Curse of the Pink Panther (1983) MGM/Comedy RT: 110 minutes Rated PG (language, comic violence, adult humor) Director: Blake Edwards Screenplay: Blake Edwards and Geoffrey Edwards Music: Henry Mancini Cinematography: Dick Bush Release date: August 12, 1983 (US) Cast: Ted Wass, David Niven, Herbert Lom, Robert Loggia, Joanna Lumley, Capucine, Robert Wagner, Burt Kwouk, Leslie Ash, Andre Maranne, Harvey Korman, Liz Smith, Denise Crosby, Michael Elphick, Roger Moore (billed as Turk Thrust II). Box Office: $3.3M (US)
Rating: ** ½
After the dismal failure that was Trail of the Pink Panther, it’s not at all surprising audiences avoided Curse of the Pink Panther like the Black Plague. The two movies were filmed concurrently with the ultimate goal of relaunching the series with a new lead. So who did they get? They got Ted Wass from the TV sitcom Soap (1977-81). That is, after Dudley Moore (Arthur) and John Ritter (Three’s Company) turned down the part.
Wass plays incompetent New York cop Sgt. Clifton Sleigh, basically Inspector Clouseau’s American counterpart. He’s been assigned to locate the missing Clouseau much to the exasperation of Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Lom) who would rather the bumbling detective, the bane of his existence, stay missing. I HATED Trail of the Pink Panther with a passion and didn’t expect to like Curse of the Pink Panther any better. To my great surprise, it’s not too bad. It’s not particularly good either. It’s a big improvement over its immediate predecessor though. At least director Blake Edwards appears to be trying this time around albeit not very hard.
It’s been a year since Clouseau went missing and Interpol wants some answers. Dreyfus has been assigned to oversee Operation Paragon which entails using their computer to find the world’s greatest detective to find the world’s greatest missing detective. Since he’d rather never see Clouseau again, Dreyfus sabotages the computer to find the world’s worst detective. Enter Clifton Sleigh who wastes no time in showing off his clumsiness by knocking Dreyfus out of his office window. With that, his investigation is off and running.
He talks to several of the same people the reporter spoke to in the previous movie including Cato (Kwouk) who turned Clouseau’s old apartment into an honorary museum and Mafia boss Bruno Langlois (Loggia, Psycho II) who orders the new detective’s assassination. He also meets with Sir Charles Litton (Niven in his final role), his wife Lady Simone (Capucine) and nephew George (Wagner, Hart to Hart). During the course of Sleigh’s investigation, it’s suggested that Clouseau’s disappearance and the theft of the Pink Panther diamond from the previous movie may be connected.
Not all of Curse of the Pink Panther works. The scene where we first meet Sleigh as he bungles a routine undercover assignment goes on too long and is simply not funny. There’s also an amusing bit with an umbrella and windy rainstorm that could have been handled better. The comedy is still clunky, but the movie actually gets better as it goes along. It starts to feel more like a real Pink Panther movie except for Peter Sellers’ conspicuous absence. Wass is a likable guy, but he’s no substitute for the late actor in his signature role. He has a handful of funny moments, but he’s just not the real thing.
As for the rest of the cast, some of them look like they’re having a good time. Although it’s sad that this is Niven’s swan song, it’s nice seeing him and his two companions from the original 1963 movie again. Once again, Rich Little dubs his dialogue and you can tell.
Unlike Trail, I actually laughed a few times. There’s a funny bit that has Sleigh parasailing onto a private island in order to interview Countess Chandra (Lumley), the aristocratic owner of a health spa, who might have information regarding Clouseau’s whereabouts (if he’s still alive).
The best part in Curse of the Pink Panther is a cameo by Roger Moore who filmed it during a break from Octopussy. I won’t go into detail suffice to say that he has a surprising flair for physical comedy, similar to Leslie Nielsen. Of course, the animated opening titles and Henry Mancini’s theme song are always a highlight. He tries a different arrangement this time, using synthesizers to make it sound more 80s. It’s actually pretty good. I hate to admit it but I kind of like Curse of the Pink Panther. Is it as good as the earlier installments? Not really, no. But it doesn’t suck either. I guess you can chalk this up as a minor guilty pleasure.
