In this outlandish, sidesplitting tale of the fortunes of the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, a mythical land on the verge of bankruptcy because its one export, a fine wine, has been undercut by a US company. Grand Fenwick's prime minister (Peter Sellers) and female monarch (Sellers again) cook up a scheme to solve the problem: they will declare war on the States.
Inspector Clouseau, the lovable buffoon with a knack for mispronunciation, is MIA! The terrifically talented Peter Sellers "induces gales of tonic laughter" (The Hollywood Reporter) in this wild adventure co-starring the full Panther ensemble cast, including David Niven, Herbert Lom, Burt Kwouk and Capucine, along with newcomers Joanna Lumley, Richard Mulligan and Harvey Korman. The Pink Panther diamond goes missing - and then en route to the scene of the crime, Clouseau's plane goes missing!
The sixth Pink Panther comedy was the last to star Peter Sellers (the following film in the series incorporated previously unseen footage), and it was also the last in the series to show any signs of genuine inspiration. It's a weak entry in the Panther pantheon, involving a rather mundane plot about a "French Connection" drug deal that leads Inspector Clouseau--presumed murdered and now sleuthing incognito--to Hong Kong for a brash, slapstick finale that almost compensates for the routine gags that precede it.
An appealing, free-floating lunacy fuels What's New Pussycat?, and there's enough of it bubbling around to carry the movie past its many defects. The cast is like a collection of terribly attractive people stumbling over each other at a disorganized cocktail party--they aren't always witty, and some of them are drunk, but there's enough going on to keep you distracted. Peter O'Toole plays a swinging London womanizer seeking help for his addiction, who makes the mistake of consulting one Dr. Fritz Fassbender (Peter Sellers), a demented psychoanalyst.
Like the Marx Brothers or W.C. Fields, Peter Sellers is the real thing decrees Newsweek, and as the witless Inspector Clouseau, he proves it again and again in this riotous film of "continuous laughs" (Boxoffice) that'll leave you tickled pink! The French have a word for a man like Clouseau: idiot! Across Paris, baffled citizens want to know if the inspector is in hot pursuit of a criminal...or just in love with one!
The world's most hilariously disaster-prone detective is back on the case as Peter Sellers stars in this merry masterpiece of sheer slapstick sleuthing fun! When the priceless Pink Panther diamond is stolen yet again, the inimitable Inspector Jacques Clouseau is saved from an unwilling early retirement and sent off to the country of Lugash to investigate. Certain that the heist is the work of a suave jewel thief known as The Phantom, Clouseau unleashes his formidable array of outlandish disguises and preposterous deductive powers in madcap pursuit of his would-be quarry.
Peter Sellers and David Niven are flawless exclaims Variety of this riotously funny film about an almost flawless - and quite priceless - diamond, and the lengths people will go to obtain it! Arriving at a posh resort with her precious "panther" - a large gem with the image of a leaping feline inside - sexy princess Dala (Cardinale) meets the debonair Sir Charles (Niven). She is unaware, however, that Charles, a.k.a "The Phantom," is a professional thief who steals from the rich and gives to...himself! Enter Jacques Clouseau (Sellers), the clumsiest Inspector ever to trip over a case.
Peter Sellers is the poet of slapstick (Village Voice) - and here he rhymes yet again as the hopelessly clueless inspector Clouseau. "Give me ten men like Clouseau, and I could destroy the world," Inspector Dreyfus (Lom) said in A Shot In The Dark. But in The Pink Panther Strikes Again, he actually tries! Driven mad by Clouseau's incompetence, Dreyfus commandeers a doomsday device and threatens global destruction. His only demand? Clouseau's death. The world community's response?
Though this film is a relatively minor one in the massive canon of Peter Sellers, it has moments of absolute hilarity. Written and directed by Blake Edwards, one of Sellers's most fertile collaborators, the film stars Sellers as a would-be actor from India (let them try to get away with that today) who is a walking disaster area. After ruining a day's shooting as an extra on a film, he finds himself unintentionally invited to a big Hollywood party. That's pretty much it as far as plot goes, but Edwards and Sellers know how to milk a simple idea for an unending string of slapstick gags.
Neil Simon wrote this 1976 spoof in which virtually every famous fictional detective of the 1930s and 1940s congregate at the home of a mysterious fellow (Truman Capote) to try and solve the mystery of who's trying to kill them all. Simon's jokes are mostly obvious, and the film's real appeal is the clever concept matched with fine--sometimes legendary--actors. Peter Falk plays a very Bogart-like Sam Spade equivalent, James Coco is a Hercule Poirot wannabe, Peter Sellers does a Charlie Chan bit, David Niven and Maggie Smith are reflections of Nick and Nora.... You get the picture.
