Revenge of the Pink Panther Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Revenge of the Pink Panther Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson July 13, 2017

Revenge of the Pink Panther is being released as part of The Pink Panther Film Collection.

"On ['REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER'] we had no choice relative to being better prepared. When United Artists and I got together and decided that we would make yet another 'PINK PANTHER', we all realized that it would have to be finished by a certain date, because I have other commitments and Peter [Sellers] has other commitments. Also, we wanted to get it into release for the summer. Literally from the time that UA and I made the deal until the start of shooting on the stage―now, that's no script; just a bare idea―there was a period of only eight weeks....if the picture is as good as I hope it will be, then everybody will be satisfied."
―Black Edwards to American Cinematographer Editor Herb Lightman

When the producers of The Pink Panther series set out to make a new film, their aim was to always create a better comedy than the last and to show gags that were innovative rather than a continuation of ones in prior films. Revenge of the Pink Panther is more repetition than invention and as the Edwards quote suggests, this sequel was rather hurried in order to sustain the box office gold the previous two installments ushered. This movie contains scenes that were deleted from The Pink Panther Strikes Again and a patchwork script that was cobbled together as filming got underway. The plot concerns wealthy industrialist Philippe Douvier (Robert Webber) and a a 15-million-franc heroin deal he is negotiating with the New Yorker Julio "Godfather" Scallini (Paul Stewart). To prove his mettle to Scallini, Douvier masterminds an assassination plot on Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers). Douvier's assassin, Mr. Chong (Ed Parker), gets caught in the middle of a fracas involving Clouseau and Cato Fong (Burt Kwouk) and is inadvertently taken out. Later, Douvier tries to set a trap for Clouseau but that goes awry after a transvestite criminal sticks up Clouseau and dons his Sûreté uniform, making him a target of mistaken identity. Believing that his nemesis is finally out of the way, Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) elatedly departs a psychiatric clinic he's been confined and learns he's assigned to track down Clouseau's killers. Meanwhile, Clouseau discovers that Cato has transformed his apartment into an Oriental bordello after mistakenly believing his employer to be deceased. Simone Legree (Dyan Cannon), Douvier's secretary, has been having a clandestine affair with her boss but fearing exposure, Douvier ends it. Simone now has a motive to expose her former lover but at Le Club Foot she is nearly killed before falling into Clouseau's lap. Simone informs Clouseau and Cato of the heroin sale Douvier will make with Scallini in Hong Kong so the newly formed trio travel to Asia to try to foil it.

Inspector Clouseau is help up by surprise in his car.

In the film, Clouseau disguises himself as a woman, a Long John Silver-like one-legged sailor with an inflatable rubber parrot on his soldier, Toulouse- Lautrec, and a mafia Don. Sellers adroitly masquerades in all of these character types but the film suffers from a lack of focus. Edwards can't decide which character's story he wants as the central focal point. He tries to intersect them all but has difficultly integrating Dreyfus in the maelstrom of Clouseau's crisscrossings with Douvier, Legree, and Scallini. As a Variety review put it at the time: "Sellers, faithful servant Burt Kwouk, Lom, Cannon, etc., each alone and also in various combinations, are too much for a simple story line. The result is that the plot roams all over the map, trying to cover all the bases but in totality adding up to less than the parts."

Revenge of the Pink Panther Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Revenge of the Pink Panther makes its global debut on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Select with this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. The film appears in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1, which approximates its original theatrical exhibition. The main feature contains video streams that average 31996 kbps, with the entire disc boasting a total bitrate of 42.13 Mbps. The image looks pretty solid although the transfer is not as good as The Pink Panther Strikes Again. White speckles pop out periodically and there are some thin scratches on the print. Film artifacts also creep in (see the white fleck below Sellers's lower left lip in Screenshot #1). There also appears to be some edge enhancement and color bleeding. Filming conditions in Hong Kong (see #s 17-19) were fraught unexpectedly with poor weather so exterior scenes look pale and drab. The American Cinematographer noted that "an unbroken period of flat overcast light worked against the bright 'Oriental' look Blake Edwards would have preferred [so] booster lights were used to relieve the flatness somewhat."

Shout has divided the movie into twelve chapter breaks.

Revenge of the Pink Panther Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shout Select has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 remix (2585 kbps, 24-bit), a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo mix (1592 kbps, 24-bit), and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Dual Mono track (1601 kbps, 24-bit). The master is in relatively clean shape and there are no serious issues with dialogue, f/x, or music. Composer Henry Mancini's score, including his disco-infused main theme, comes across well on the front speakers.

Shout has given the option for turning on English SDH for the main feature.

Revenge of the Pink Panther Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• NEW Audio Commentary by Author and Film Historian William Patrick Maynard - Maynard doesn't have much at all to offer in the way of production info and anecdotes. There are frequent gaps and he tends to narrate what's happening on screen. In English, not subtitled.

• Trailers (3:05, upconverted to 1080) - the first is a rare teaser trailer of Revenge of the Pink Panther apparently struck from 35mm. It's shown in widescreen and has audible static/analog noise. The film's original theatrical trailer is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic and while in better condition than the other trailer, contains scratches. Both in English, not subtitled.

• TV Spots (1:58, upconverted to 1080) - five film-sourced TV spots of Revenge of the Pink Panther that contain heavy grain and artifacts. In English, not subtitled.

• Radio Spots (2:22) - five radio spots that aired to publicize Revenge of the Pink Panther. In English, not subtitled.

• Still Gallery (4:03, 1080p) - the first forty-three images in this gallery consist of high-res color photographs (portrait and landscape) showing the cast of Revenge of the Pink Panther at work. The next seven comprise black-and-white pictures and a costume sketch courtesy of United Artists' marketing campaign. The last four on-location color photos round off this gallery.

• Poster Gallery (3:57, 1080p) - the first ten images show US/international theatrical release posters in various sizes. The next forty-three stills present additional posters, ads, and lobby cards primarily for promotion in overseas markets.

• On-Set Gallery (0:41, 1080p) - eight production candid snapshots of cast and crew overlaid with descriptive captions.

Revenge of the Pink Panther Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Pink Panther Strikes Again has several fine comedic moments but its scattershot narrative makes it one of the weakest entries in the series. Shout Select has not give the film a complete remastering job but the video and audio presentations are fairly satisfactory. One misses Jason Simos on the alternate audio track as there are a number of gaps in William Patrick Maynard's commentary and he doesn't cover a lot of material in depth. Shout hasn't recorded any new interviews devoted to this film and its ancillary extras, while worth checking out, are mainly filler. A VERY MILD RECOMMENDATION.