Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1093 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-11-01
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 6
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English, Italian
• Number of discs: 6
• Running time: 495 minutes

DVD Description
A six-disc box set, including five films and one disc of extra features:

• The Pink Panther
  
• A Shot in the Dark
  
• The Pink Panther Strikes Again
  
• Revenge of the Pink Panther
  
• Trail of the Pink Panther

Special Features

• New Inside Pink Panther documentary
  
• 1978 special That’s Panthertainment
  
• Behind the Feline: Cartoon Phenomenon
  
• 6 Pink Panther cartoons, including the Academy Award winning The Pink Phink
  
• The Unknown Peter Sellers documentary
  
• The Commercial Peter Sellers - "making of" documentary
  
• Highly collectible 8-page booklet
  
• Shots in the Dark photo gallery
  
• Audio Commentary

Synopsis
A collection of Pink Panther films featuring the bumbling French detective, Inspector Clouseau who is put on the case to find and arrest the notorious jewel thief, the Phantom. 'The Pink Panther', 'A Shot In The Dark', finds Clouseau investigating a beautiful woman accused of shooting her lover, also 'The Pink Panther Strikes Again', 'Revenge Of The Pink Panther', and 'Trail Of The Pink Panther'.

Customer Reviews

Maybe not the 'complete edition' but still great.
Having read other reviews who trashed this set for not including 'Return of the Pink Panther', while I agree that it's a shame we couldn't have the COMPLETE set as the box claims, 'Return' wasn't included for the simple reason that MGM do not own the rights to this film, as it was made by Lew Grade's ITC company and not by MGM/UA. Grade wanted to make a Clouseau live-action TV series but director Blake Edwards convinced him to make it into a film. When the box office bells rang loudly, MGM were suddenly convinced that the series had life and produced the films you see in this box set. It is misleading for them to label it as a limited edition complete series however, and 'Return' is absent from the new documentary, so Clouseau's comeback is incorrectly regarded as 'Pink Panther Strikes Again'!

However, the picture quality throughout this set is superb, beautifully shap and clear images, with remastered surround sound stereo so you can enjoy Henry Mancini's seductive theme music coming from all the speakers. Best of all, the films are presented in their original anamorphic widescreen scope. The extras are impressive too, with an all-new documentary, a 1978 TV special and 'The Unknown Peter Sellers'. Blake Edwards also provides an interesting audio commentary over 'The Pink Panther'.

'Trail of the Pink Panther' isn't a classic in the series but deserved to be included as a tribute to Peter Sellers genius, and a reminder that no-one else could (or should) play Clouseau.

All in all, while it would have been more perfect if 'Return' had been included, this is still a highly collectible and impressive set.

Some great comedy moments
Like everyone else I was disappointed to find that the Return of the Pink Panther was left out of this (you will find the explanation for this in another review). The Return is one of the better films (who can forget the sequence involving Clouseau's bungled break-in to Lady Litton's hotel room?) and I prize my VHS copy. Nevertheless this set is still worth buying - the quality of the DVDs is good and the packaging imaginative.

For me this is not a series but rather two groups of films: The Pink Panther and Shot in the Dark which have a definite 60's feel to them and then the three '70s films (the absent "Return", "Strikes Again" and Revenge") which are essentially a vehicle for Sellers in various costumes. The Trail of the Pink Panther is hopelessly disjointed and simply an embarrassment - it should really have been scrapped and certainly not made part of this collection (interesting/sad fact - it was David Niven's last film - he was rapidly succumbing to Motor Neurone Disease at the time and all his lines had to be dubbed as his voice was so weak).

Despite all this there are some classic moments, not least in "Strikes Again" with Clouseau's attempt to get into the castle where the mad Dreyfuss is holed up (the muttered "swine moat!" as a soaked Clouseau pulls himself once more out of the moat gets me every time) and the tooth pulling sequence in the same film.

Don't take these films too seriously as they don't stand up to much criticism. Despite dodgy scripts Sellers' brilliance shows through, albeit in a series of glimpses.

where is it?
I LOVE the pink panther movies - they have a real innocent silliness about them which makes me cry with laughter every time.
However, the Return of the Pink Panther is very much the best of the films and where is it? it ought to be on the ultimate collection surely!