Curse of the Pink Panther (1983)

Curse of the Pink Panther
I thought that this movie was pretty good. It is not my favorite out of the ones that I've seen. I've seen The Pink Panther, A Shot In The Dark, Inspector Clouseau, The Return Of The Pink Panther, The Pink Panther Strikes Again, Revenge Of The Pink Panther, Trail of the Pink Panther, this one, and The Pink Panther {2006}. This is my 8th favorite Pink Panther film. It has a great cast. Ted Wass as Detective Sergeant Clifton Sleigh, David Niven as Sir Charles Lytton, Robert Wagner as George Lytton, Herbert Lom as Chief Inspector Charles LaRousse Dreyfus, Capucine as Lady Simone Lytton, Joanna Lumley as Countess Chandra, Robert Loggia as Bruno Langois, Harvey Korman as Professor Auguste Balls, Burt Kwouk as Cato, and Roger Moore as Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau {credited as Turk Thrust II}. This film wasn't as good as The Pink Panther Strikes Again. That was my review.
Jedi404

Another Type of Pink
For those who consider the Pink Panther films only watchable for Peter Sellers' performance as Inspector Clouseau, the series could be considered over with "Revenge of the Pink Panther." For those who love the Pink Panther brand of humor and want to see the full extension of the story line, "Curse of the Pink Panther" is worth a look.

True, without Peter Sellers this movie doesn't feel quite authentic, but it makes an interesting epilogue to the series, picking up where the wafer-thin plot of "Trail of the Pink Panther" left off.

Glad that Clouseau is gone but wanting to appear like he's doing his best to find the missing Inspector, Chief Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) searches for the worst possible detective to put on his old foe's tracks. He settles for Sgt. Clifton Sleigh (a young Ted Wass), a bumbling NYPD officer who can't understand why everyone thinks he's somehow related to Jacques Clouseau.

While plenty of the worn-out routines from previous movies are repeated here, there are certainly some new bits, and Wass' likable character breathes some freshness, if only a little bit, into the film. Still, while Peter Sellers is missed, his character is missed even more. The studio could have counted its losses and found a new Clouseau and a new director to bring new blood to the franchise. Instead, the events of the previous films, including the little inconsistencies between movies, are brought to a head as Clouseau's disappearance and the Pink Panther diamonds theft come together in one mangled conspiracy theory. This, sadly, taints the simplicity of the individual films.

Certain elements of the classics are here, including an exotic babe (Leslie Ash) and David Niven in his final film role. Appropriate, since this was originally supposed to be his franchise.

Not as funny as any of the Peter Sellers film by a long shot, but a novelty among the series and a worthwhile comedy for fans of this comedy-mystery series.

Another Type of Pink
For those who consider the Pink Panther films only watchable for Peter Sellers' performance as Inspector Clouseau, the series could be considered over with "Revenge of the Pink Panther." For those who love the Pink Panther brand of humor and want to see the full extension of the story line, "Curse of the Pink Panther" is worth a look.

True, without Peter Sellers this movie doesn't feel quite authentic, but it makes an interesting epilogue to the series, picking up where the wafer-thin plot of "Trail of the Pink Panther" left off.

Glad that Clouseau is gone but wanting to appear like he's doing his best to find the missing Inspector, Chief Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) searches for the worst possible detective to put on his old foe's tracks. He settles for Sgt. Clifton Sleigh (a young Ted Wass), a bumbling NYPD officer who can't understand why everyone thinks he's somehow related to Jacques Clouseau.

While plenty of the worn-out routines from previous movies are repeated here, there are certainly some new bits, and Wass' likable character breathes some freshness, if only a little bit, into the film. Still, while Peter Sellers is missed, his character is missed even more. The studio could have counted its losses and found a new Clouseau and a new director to bring new blood to the franchise. Instead, the events of the previous films, including the little inconsistencies between movies, are brought to a head as Clouseau's disappearance and the Pink Panther diamonds theft come together in one mangled conspiracy theory. This, sadly, taints the simplicity of the individual films.

Certain elements of the classics are here, including an exotic babe (Leslie Ash) and David Niven in his final film role. Appropriate, since this was originally supposed to be his franchise.

Not as funny as any of the Peter Sellers film by a long shot, but a novelty among the series and a worthwhile comedy for fans of this comedy-mystery series.