artisan's horrible release included it. I would have expected such material from a Universal DVD. But nevertheless, this is quite possibly the last time we'll see this movie looking this good in a long... long time. So go out and buy it before you miss out on this most possibly the funniest in the Panther series!"

Hilarious Film - Terrible DVD

NICK FROM FRANCE | PARIS France | 11/28/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the funniest PP films - I really enjoyed it. I bought it on 2 dvd's, one in the UK in Fullscreen Format with subtitles and the other in the USA Widescreen Format with no subtitles ! Picture Quality in Both cases is ABYSMAL not to mention sound ! This thing needs to be remastered for sound and picture - there are so many hilarious scenes it it !! Also it it missing from both the New Pink Panther collections issued in the the USA and Europe. Can the powers-that-be give us a plausible explanation for this. Can't they see there's a worldwide demand for the totality of this series to be remastered and presented as a single collection ????"

Great movie, not-so-great DVD

Danno | NY, NY | 03/01/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Peter Sellers was one of the most gifted comic actors of the 1960s and 1970s; Inspector Clouseau was his most beloved role. Blake Edwards, the film's director and creator, was a master of both subtle humor and slapstick. For these reasons, The Return of the Pink Panther is a true classic for many of us. It's a movie that never fails to leave me in a great mood. However, as other reviewers have noted, there are some serious issues with the DVD. I purchased it (and am glad I did) because I didn't have a VHS copy of the film. To be honest, I don't know what advantage this particular DVD can offer versus a VHS, since there are no real extras here, and no choice between widescreen and full screen (and no anamorphic widescreen!). I sincerely hope that this film is reissued in the future, complete with outtakes and remastered sound, and treated with the respect it deserves.

By the way, this is the only Sellers Pink Panther film that isn't included in the recent boxed set. This movie is only available via this DVD."