The Pink Panther

07/20
The Pink Panther (Blake Edwards, 1963) A-

The Pink Panther, directed by Blake Edwards and co-written by Edwards and Maurice Richlin, is a 1963 comedy film, starring David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner, Capucine and Claudia Cardinale.
It is the first entry in what became a film franchise, concerning the adventures of bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau (played by Peter Sellers) and his attempts to locate the Pink Panther diamond. The film also introduced the cartoon character of the same name, in an opening credits sequence animated by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. In 2006, MGM released a new film with the same title, based on the series, starring Steve Martin as Clouseau. A sequel to this was released in 2009 and titled The Pink Panther 2.
The Pink Panther was shot in Italy, Paris, and Los Angeles, California. It was originally released theatrically by United Artists, and is now available on VHS and DVD from MGM Home Entertainment. The Technirama film was shot in an aspect ratio of 2.20:1 in Technicolor. Promotional taglines for the initial release included "A Madcap Frolic Of Crime and Fun" and "You only live once, so see The Pink Panther twice!" The film is number 62 on Bravo's list of "100 Funniest Movies". The score was listed at #20 on AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores.