The Pink Panther Strikes Again Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Pink Panther Strikes Again Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson July 9, 2017

The Pink Panther Strikes Again is being released as part of The Pink Panther Film Collection.

With the box office success of The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), United Artists quickly gave Blake Edwards the go-ahead to make another film for release the following year. With The Pink Panther Strikes Again, Edwards and co-writer Frank Waldman scripted a direct sequel to its predecessor. The movie opens amid the lush greenery outside an insane asylum near Paris before taking us inside the office of a psychoanalyst. The analyst gives in-patient Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) a quiz to determine if he is fit for release. Dreyfus passes and also professes to his analyst that he has been fully cured following a nervous breakdown that he felt was caused entirely by Clouseau (Peter Sellers), who has usurped him as chief inspector. Enjoying the fresh open air before his imminent freedom, Dreyfus is unceremoniously met by the unheeding Clouseau, who ends up sending his former boss thrice into the lake. Dreyfus tries retaliating on Clouseau but is reprimanded and taken back to confinement. He nonetheless escapes and starts forming a large network of criminals intent on the annihilation of Clouseau. The latter travels to Scotland Yard to investigate the kidnapping of Dr. Fassbender (Richard Vernon) and his daughter Margo (Briony McRoberts). Clouseau trails the family butler, Jarvis (Michael Robbins), to a transvestite bar where two of the kidnappers attempt a sneak attack on the Inspector.

Clouseau tries to "save" Dreyfus.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again is a series favorite of many and it is easy to see why. The film features a seemingly endless succession of running gags and many references to other movies, including Richard Williams's wonderful animation during the main titles where the pink panther is privy to them on the silver screen. Edwards has Sellers imitate the hunchback of Notre Dame, engage in an Enter the Dragon-inspired duel with Cato (Burt Kwouk), and dress up as a craggy, Einstein-like dentist. All of these escapades are very funny and well-choreographed but the film turns from hilarity to excess silliness in Dreyfus's Mondschein Castle. Granted, Waldman and Edwards wanted to take the Dreyfus character in a completely new direction and should be lauded for their ambitions. It's just that the film extends way beyond the realms of believability and realism, which are impractical even for the far-out parameters that the series has already set. The knocks on Dreyfus's head has caused a major relapse in which he becomes more senile and obsessed with Clouseau's total destruction. But as a former law enforcer, it's a stretch that he would go to utterly extreme measures to erase the UN building with his Doomsday Machine. I enjoyed the imitations of President Ford and Secretary of State Kissinger by no-name actors and the jokes come across effectively. The laser beam that Dreyfus launches on buildings, however, doesn't work so well.

Editor Alan Jones notes in an interview on this disc that The Pink Panther Strikes Again had three different cuts that screened to test audiences. Jones made a number of editorial changes to each version and Edwards also shot some new scenes. A Variety December, 1976 review reported: "Edwards has been fine-tuning his cut through several sneaks [previews], and the current 103-minute length is more than half a reel shorter than an earlier version. En route, some of the supporting turns have been trimmed way back."

The Pink Panther Strikes Again Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Pink Panther Strikes Again makes its inaugural Blu-ray debut courtesy of Shout Select on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. The main feature carries an average bitrate of 31998 kbps, with a total bitrate for the disc coming to 41.53 Mbps. Shout advertises a new 4K scan of the interpositive for this third sequel in the series. Overall, color saturation, delineation, and contrast mark an improvement compared to the transfer for The Return of the Pink Panther. See in particular the detail on colors in Screenshot #s 1, 5, 6, 11, 13, and 18. There are occasional white specks that sometimes mar the presentation, though. For darker shots in Dreyfus's castle, coarse grain, flickering, and mosquito noise are all evident. Additionally, there are some lingering damage marks and light scratches on the print. (See #20 on the motorcyclist.) Brightness is boosted a notch. My score is 3.75.

Twelve scene selections can be accessed via the main menu or your remote.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For audio options on The Pink Panther Strikes Again, Shout did what I hoped they would have done on their disc of The Return of the Pink Panther and that is provide three tracks: a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (1983 kbps, 24-bit), a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (1636 kbps, 24-bit), and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Dual Mono (1587 kbps, 24-bit). The 5.1 remix demonstrates nice spatiality and depth, particularly for an older film. The surrounds are prominent for f/x scenes in the Mondschein Castle. Composer Henry Mancini delivers a thematically rich score (including a theme for Clouseau). Edwards trusted Mancini to the point where he would just leave him to write the music on his own. The Oscar-nominated song "Come to Me" is well-rendered on each track. Dialogue is crisp and discernible throughout. The only drawback due to the age of the recording is that there isn't a lot of range.

Optional English SDH are available for the main feature.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• NEW Audio Commentary by Jason Simos of The Peter Sellers Appreciation Society - Simos gives a fairly sporadic commentary about the film. He includes some anecdotes about Edwards, the actors, and deleted scenes but gets caught up with the gags on-screen and just watches the film and guffaws. There are more gaps for the last third of the film. The track would have been more informative if it was scripted or Simos worked from additional notes to fill dead air. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Featurette – Panther Musings: An Interview with Actress Lesley-Anne Down (21:50, 1080p) - a sit-down chat with the lovely Lesley-Anne Down who still looks very glamorous. She recounts her modeling and acting careers, working with Edwards and Sellers, and why she retired from Hollywood. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Featurette – A Cut Above: Editing the Pink Panther Films – An Interview with Editor Alan Jones (24:32, 1080p) - Jones discusses Edwards's unusual hands-off approach, Sellers's approach to comedy, and the various alterations he made to different cuts of The Pink Panther Strikes Again. In English, not subtitled.

• 1976 Featurette – Clouseau: The Greatest Fumbler in the World (The Making of The Pink Panther Strikes Again) (7:19, upconverted to 1080) - a vintage behind-the-scenes featurette with brief interview snippets of Edwards and Sellers. Clips from the other films are also shown. The mono 1.0 sound is muffled but just audible. In English, not subtitled.

• Trailers (5:55, upconverted to 1080) - a rare teaser trailer narrated by Sellers, another teaser featuring actor Byron Kane (both shown in widescreen), a full-screen theatrical trailer, and a widescreen extended pre-release trailer. All are in English, not subtitled.

• TV Spots (2:57, upconverted to 1080) - five grainy TV spots broadcast to advertise The Pink Panther Strikes Again. In English, not subtitled.

• Radio Spots (2:56) - four radio spots that aired to promote The Pink Panther Strikes Again. In English, not subtitled.

• Still Gallery (5:08, 1080p) - this slide show first presents nearly fifty high-quality color photos in both portrait and landscape. This is followed by a bunch of black-and-white stills from United Artists' archive along with additional color snapshots.

• Poster Gallery (5:22, 1080p) - a very diverse gallery consisting of over sixty nearly all-color images comprised of US/international theatrical release posters, lobby cards, and concept art.

• Photographer Colin Cadle's On-Set Gallery (2:03, 1080p) - a dozen color photographs and two black-and-white pictures are displayed in this shorter gallery. Upon conclusion, there is an afterword by photographer Colin Cadle.

• Easter Egg (0:15, upconverted to 1080) - a few quick outtakes with director Blake Edwards and crew members.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Pink Panther Strikes Again is arguably the funniest installment in the beloved series. Shout Select delivers very good video and audio presentations (the best the film has received to date). The label has also done a very commendable job in the extras department. There are two new interviews and a pretty good if erratic commentary. More, there are a lot of precious archival stills to savor in the photo galleries. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.