Curse of the Pink Panther (1983)

This is definitely the worst Pink Panther film of all, but it's worth seeing (read-wait until the end of the film) because of a fantastic cameo of (great in this role) Roger Moore who shows that he fits very well in the part of Clouseau. I think Peter Sellers would be satisfied with Moore's outing. P.S. Note that it's the last David Niven film.

Fmovies: I know some people won't like this movie, but I found it entertaining nonetheless. Ted Wass was good as a bumbling detective from the USA, and of course Herbert Lom was great as usual. The guests appearances through out the movie were also nice. I would recommend the movie just for them. Of course the ghost of Peter Sellers lives on and he was sorely missed.

10 out of 10. Why? Don't ask just enjoy the movie.

I believe that this effort was very good considering that the star of the series did not appear in it(due to his passing) Ted Wass almost grows into a Clousseau like character as the movie goes on, yes we miss the horribly funny accent and antics of Sellers, but we watch movies like this for the visual comedy and there is plenty of that, And of course what you tune into any "panther" movie to see it how does Dreyfuss get shot, blown up or nearly killed, and Sleigh does his best at accidentally taking Dreyfuss to the edge of Insanity just like Clousseau always did. The overall Plot is actually kind of clever, and keeps you wondering how it can possibly unfold knowing that Sellers character is not available...those who do not like this film, I believe are of the "you can't replace Sellers' "clousseau" ilk. that may be true, but give the master of adult comedy "Edwards " a chance , open your mind and be entertained

Curse of the Pink Panther fmovies. Following the death of Peter Sellers, the Pink Panther series seemed to have little future but director Blake Edwards still managed to grind out two further entries. The Trail Of The Pink Panther was mediocre but it had funny moments; The Curse Of The Pink Panther is a stretch too far. This - number seven in the popular series - is a feeble comedy in which the plot is poorly contrived, the actors look totally indifferent, and the comic moments are tired rehashes of scenes from the earlier films. It's no exaggeration to say this is the worst of the series.

Dreyfuss (Herbert Lom) is assigned to use a super-computer to track down the world's greatest detective. Once found, this awesome detective will be entrusted with the task of finding the missing Inspector Clouseau. However, Dreyfuss has no intention of helping in the hunt for Clouseau (you may remember from earlier films that Clouseau drove Dreyfuss to the brink of insanity). Thus, Dreyfuss deliberately misuses the computer and finds the worst detective in the world - the inept New York officer Clifton Sleigh (Ted Wass). Sleigh travels to France and follows a trail of clues hither and thither, accidentally surviving numerous attempts on his life and getting into all manner of wacky situations as he closes in on the truth. Along the way he crosses swords with various characters from earlier Pink Panther films, before it is finally revealed to the audience (though not to Clifton Sleigh) what actually became of the hapless Inspector Clouseau.

There are a few compensations amid the general air of indifference. A certain famous film star, billed as Turk Thrust II, makes a guest appearance as Clouseau near the end, and has a funny cameo role mimicking the mannerisms that Sellers had brought to the character. Henry Mancini's music is as catchy as ever, and there are infrequent sight gags which are fairly amusing (e.g. the scene where Wass sits on a giant rubber duck, only for the beak to poke out suggestively from between his legs). On the whole, alas, The Curse Of The Pink Panther is a very poor film. With a running time close to 2 hours, the film needs more than a couple of amusing gags and a good cameo appearance. Long before the end (heck, long before the middle!) it becomes a tedious affair, and as the plot unfolds one increasingly wishes that the final credits would hurry up and put an end to the misery. After this, Edwards gave up on the series until, in 1993, he belatedly added one final flick entitled The Son Of The Pink Panther.

Curse of the Pink Panther is not the worst of the series for me, Trail and Son are much worse being shameless messes. Curse is mediocre but it does have some good things.

Pros: The film does look decent, the title sequence is fun, the music is wonderful, Ted Wass is good comedic value, Roger Moore's cameo is another bright spot and the part where Wass sits on the giant duck is hilarious. Herbert Lom is entertaining as Dreyfuss and Joanna Lumley doesn't grate like she did in Trail of the Pink Panther.

Cons: The story is very standard, slow moving and predictable, and the film is overlong. The script is fairly weak too and some of the gags and jokes don't work as well as they should have done. Sadly this was David Niven's last film, and he deserved a better swan-song, he is a good actor but he looks uninterested and bored.

Overall, mediocre but has a few good things to make it watchable. 5/10 Bethany Cox

This following to popular series is a new attempt to maintain the slapstick franchise in spite of Peter Sellers death by substituting in American actor Ted Wass . He's investigating bungling Clouseau disappearance and is on the trail of the jewel known as the Pink Panther and during his first scenes Ted appears in drag . Clouseau's previous chief (Herbert Lom) threatens to destroy the new detective . At the same time Ted Wass like Clouseau is making life intolerable for Inspector Dreyfuss . He then goes to Clouseau museum where he meets Kato (Burt Kwouk) , to the French Riveira and Valencia (Spain) where encounters mobsters (Robert Loggia) who wish to kill him . Later on , aboard a yacht (along with the habitual David Niven , Capucine , Robert Wagner) he goes to Mallorca . There he attempts to track down the Clouseau trail but he meets a suspect Countess Chandra (Joanna Lumley).

This is arguably one of the most average of the series about the botcher Inspector and being the eight ¨Pink Panther¨ movie in the known film franchise . In this slapdash as well as disconcerting comedy , Wass attempts to investigate whether or no Clouseau is living somewhere . This fun release has some hilarious moments here and there . The film continues where Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) leaves off . Though uncredited, late Peter Sellers can still be heard in various scenes through archival sound . Starring Ted Wass as Sleigh is sympathetic imitating to Sellers , outdoing his botcher and diverting character . Actors considered for the role of Clifton Sleigh included John Ritter, John Cleese, Dudley Moore and Rowan Atkinson ; in the end , the part went to Ted Wass . The actors seem to enjoy immensely themselves but they are supposedly spending some amusing holidays in Riveira , Mallorca, Valencia . Players appearing in this movie who had appeared in the original Pink Panther (1963), the first film in the series , were Capucine, David Niven, and Robert Wagner . In the film appears the usual series as Herbert Lom (chief Inspector Dreyfuss), Andre Maranne (Sergeant Francois Duval), Grahame Stark (as a bored waiter) and the ordinary professor (Harvey Korman) . The movie was simultaneously filmed along with ¨Trail to the Pink Panther¨ where equally the protagonist (Joanna Lumley) is looking for Inspector Clouseau . Writer, producer , director Blake Edwards gets some inspired bits penned by himself ; however he attempts to alive his classic personage with no much success . Rating : Mediocre but entertaining .