The Pink Panther Strikes Again, written by Blake Edwards and Frank Waldman, directed by the former - Nine out of 10

The Pink Panther Strikes Again, written by Blake Edwards and Frank Waldman, directed by the former

Nine out of 10

Some might qualify this comedy as too silly to be memorable and indeed, the average score given by critics of major publications seems to be less than overwhelming at just 60 out of a possible 100…

Nevertheless, there are moments that we see in documentaries made on the History of Cinema, because Peters Sellers is glorious as the now promoted Chief Inspector Clouseau, as he goes to see the now locked up, former Chief Inspector Dreyfuss, and while trying to help the inmate, the hero keeps sending him back to the lake, through a Series of Unfortunate Events, unintended, but the protagonist is so inept that he cannot do the basic things properly.

Take the scenes that have him searching in this mansion, where servants and employees are gathered and where he sees the ‘gym room’, reminding him of the days when he was quite a performer, an athlete in his proud recollection…alas, he makes a few moves at the parallel bars and then ends up…on the stairs and crushing down in the big room where all are waiting to be questioned by the ridiculous official.

Peter Sellers is the Ultimate god of comedy and he plays those unbelievable catastrophes with ease, detachment and fantastic talent, just as he attacks the armor that s on display and he stupidly thinks he is attacked – after all, he keeps fighting with his companion and servant Cato, where a regrettable, intolerable for a film made today racism is used as an absurd joke ‘the yellow friend’, because Cato is Asian, Japanese I think

Somehow, the Chief Inspector has caught his hand in part of the armor – commenting on the bleak fate of the knight who had had to wear this military costume in the past – and he will keep it over the heat in the fireplace, thus getting yet another hilarious moment, then he would see a bee flying in his vicinity and in perfectly stupid manner would use the heavy weight he has attached to his hand, which was part of the deadly arsenal used in medieval days, to kill the insect and then crush the piano which was on the trajectory..

The maid is appalled, because this was a very valuable Steinway piano, but the investigator is dismissive and compares the blush on the instrument – which is actually crushed and a pile of wood now – to what his precious questioning is all about…though he is so quintessentially incompetent as to mix the basic information he is given…

‘And who might you be?

Tom, the gardener

And what is it you do?

I am the gardener…’ not the quote, but this was the drift

He has problems, as always, communicating with the others because his English is so heavily accentuated and using a French modification as to be incomprehensible for others, even when he is asking for a ‘room’, he uses ‘rum’, and he is aggressive and insulting when the other objects and says…

“Oh, you mean a ‘room’

Yes, you idiot, this is what I said”

There are many other gems, like the moment when he asks at the reception about the dog, which is near…

‘Does your dog bite?

No…

Then the small animal attacks ferociously and grabs the hand of the imprudent inspector, though he had asked and he is now furiously inquiring and protesting

‘You said your dog does not bite!

That is not my dog…’ to make it clear, the small animal was within one meter from the reception and the old man…