The Pink Panther Film Collection - Blu-ray Review

Michael Scott

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The Pink Panther Film Collection





Movie: :4stars:
Video: :4stars:
Audio: :4stars:
Extras: :4stars:
Final Score: :4stars:


WARNING: THE SCORES ABOVE ARE A COMBINED SCORE FROM ALL SIX FILMS, THE INDIVIDUAL SCORES ARE CONTAINED BELOW IN THE INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS OF THE REVIEW

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Movie

Very few catalog titles can elicit a squeal of joy as if from a 12-year-old girl than the entire Peter Sellers Pink Panther films coming out on Blu-ray (I try to ignore the non Sellers works, but those are actually available from Kino as of a few weeks ago for those of you who are fans). Years ago, MGM released a “collector’s edition” of the very first titular movie on Blu-ray and fans were certain that a boxset mirroring the big DVD boxset was sure to follow. Years passed and most of us had given up hope that MGM or Universal would drop the complete boxset and fans like myself steeled ourselves for the fact that our DVD sets might have to do in place of a lovely HD version. Well, one of the advantages of boutique labels is their ability and desire to release films that the majors seem reticent to, and Shout Factory is back once again with another save in the form of releasing all six films together under their Shout Select line. For those of you who keep up with the numbers, yes, the collection DOES say #14 on the spine, even though we’re in the low 20s right now in the Select line. That’s due to the fact that Shout was actually going to release the set a few months ago, and then it was inexplicably delayed till now, and I’m guessing that the cover art and place in “line” was already taken.


The Pink Panther :4.5stars:
1963 was the start of a new era for Peter Sellers. The famous comedic actor was hired by Blake Edwards to play the bumbling fool Clouseau, but Peter had never actually played a comedic role before. Yes, you read that right. Peter Sellers had NEVER played a slapstick comedy role before in his life, and every little comic timing and tick that Sellers became legendary for was under the tutelage of Blake Edwards. Back in 1963 the film took the cinemas by storm and became a smash hit, and a huge part of my formative years. I maybe have been born 15 years (ish, I’m not going to COMPLETELY give away my age) too late to see it in theaters, but my growing up years was watching the Pink Panther films on TV and VHS till they just about wore out from over use. Inspector Clouseau and his trusty sidekick Cato fueled so many one liners and late night horsing around that I have a hard time wondering just what life would be without saying to my wife “Cato, I want you to keep me on my toes!” or “Dear, a woman is like an artichoke, you have to work hard to get to her heart” (although those are usually followed by rolling eyes and groans from said wife).

What do you get when you have a master jewel thief, a lascivious younger nephew, a stupid inspector, a two timing wife, an Indian princess AND the largest diamond in the world? Well, you have The Pink Panther, a tale of stupidity, scheming genius, and utter hilarity. Inspect Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers in his most iconic role) has been called out to a little ski lodge outside of Rome as he tracks down the mysterious jewel thief known as The Phantom. The princess of India (Claudia Cardinale) is there and with her the largest diamond in the world, known as the Pink Panther. Under the guise of a romantic trip with his wife Simone (Capucine), who is actually working WITH the phantom, the bumbling detective begins to lay a trap for the master thief.

Simultaneously the Phantom, otherwise known as Sir Charles Lytton (David Niven), is getting ready to lay his own trap, this time for the largest jewel in the world. However, he runs into a bit of a snag when he starts to woo the princess in an effort to close, and ends up getting a bit TOOOO close. Then of course there’s the intrusion of his young nephew George (Robert Wagner), a lying sneak of a man with his own secrets, a love triangle with Simone Clouseau playing musical chairs with Geoge, The Phantom AND her drooling husband and you have a recipe for pure hilarity and more than its fair share of disaster.

The Pink Panther is easily one of the best films of the franchise, but surprisingly not THE best film. Usually the first movie is the best, but every once in a while someone pulls of an Empire Strikes Back by making the sequel even BETTER than the original. Still, The Pink Panther is an iconic Blake Edwards comedy and an uproariously funny one at that. Much of the comedy is wildly physical blended with a dry sense of humor that is much less detectable with the physical humor taking the spotlight (some of the best lines are ones you really have to think about for a second before dying with laughter). Peter Sellers is an absolute gem (excuse the pun) of an actor in the movie, and he acts as much of the physical comedy. David Niven is perfect as the straight man out of the dueling characters, with Robert Wagner acting as a strange addition. In fact he’s almost out of place being the only American in the film, but he goes about his role as the lascivious and moronic nephew with such a gusto that he fits right into the insanity.

A Shot in the Dark :4.5stars:
1963’s The Pink Panther is widely considered the best of the series, but Blake Edward’s follow up A Shot in the Dark is so close as to nearly be indistinguishable in quality from its predecessor. While it’s not nearly as stylish and dry in its humor, A Shot in the Dark is well known for turning the head of the series and taking it in a drastically new direction. Inspector Clouseau was a bit goofy and slapstick in his debut, but Blake Edwards tweaked the performance of Peter Sellers to have the series go drastically more Three Stooges style slapstick to get his laughs. While it’s not as refined or polished, the sequel introduces the legendary Kato (Burt Kwouk) and poor, poor Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom).

Picking up some years after the events of The Pink Panther, Clouseau is out of prison (as we knew he would be) and single after his wife ditched him for The Phantom. His job is his life, and that spells nothing but trouble for his frustrated boss, Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus. A rich Frenchman by the name of Benjamin Ballon (the indominable George Sanders) has a murder inside of his mansion, and his maid, Maria Gambrelli (Elke Sommer) is holding the smoking gun. Completely by accident Chief Inspector Dreyfus’s assistant sends Clouseau to investigate, and natural hilarity ensues.

Miss Gambrelli is pretty much a dead ringer for the killer, as all the circumstantial evidence is right there for all to see, but Clouseau is adamant that she is innocent, much to the chagrin of Dreyfus. Clouseau targets Mr. Ballon as the killer, but can’t seem to get anything to stick, despite his adamant behavior. As Miss Gambrelli goes to jail time and time again (with Clouseau releasing her for “observation”) his actions bring him closer and closer to insubordination, while everyone looks on in complete and utter horror at the chaos that comes in the poor detective’s wake.

The plot itself is fairly inconsequential. There’s a surprise twist at the end, but we’re really hear for the sheer lunacy and laughs. A Shot in the Dark is famous for bringing in two very influential characters to the series. The first being Inspector Dreyfus (who becomes a pivotal character for all the subsequent films in the franchise) and Kato. Both for equally different reasons. Dreyfus is the perfect comedic foil for Clouseau. He’s going a bit batty with all of his subordinate’s actions and soon develops his own little “tick” with the left eye which becomes a running gag. Kato is an absolute gem as the manservant of the poor inspector. The battles that Clouseau and Kato engage in are some of the highlights of the series, as Kato is there “to keep him on his toes” as one might say.

Slapstick, crazy and completely different in many ways from its predecessor, A Shot in the Dark is probably the most laugh out loud movie of the entire series. Blake Edwards actually didn’t come up with it on his own, as the film was originally a Broadway play that was supposed to be turned into a film with Walter Mathau and Sophia Loren. The director had to back out at the last minute, and so did Loren, giving Blake a chance to adapt the film’s already written script to his established Inspector Clouseau character. A venture that was a bit of a gamble, but one that turned out to be highly successful.

The Return of the Pink Panther :3.5stars:
The Return of the Pink Panther isn’t actually the third Pink Panther movie if we’re being strictly honest. After Peter Sellers left the series with A Shot in the Dark, Alan Arkin took over the role of the bumbling detective with Inspector Clouseau, a moderate hit that really is NOWHERE near as funny as the Peter Sellers interpretation of the character (and also lacking the help of Blake Edwards. It was 11 years after his last film that Peter Sellers agreed to come back and reprise his role in 1975 with The Return of the Pink Panther. This time it’s back to some of his original roots, with the Pink Panther diamond purloined from a museum in Lugash this time. The Lugash government, knowing that the inspector was instrumental in retrieving the diamond the FIRST time it was stolen, beg the French to send over the legendary detective.

Poor Inspector Dreyfus. He’s busted Clouseau down to beat cop and now some important allies want his as their lead detective. What’s a man to do besides reinstate the man and send him over the border to investigate. Upon arriving at the scene Clouseau ascertains that it MUST be the Phantom once more (otherwise known as Sir Charles Litton), as the same white glove with a P embroidered on it is found at the crime scene. A calling card of the original Phantom. Once the news gets out that The Phantom is back, it’s only a matter of time until more hilarity ensues.

This time Sir Charles (now played by Christopher Plummer instead of David Niven) catches wind of the news that he was supposed to be in circulation and decides that he needs to clear his own name. With the cops on his tail this could be difficult, but if CLOUSEAU, was on his tail. Well, that’s a different story. Using his wife Lady Claudine (Catherine Schell) as a distraction, Litton heads off to find out just WHO the real criminal is. That means Clouseau is bouncing around trying to keep an eye on Litton’s wife (and stumbling over his own feet in the process), while Litton gets to play a little bit of James Bond off screen.

The Return of the Pink Panther isn’t the funniest return for Sellers, and while it has it’s moments, is surprisingly dull at time. Christopher Plummer is a great actor, but he can’t hold a candle to David Niven’s performance in The Pink Panther. Watching him was like trying to compare Sean Connery and Timothy Dalton as Bond. Both were great character actors, but Dalton just couldn’t pull it off. The jokes are funny at times, with the best scenes naturally belonging to Kato and Clouseau battling it out like usual, or Dreyfus being driven COMPLETELY insane and sent to an Asylum after trying to kill his subordinate.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again :4stars:
While The Pink Panther and A Shot in the Dark are easily the highlights of the series, The Pink Panther Strikes Again was my childhood favorite due to them completely spoofing James Bond this go around. Hot on the heels of The Return of the Pink Panther, Strikes Again came just a short year after Sellers returned to the role and Blake Edwards really wanted to spice things up. We’d returned to the beginning with The Phantom coming back, and A Shot in the Dark was wildly successful thanks to the change of pace. So naturally, what are to do but spoof one of the greatest spy series of all times, James Bond.

If you remember, Chief Inspector Dreyfus was driven completely mad by our loveable bumbling detective, and sent to an insane asylum after he tries to murder Clouseau. Well, it’s been several years and things have change for the better. Dreyfus has been seeing a psychologist daily, and has been rehabilitated. That is until Clouseau comes to visit him and sends the poor guy off the deep end. Escaping the Asylum, Dreyfus becomes a criminal mastermind in an effort to wipe off the face of the earth the one man who got him this looney. Clouseau himself. Sending wave after wave of criminals his way, Dreyfus and his mad plans are thwarted time and time again, driving the man deeper into the pits of insanity. The only choice he has is to kidnap a scientist and his daughter so that they can build a death ray for him. A death ray that will obliterate Clouseau off the face of the Earth.

That tends to scare the rest of the world just a bit, so they decide to send their most elite assassins after him in an attempt to kill him and appease Dreyfus before the madman destroys the whole world. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is going to fail, and fail it does in utter hilarity. Blake Edwards is INTENT on mimicking the great James Bond here, and mixing in Clouseau’s bumbling nature makes for some incredibly funny moments. The assassin’s congregation at the Oktoberfest is one of the funniest scenes in the entire film, and bringing in Leslie Ann Down as the sultry Russian super assassin that falls in love with her victim had me dying.

In typical Pink Panther style, the film goes off on several different tangents, including Clouseau stumbling into a drag queen club, and having to dance with the “queens”, as well as the typical battles between Kato and Clouseau that continue to be a blast to watch. Things DO tend to start to fall apart at the end, and the center section drags a bit, but I still continue to be wildly entertained by the assassin showdown as well as the drag queen scenarios, racking this up as my third favorite of the entire series.

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Revenge of the Pink Panther : :3stars:

Revenge of the Pink Panther struck one more when the iron was hot. After The Pink Panther Strikes Again the duo of Sellers and Edwards were on an uphill slope and they figured that the more the merrier was the best plan of attack. Well, sometimes more is NOT always merrier. Revenge has its heart in the right place, and is a solidly funny movie in a slapstick sort of way, but the engine was starting to slow down and there seemed nothing that could be done to stop the downhill rush.

When French drug kingpin Phillippe Douvier (Robert Webber) is targeted by his New York mob bosses as “weak” and “out of control”, the mobster decides that the only thing he can do is to show a sign of force to the New York Gangsters. A sign that he is IN control and not out. Well, that sign comes in the form of offing one of their most deadly enemies. A man who has evaded 16 assassination attempts (2 of by his own boss), and caused him nothing but pain. Yes, that man is inspector Jacques Clouseau himself. Well, assassin after assassin tries, but they fail, forcing Douvier to bring in a specialist. After the specialist tries and fails, Inspector Clouseau comes to find out that everyone ELSE thinks that he was murdered.

Clouseau is faced with a unique opportunity. Inspector Dreyfus is taking over the murder investigation of Clouseau, and that leaves the bumbling detective free to go undercover and take down Douvier without the drug kingpin even seeing him coming. That means getting more cheesy disguises, getting into more scrapes, and having to bust his own manservant, Kato, at running a Chinese brothel.

Revenge of the Pink Panther is one of those films where you see the writing on the wall. The humor can still be pretty funny, but the gimmick of the bumbling detective has run its course and the film runs along on steam and the use of disguises to give us some slapstick humor. The scene where the inspector comes home to find out Kato is running a brothel is probably the highlight of this one, and after that it just coasts along as Clouseau jumps from one costume to the next. The one strange thing is that Inspector Dreyfus is back, as we saw him get obliterated by his own death ray in the last film. Something that Edwards just glosses over and acts like it never happened just so that a fan favorite actor could come back. It’s not a horrible thing as continuity has never been the series strong suit, but it is a bit startling if you watch them back to back.

Trail of the Pink Panther :1.5stars:
Here’s where we come to the one film that people only buy because it’s in the boxset. Peter Sellers tragically passed away in late 1980, just before Trail of the Pink Panther was being formulated. That sadly left Blake Edwards in a pickle as his friend and fellow actor was gone and their next movie was on the horizon. Instead of being a smart man and cancelling the project, or even casting someone else, Edwards decided to go along with the creation of the film, and retooled it so that he could use stunt doubles, B-footage and classic footage to cobble together a film that acts as a last adventure for the beloved detective, as well as an homage to his legacy (of which it failed badly at both).

Once again, the famous Pink Panther diamond has been stolen, and the little country of Lugash asks for inspector Clouseau’s help to regain it once more. Inspector Dreyfus naturally despises the idea of sending over his arch nemesis, but he has no choice as it was a presidential request. This time, Clouseau gets lost on his plane trip over and no one can find him. Hoping to solve the missing person’s case, journalist Marie Jouvet (Joanna Lumley) begins interviewing each and every one of his family members, friends, and even enemies in order to track him down.

The film itself is a complete and utter disaster. I know what Blake Edwards was trying to do. He was trying to create an homage and loving memory for his good friend Peter Sellers, but the execution was terrible. He utilized a hodge podge of old B-footage from other films, classic flash backs during interviews, and stunt doubles to try and imitate the man enough in hopes of doing something ala The Crow. I honestly didn’t laugh once the entire time (ok, the part about the message with the desk clerk was pretty funny) and I really wished someone higher up the command had a sit down with Edwards and talked him out of it.

The one really cool thing was to have old actors from past movies come back and reprise their roles, giving touching speeches about Clouseau. We even get to see David Niven reprise his role as The Phantom/Sir Charles Litton, and Capucine as his ex-wife (even though a few films back Christopher Plummer’s version of Charles was married to another woman). It’s a bit sad and sweet, but also a bit pathetic as the we watch Edwards struggle at trying to create an homage with nothing but silly string and distant memories. Honestly I feel that a documentary about Peter and the whole Pink Panther legacy would have gone over much better instead of this travesty.




Not Rated by the MPAA (Pink Panther), Rated G for General Audiences (The Return of the Pink Panther), Rated PG, Parental Guidance Suggested (All others)




Video: :4stars:
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The Pink Panther :4stars:

The opening credits of The Pink Panther are a bit worrisome, but this was also the case for the MGM disc as well. My only assumption is that the condition of the original source is NOT the best for those opening moments, but once the film continues on it cleans up quite nicely. The Shout Select disc looks a bit different than the old MGM disc as well. The color timing is very distinctly changed, with the overly hot and saturated colors from the MGM disc being softened quite a bit, and sometimes actually look a bit dull in comparison. The contrasts are definitely pushed higher on this disc and that gives a slightly less saturated look to the film. Fine detail is excellent, with some wonderful black levels that remain surprisingly strong throughout the movie. The wavering and shimmer effect from the MGM disc is till there on this one, and comes and goes in different stages during the nearly 2 hour film. Despite these age relate flaws, the movie looks incredibly robust and well defined, actually surpassing the MGM in many ways. The color timing is a bit different than what I was used to with the old MGM disc, but it’s hard to say what the original timing was as I have no access to the prints from the 1960s, and while the MGM disc can sometimes be a bit more pleasing to the eye with heavily saturated colors, they also look waayyyyyyyyyy too hot many times, giving the Shout Factory encode a more natural look.

A Shot in the Dark :4stars:
A Shot in the Dark is one of two films in the series that was given a nice new 4K remaster from Shout Factory. The DVD of the film was definitely in some rough shape (I pulled out my old MGM boxset to compare) and while the new remaster doesn’t make it look like it was shot yesterday, A Shot in the Dark is leaps and bounds better than the old DVD. The picture is clean and relatively clear of print damage, with only some mild wavering in the image some speckles here and there to mar it in any real way. Colors are warm and bright with a sharp picture that really shows off some incredible detail. Red’s and blues really stand out, but sometimes the rest of the colors tend to fade into the background a bit. If you compare the new restoration next to the trailers of the film it’s really a jaw dropping experience. Blacks are well done and only mild fading in some of the darker scenes.

The Return of the Pink Panther :3.5stars:
The Return of the Pink Panther is a solid representation of 70s film stock, but one that doesn’t offer as much clarity as the excellent 1st and 2nd discs in the boxset. The film opens up with a VERY grainy looking image, and while it does soften the grain in later shots, the movie still is a VERY grainy experience. There’s some mild noise in the background as well, and the highly burnished bronze and orange 70s shades look a bit garish at times. Detail is still quite revealing, and blacks tend to be more than capable. The speckles and print damage is pretty noticeable, but if you compare against the DVD once more, it’s still a very impressive looking upgrade.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again :4stars:

The Pink Panther Strikes Again is the second of the two films given a 4K remaster, and while it’s not AS perfect as A Shot in the Dark, I was very impressed with what they were able to do with the source elements. Grain is in check and colors are still very much that bright 70s orange and bronze most of the time. Blacks are deep and inky, with some fantastic shadow detail in Dreyfus’s castle of doom. The costumes are as cheesy as ever (and meant to be that way by the way), and the fine detail is overall VERY pleasant. It’s a very impressive looking remaster and the comparison to the DVD is, once again, not even a contest.

Revenge of the Pink Panther :4stars:
Revenge shows its age a little bit, but it’s an overall clean and precise master. I’m guessing it’s still not a fairly recent one due to the print damage and speckles that show up rather frequently, but other than that there is only some grain spikes here and there that really disturb the image. Fine detail is usually exception, and the color timing is closer to the very END of the 70s and has a much less orangey look to it than some of the others in the set. There’s a bit of a ruddy push to the skin tones, but facial detail is strong and black levels are superb.

Trail of the Pink Panther :3.5stars:
The image quality for Trail of the Pink Panther is a bit hit or miss (much like the audio), but it is a fairly good-looking image nonetheless. Some of the shots of stunt doubles look the most clean and clear (newly shot), while the older B-stock footage and spliced classic footage can look distinctly different depending on what time period they were shot in. Grain can spike consistently and print damage is prevalent throughout. Blacks are a bit murky, but there is still some very good fine detail to go around. It’s not perfect, but a perfectly acceptable transfer.



Audio: :4stars:
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The Pink Panther :4stars:

Shout Factory has given the disc a nice array of lossless options, with a 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix and a 2.0 stereo and Mono track in the same lossless format. The Pink Panther was originally a mono film in theaters, and that is the most accurate of the tracks, but I have to give the edge to the 5.1 upmix for giving us a slightly wider sound stage. These effects are fairly minimal though as the 5.1 mix is really a mono track with some reverb effects blended in, but the results are really rather pleasing. Dialog is strong in the center channel, and the hustle and bustle of the little ski lodge makes for good front sound stage separation. There’s some mild background noises that get filtered into the surrounds, but this is a REALLY front heavy mix, which means it’s quite similar to the Mono track in many ways. LFE is naturally nonexistent for the most part, but the track does everything so well it’s hard to fault it.

A Shot in the Dark :4stars:
Once again Shout has given the film a 5.1, 2.0 and Mono soundtrack to enjoy. The 5.1 track is essentially another Mono track that has been converted to 5.1 with reverb, but it’s a very nice sounding track that does everything well. There’s plenty of spacial depth, and Henry Mancini’s lovely score is replicated beautifully throughout all 5 speakers. There’s not a WHOLE lot of LFE (if any at all), but there’s a few bumps and crashes that bring up the low end and the surrounds are mainly just utilized for the score. It’s a solid track and one that is clean and clear of ANY distortions that I could here.


The Return of the Pink Panther :3.5stars:
Return of the Pink Panther was only given a mono track, and is the ONLY film in the six-disc set that doesn’t have the 2.0 Stereo or the 5.1 mix. As a mono track it still well done, but it DOES have the limitations of the monorail experience. Vocals are clean and clear, the channels are free of distortion, and Mancini’s lovely score is spot on perfect. There’s naturally no use of LFE or surrounds, but the two mains do a very impressive job with the mono track.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again :4stars:
There’s some talk on some of the other forums about The Pink Panther Strikes Again in regards to the Mono and Stereo track being recorded in low pitch mode, so the first thing I did was go and check out those two tracks and compare it against the 5.1 mix. The 5.1 mix is perfectly fine and well done as the others have been, but they were correct. The 2.0 and Mono mixes are distinctly in a lower pitch and sound very “off”. I’m technically giving the 4.0/5 score for the 5.1 mix alone, as it is the one 99% of people will be listening to, but if you’re a 2.0 or Mono purist then be aware that those two channels have that issue (and from what I gather it SEEMS to be an MGM source issue rather than something that Shout Factory did).

Revenge of the Pink Panther :3.5stars:
Revenge of the Pink Panther once again replicates the three audio track options, and once again I tend to like the 5.1 mix the best. Once you’ve heard one Pink Panther movie in this set, you’ve heard them all. A mono upmix that replicates the theatrical experience well, just with a few tweaks and modifications to have it fit into a 5.1 mix. LFE is nice and clean, and the vocals are crisp and well placed in the center channel. Surrounds still give most of the work to Henry Mancini’s score, and it’s an overall well done audio mix.


Trail of the Pink Panther :4stars:
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Trail of the Pink Panther does a solid job in the same department, and really, it’s only fault is that there is a lot of B-footage blended in with vaying degrees of quality. Most of the film’s 5.1 mix is quite pleasing, but there are some volume differences and some little pops and hisses here and there that come from splicing several different sources together. LFE is fairly mild, and except for when the journalist fights Kato I don’t think there was much of it at all. Surrounds go to the score and once again you have a fairly typical mono to 5.1 mix.






Extras: :4stars:
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The Pink Panther

• An Italian Indian: The Pink Panther Princess – an interview with actress Claudia Cardinale
• Audio Commentary by writer/director Blake Edwards
• The Pink Panther Story
• Behind the Feline: The Cartoon Phenomenon
• A Conversation with Robert Wagner: Coolest Cat in Cortina
• Diamonds: Beyond the Sparkle
• The Tip-Toe Life of a Cat Burglar: A Conversation with Former Jewel Thief Bill Mason
• Theatrical Trailer
• Photo Galleries (studio stills, production candids, theatrical release posters, and vintage lobby cards)
A Shot in the Dark
• Back to the Start: The Origin of the Pink Panther – an interview with production company chief Walter Mirisch
• Audio Commentary by Jason Simos of the Peter Sellers Appreciation Society
• Blake Edwards and Julie Andrews on The Dick Cavett Show
• Theatrical Trailers
• The Pink Panther/A Shot in the Dark 1966 reissue Theatrical Trailer
• Photo Galleries (studio stills, production candids, theatrical release posters, and vintage lobby cards)
Return of the Pink Panther
• A Bit of Passion and Lots of Laughs: an interview with actress Catherine Schell
• An interview with production designer Peter Mullins
• Audio Commentary by Jason Simos of the Peter Sellers Appreciation Society
• 1975 Featurette: The Return of Laughter (The Making of The Return of the Pink Panther)
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots
• Radio Spot
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
• Panther Musings: an interview with actress Lesley-Anne Down
• A Cut Above: Editing the Pink Panther Films – an interview with editor Alan Jones
• Audio Commentary by Jason Simos of the Peter Sellers Appreciation Society
• Clouseau: The Greatest Fumbler in the World (The Making of The Pink Panther Strikes Again)
• Rare Teaser Trailers
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots
• Radio Spots
• Photographer Colin Cadle's on-set gallery
The Revenge of the Pink Panther
• Audio Commentary by author and film historian William Patrick Maynard
• Rare Teaser Trailer
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Radio Spots
Trail of the Pink Panther
• Audio Commentary by author and film historian William Patrick Maynard
• Rare Teaser Trailer
• Theatrical Trailer












Final Score: :4stars:


The Pink Panther Film Collection is a LOOOOOOOOOOONG time coming, and easily one of my most looked forward to sets of the day. My old copy of the DVD boxset from MGM has been waiting for an upgrade for years, and after MGM decide to tank any sequels after releasing the Blu-ray YEARS ago, I swore that we were never going to see it. Thankfully Shout has done a great job with the discs and very nice looking collector’s packaging as well. There’s few problems with the set (besides the fact that Trail of the Pink Panther exists), and an overall fantastic buy. Definitely grab it if you can.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Peter Sellers, Robert Wagnor, David Niven, Christopher Plummer
Directed by Black Edwards (all six)
Written by: Maurice Richland, Blake Edwards / Maurice Richland, Blake Edwards / Frank Waldman, Blake Edwards / Frank Waldman, Blake Edwards /Frank Waldman, Ron Clarke, Blake Edwards / Frank Waldman, Tom Waldman, Blake Edwards
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 AVC / 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo, DTS-HD MA Mono (for all releases)
Studio: Shout Factory
Rated: NR / PG / G / PG / PG / PG
Runtime: 116 Minutes / 102 Minutes / 119 Minutes / 103 Minutes / 91 Minutes / 97 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 27th, 2017







Recommendation: Highly Recommended
 

Asere

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I may grab this. I remember as a child watching these movies. Which one I am not really sure but they where fun to watch.
 

Sonnie

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I never could get into these shows... always thought they were somewhat silly. I guess I just don't get it, although I know they have their following.
 

Todd Anderson

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Have to admit, I'm in Sonnie's camp on this one. But, I'm curious if my impression would be different if watching with fresh eyes?

Might have to check it out when the price falls!
 
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