Curse of the Pink Panther (1983) Reviews

• Feeble entry in the Pink Panther series, full of tired comic mishaps and disinterested performances.

  barnabyrudge2005-02-18

  Following the death of Peter Sellers, the Pink Panther series seemed to have little future but director Blake Edwards still managed to grind out two further entries. The Trail Of The Pink Panther was mediocre but it had funny moments; The Curse Of The Pink Panther is a stretch too far. This - number seven in the popular series - is a feeble comedy in which the plot is poorly contrived, the actors look totally indifferent, and the comic moments are tired rehashes of scenes from the earlier films. It's no exaggeration to say this is the worst of the series. Dreyfuss (Herbert Lom) is assigned to use a super-computer to track down the world's greatest detective. Once found, this awesome detective will be entrusted with the task of finding the missing Inspector Clouseau. However, Dreyfuss has no intention of helping in the hunt for Clouseau (you may remember from earlier films that Clouseau drove Dreyfuss to the brink of insanity). Thus, Dreyfuss deliberately misuses the computer and finds the worst detective in the world - the inept New York officer Clifton Sleigh (Ted Wass). Sleigh travels to France and follows a trail of clues hither and thither, accidentally surviving numerous attempts on his life and getting into all manner of wacky situations as he closes in on the truth. Along the way he crosses swords with various characters from earlier Pink Panther films, before it is finally revealed to the audience (though not to Clifton Sleigh) what actually became of the hapless Inspector Clouseau. There are a few compensations amid the general air of indifference. A certain famous film star, billed as Turk Thrust II, makes a guest appearance as Clouseau near the end, and has a funny cameo role mimicking the mannerisms that Sellers had brought to the character. Henry Mancini's music is as catchy as ever, and there are infrequent sight gags which are fairly amusing (e.g. the scene where Wass sits on a giant rubber duck, only for the beak to poke out suggestively from between his legs). On the whole, alas, The Curse Of The Pink Panther is a very poor film. With a running time close to 2 hours, the film needs more than a couple of amusing gags and a good cameo appearance. Long before the end (heck, long before the middle!) it becomes a tedious affair, and as the plot unfolds one increasingly wishes that the final credits would hurry up and put an end to the misery. After this, Edwards gave up on the series until, in 1993, he belatedly added one final flick entitled The Son Of The Pink Panther.

• A pleasant surprise

  Dock-Ock2001-05-15

  Ignore the negative press when viewing this. O.K., the movie cant hit the heights of either A shot in the dark or The Pink Panther Strikes Again, but it is a nice little film in it's own right. Firstly Ted Wass is good in the role of Clifton Sleigh, perhaps it is the fact that the character is too bumbling in the wrong direction that it doesn't work out. The stars of the show are again Herbert Lom and Joanna Lumley, and the sexy Leslie Ash in a Bond girl like role. The man who steals the show is surprisingly Roger Moore as the newly Plastic surgery clad Clouseau who is made up to look like, rather appropriately, Roger Moore. An hilarious twist which is something Clouseau would have gone in for. It is a pity Moore wasn't given the role of Clouseau out right because he is effective in the part and quite funny. An enjoyable little film.

• Clifton Sleigh Is No Clouseau

  EmperorNortonII2004-08-28

  After Peter Sellers passed away, the producers of the "Pink Panther" franchise tried to carry on without their star. As evidenced in "Inspector Clouseau," having another actor play the bumbling French detective was not the answer. They tried to fill the void left by Sellers with old footage, in "Trail of the Pink Panther." Then they tried to introduce a new character, a counterpart to Clouseau. Thus was created "Curse of the Pink Panther." Ted Wass plays the newcomer, an amazingly inept New York cop named Clifton Sleigh, who is chosen to investigate Clouseau's disappearance. His act is loaded with slapstick, in attempt to copy Clouseau's style. However, it's not the same. Also appearing in "Curse" is a load of actors from all the previous "Pink Panther" movies, including Herbert Lom as Chief Inspector Dreyfus, Burt Kwouk as Kato, and David Niven as Sir Charles Lytton. Watch it if you must, but you'll be reminded of how Peter Sellers will be missed.

• Amusing moments along with ridiculous is this new entry about Inspector Clouseau with a newcomer , Ted Wass

  ma-cortes2007-03-05

  This following to popular series is a new attempt to maintain the slapstick franchise in spite of Peter Sellers death by substituting in American actor Ted Wass . He's investigating bungling Clouseau disappearance and is on the trail of the jewel known as the Pink Panther and during his first scenes Ted appears in drag . Clouseau's previous chief (Herbert Lom) threatens to destroy the new detective . At the same time Ted Wass like Clouseau is making life intolerable for Inspector Dreyfuss . He then goes to Clouseau museum where he meets Kato (Burt Kwouk) , to the French Riveira and Valencia (Spain) where encounters mobsters (Robert Loggia) who wish to kill him . Later on , aboard a yacht (along with the habitual David Niven , Capucine , Robert Wagner) he goes to Mallorca . There he attempts to track down the Clouseau trail but he meets a suspect Countess Chandra (Joanna Lumley). This is arguably one of the most average of the series about the botcher Inspector and being the eight ¨Pink Panther¨ movie in the known film franchise . In this slapdash as well as disconcerting comedy , Wass attempts to investigate whether or no Clouseau is living somewhere . This fun release has some hilarious moments here and there . The film continues where Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) leaves off . Though uncredited, late Peter Sellers can still be heard in various scenes through archival sound . Starring Ted Wass as Sleigh is sympathetic imitating to Sellers , outdoing his botcher and diverting character . Actors considered for the role of Clifton Sleigh included John Ritter, John Cleese, Dudley Moore and Rowan Atkinson ; in the end , the part went to Ted Wass . The actors seem to enjoy immensely themselves but they are supposedly spending some amusing holidays in Riveira , Mallorca, Valencia . Players appearing in this movie who had appeared in the original Pink Panther (1963), the first film in the series , were Capucine, David Niven, and Robert Wagner . In the film appears the usual series as Herbert Lom (chief Inspector Dreyfuss), Andre Maranne (Sergeant Francois Duval), Grahame Stark (as a bored waiter) and the ordinary professor (Harvey Korman) . The movie was simultaneously filmed along with ¨Trail to the Pink Panther¨ where equally the protagonist (Joanna Lumley) is looking for Inspector Clouseau . Writer, producer , director Blake Edwards gets some inspired bits penned by himself ; however he attempts to alive his classic personage with no much success . Rating : Mediocre but entertaining .

• Once upon a time, Blake Edwards was funny...

  sjjoe1999-09-07

  As I watched this movie, I asked myself if Blake Edwards could watch it and laugh out loud during the whole thing, or if he got as bored and tired with it as I did. The classic Sellers Panther movies contain many laugh-out-loud sequences. For me, there is only one in this movie, a nice little scene that happens outside the Chicago airport. But by the way, if Sleigh is a NY cop, and he's going to France, why the heck does he have to go through Chicago??? Moore's cameo is nice. Almost makes you wonder if the idea was ever there to carry on the series with him. If you have to see it to flesh out the whole series, go ahead, but don't expect much...