The Pink Panther 

The first five Peter Sellers–Blake Edwards films were released theatrically by United Artists until the company was sold to MGM. Then Trail and Curse were released by MGM/UA Entertainment. Son of the Pink Panther, although produced by UA, was released by MGM. The Return of the Pink Panther is the only film that is not fully owned by MGM/UA, as some ancillary rights (including television broadcast rights) are controlled by British production company ITC Entertainment through successor-in-interest Granada International, while others (including home video) are now owned by Universal Pictures' Focus Features division--Focus recently re-issued this film on DVD for Region 1. Original distributor UA does own the film's copyright as well as the theatrical distribution rights via MGM as the latter studio handles theatrical distribution for the ITC/Granada theatrical library.ITC originally intended to make an Inspector Clouseau television series, but Blake Edwards convinced the production company to back a feature film first and then a series if the film proved successful. The film exceeded expectations by becoming the most profitable film of 1975. United Artists quickly bought out ITC's investment and work immediately proceeded on the next feature film.Although official, the 1968 film Inspector Clouseau is generally not considered by fandom to be part of the Pink Panther "canon" since it did not involve Sellers or Edwards. Some elements of Arkin's performance and costuming, however, were retained when Peter Sellers took back the role for Return in 1975. Despite a common misconception, Alan Arkin does not appear in Trail of the Pink Panther.A new film, called The Pink Panther, starring Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau, directed by Shawn Levy, and produced by Robert Simonds, was released in February 2006. This is the first Panther film to be released by Columbia Pictures, which along with UA sister studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is part of the Sony/Comcast consortium. It is set in the present day and introduces different main characters, therefore belonging to a different continuity. Martin also stars in a sequel, The Pink Panther Deux, scheduled for release in 2009 and has also revealed that he is in talks to do The Pink Panther 3.[edit]Characters[edit]Inspector Jacques ClouseauJacques Clouseau is a bumbling simpleton of a policeman who believes himself to be a brilliant detective, if not a genius. He inexplicably speaks in English with a ludicrous Frenchaccent, while other characters speak English, often with their own accents. Clouseau's accent is far less pronounced in the first film; from A Shot in the Dark onwards the exaggerated accent became part of the joke. It has been suggested that portraying the incompetent policeman as French is based on a British stereotype of the French police, or even the French population as a whole.Peter Sellers, the actor portraying Clouseau, remarked that in his opinion, deep down inside, Clouseau knew he was a buffoon; but Clouseau has an incredible knack for survival. Sheer luck or clumsiness usually saves him. In the first film, a farcical car chase around one of Rome's fountains results in the loud collision of all the vehicles (off-camera, witnessed only by a bemused pedestrian), resulting in the capture of the thieves (all of whom were wearing gorilla costumes). This approach accelerates, with Clouseau falling down stairs; falling into pools and fountains; causing fires and disasters; and even being blown up with bombs repeatedly throughout the series. In The Pink Panther Strikes Again, assassins from all over the world are sent to kill Clouseau; he bends down to tie his shoelace, falls over, etc., at just the right moment to ensure that the killers eliminate one another. In Trail of the Pink Panther, we see in one of the flashback that during World War II, Clouseau even fought in the French Resistance movement against the German occupation, but the flashbacks again only serve to reiterate the fact that Clouseau can survive anything despite his incompetence.Inspector Clouseau is a patriotic Frenchman; his country is professedly his highest priority. He has been prone to infatuation (which is often reciprocated) ever since being cuckolded by Sir Charles Lytton. He is repeatedly perplexed by transvestites, to the extent that he addresses them as "Sir or Madam".The role was originated by Peter Sellers, but has also been played by Alan Arkin (in Inspector Clouseau), Daniel Peacock and Lucca Mezzofonti in Trail of the Pink Panther, Roger Moore (a cameo as a surgically altered Clouseau in Curse of the Pink Panther), and Steve Martin (in the 2006Pink Panther film and its 2009 sequel). Additionally, Rich Little supplied the voice of Clouseau, impersonating Sellers, for additional scenes in Trail of the Pink Panther.[edit]Chief Inspector Charles LaRousse DreyfusClouseau's superior, Charles Dreyfus, was introduced in A Shot in the Dark, where he held the rank of Commissioner. He is eventually driven murderously insane by his exasperation with Clouseau's stupidity. In The Return of the Pink Panther, Dreyfus has assumed the rank of Chief Inspector, instead of Commissioner; as before, he goes crazy by the end of the film, which ends with Dreyfus straitjacketed in a padded cell writing "Kill Clouseau" on the wall with his toes. Throughout this movie, Dreyfus initially suffers a variety of personal injuries (involving his gun and a cigarette lighter of a similar shape) before accidentally strangling his therapist while fantasizing of Clouseau's death. In The Pink Panther Strikes Again, Dreyfus is about to be released from the asylum after making a complete recovery, but within 5 minutes of Clouseau's arriving (to speak to the board on Dreyfus' behalf), he suffers a variety of injuries and relapses back into murderous insanity. Dreyfus breaks out of the insane asylum and kidnaps a scientist, forcing him to build a disintegrator ray; the device is then used to blackmail the rest of the world into attempting to assassinate Clouseau. Dreyfus appears to disintegrate at the end of Strikes Again; but subsequently, and without any explanation, he can be found in the asylum again at the onsets of Revenge of the Pink Panther and Trail of the Pink Panther, and he is allowed to return to his position as Chief Inspector when Clouseau is missing, presumed dead. Herbert Lom famously gave his character a pronounced wink which occurred when he was under particular stress and an accompanying child-like giggle when plotting Clouseau's murder.In Son of the Pink Panther, Dreyfus (as Chief Inspector) deals with Clouseau's equally buffoonish son Jacques Gambrelli. Compared to his treatment of Clouseau, Dreyfus is more accepting of Gambrelli. At the end of the film, Dreyfus falls in love with Clouseau's former lover, Maria Gambrelli (Jacques Gambrelli's mother), and they get married. At the subsequent wedding, Dreyfus is shocked to learn that Clouseau and Maria actually conceived twins: Jacques and Jacqueline Gambrelli.In the 2006reboot, The Pink Panther, Dreyfus (again as Chief Inspector) uses Clouseau as a decoy while he himself attempts to solve the crimes. Dreyfus merely views Clouseau as an idiot, and never attempts to have him killed; whereas Clouseau attacks his employer at one point, mistaking his identity. Later in the film, Dreyfus is dragged accidentally behind Clouseau's Smart Car. Dreyfus ends up in the hospital, where Clouseau's bumbling causes him further physical pain.Dreyfus was played by Herbert Lom in the Blake Edwards films, and by Kevin Kline in the 2006 film. He will be played by John Cleese in the 2009 sequel.[citation needed][edit]Cato FongCato (spelled "Kato" in A Shot in the Dark) is Clouseau's house boy, and an expert in martial arts. It is unclear whether he believes Clouseau to be a great detective or whether he merely humors him. It is a running joke that he is instructed to unexpectedly attack Clouseau, to keep Clouseau's combat skills and vigilance sharp. If they are interrupted during such an attack (as by a telephone call), Cato ceases to project the image of assailant and becomes a well-disciplinedvalet.In later films, Cato helps Clouseau on some cases, including one in Hong Kong. Here, Cato wears glasses to be inconspicuous, but ends up running into various objects because of his now-impaired vision.At first, Cato appears to conform to the Chinese racial stereotype of speaking in "broken English" and grinning; however, Revenge of the Pink Panther reveals him to actually be fluent in English, including nonstandard English. It is suggested that a love-hate relationship exists between the two men, sometimes bordering more on the "hate" side for Cato.In Revenge, Cato, believing his master to be dead, ran a covert brothel in Clouseau's apartment. The password used to get into the brothel was to claim to be Inspector Clouseau, which caused a humorous scene when the true Inspector Clouseau showed up. Cato opened another brothel in Curse of the Pink Panther, and converted Clouseau's apartment into a museum featuring all the disguises the inspector had worn over the years. The choice of a brothel as his interim business may variously suggest that Cato is less than entirely honest, somewhat lecherous, aware of other people's lechery, or eager to earn money. He is otherwise loyal to Clouseau.Cato was based on Kato, the sidekick of the Green Hornet played by Bruce Lee. The credits of A Shot in the Dark even list his name spelled with a "K", though it was changed to a "C" for all subsequent appearances.Cato was played by Burt Kwouk. Kwouk was also considered for a part in the 2006 revival, but was passed over, and the role of Cato was offered to Jackie Chan. Ultimately, however, the character was scrapped completely, for fear that the Chinese stereotype was too politically incorrect for modern audiences. Cato was replaced by a new character, Gendarme Gilbert Ponton, played by Jean Reno, assigned by Chief Inspector Dreyfus to watch over Clouseau. In a reversal of the setup with Cato, Clouseau would often attack Ponton unexpectedly; Ponton always won the fight, as opposed to Cato, who often lost. The fights featuring Cato were always more destructive and longer than those featuring Ponton.[edit]Sergeant François ChevalierFrançois, Dreyfus' assistant, generally observes his boss's interactions with Clouseau (and subsequent emotional breakdowns) with placid bemusement. André Maranne, a French actor, played François in six Panther films, and in Son of the Pink Panther, he was replaced by Dermot Crowley (as Maranne had died in 1992). He later becomes Clouseau's assistant.[edit]Sir Charles Lytton/The Phantom"The Phantom" is a jewel thief; Clouseau's archenemy (after Dreyfus) in several of the films; and known to the public as Sir Charles Litton. He leaves a "calling card" at the scene of every crime: a white glove with a stylized letter "P". In the first film he was played by David Niven, and in Return by Christopher Plummer. In later films he had cameos, again performed by a by-then aging and frail Niven, whose voice was overdubbed by impressionist Rich Little.[edit]Homages and references to the filmsIn an episode of the anime series Lupin the Third, entitled "Black Panther" (American-dub title "My Birthday Pursuit"), master criminal and title character Lupin attempts to steal the Black Panther diamond as a birthday gift for his girlfriend/rival Fujiko. Normally, Lupin has to deal with the interfering Inspector Zenigata, but in this episode, Zenigata is aided by a clearly Clouseau-inspired character, Inspector Conaiseau. Conaiseau is even assisted by a Cato-inspired character, Hageito. Also within the episode, Lupin and Conaiseau both infiltrate a nudist colony, much like Clouseau does in A Shot in the Dark. Also, as a note of interest, the Black Panther diamond, when light shines on it at a certain angle, shows within it a black version of the Pink Panther cartoon character. This "toon" seems to give the diamond a life of its own, as whenever it is unexpectedly dropped, the diamond appears to run off like a loose panther, with the "toon" visible to the audience as it does so.In an episode of the animated seriesJackie Chan Adventures, entitled "Enter...the Viper", Jackie Chan and his niece Jade must protect the "Pink Puma" diamond from a female jewel thief called Viper.In The Simpsons episode "This Little Wiggy", an announcer on Chief Wiggum's television is heard saying "We now return to The Return of the Pink Panther Returns, starring Ken Wahl as Inspector Clouseau".In the The Simpsons Season 5 episode "Homer the Vigilante" the Springfield Cat Burglar character is based on the Phantom. When he burglarizes the Simpsons house the background music is very similar to the Pink Panther music, and he leaves a calling card at the scene of the crime. He steals the world's largest cubic zirconia from a museum, much like the Phantom stealing the Pink Panther diamond. When he is captured he turns out to be a suave, David Niven-like character.In an ad for Apple Computer's iPhone, Inspector Clouseau is seen briefly answering his telephone.Cato appears in the movie Inspector Gadget during the Minions Anonymous meeting.On The Price is Right, the Pink Panther theme music was used during the Safe Crackers pricing game, from 1976–1992. However, the production company had to pay licensing fees every time the song was used, so they replaced it with stock music. >> By WikiPedia