Trail of the Pink Panther
Encyclopedia
Trail of the Pink Panther is a 1982 comedy film
starring Peter Sellers
. It was the seventh film in the Pink Panther series, and the last in which Peter Sellers
starred as Inspector Jacques Clouseau, although Sellers died before production began and the film thus contains no original material. His performance only consists of flashbacks and outtakes from the previous films.
.
David Niven
appears in the film, reprising a role he had first played in the original The Pink Panther
of 1963. Niven was in the early stages of ALS
and his voice subsequently proved too weak for looping. He was dubbed by impressionist Rich Little
during post-production.
Returning series regulars include Herbert Lom
as Chief Inspector Dreyfus, Graham Stark
as Hercule LaJoy (from the 1964 Pink Panther film A Shot in the Dark
), and Burt Kwouk
as Clouseau's faithful manservant Cato. The film also featured Joanna Lumley
as an investigative reporter on the trail of the missing Clouseau. Trail featured animated opening and closing credits, which were animated by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
, now Marvel Productions
.
Director Blake Edwards
dedicated the film to Sellers, "the one and only Inspector Clouseau". Despite the dedication, Sellers' wife Lynne Frederick
filed a $3 million lawsuit against the film's producers and the studio claiming that the film diminished Sellers' reputation. She was awarded over $1 million dollars in damages. Edwards' wife, Julie Andrews
has an unbilled cameo as a cleaning lady, dressed as her friend Carol Burnett
's charwoman character. Contrary to rumour, Alan Arkin
(who played Clouseau in 1968's Inspector Clouseau
) does not have a cameo appearance as Clouseau in the WWII flashback.
is stolen once again from Lugash
, Chief Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers
) is called on the case despite protests by Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom
). While on the case, Clouseau is followed by the mob who are seeking to assassinate him.
Clouseau first goes to London to interrogate Sir Charles Lytton (having forgotten that the British Sir Charles lives in the South of France). Traveling to the airport, he accidentally blows up his car, but mistakenly believes it to be an assassination attempt. Clouseau disguises himself in a heavy cast while on the flight, which causes complications in the air and on land and leads to an awkward introduction to the Scotland Yard detectives who meet him at Heathrow.
Meanwhile, Dreyfus learns from Scotland Yard that Libyan terrorists may have marked Clouseau for assassination once he announces his intent to visit the scene of the crime in Lugash. Rather than order him back to Paris, Dreyfus orders him to continue on to Lugash as planned.
Clouseau's plane crashes en route to Lugash. All aboard are believed lost at sea. Marie Jouvet (Joanna Lumley
), a television reporter covering the story, sets out to interview those who knew the detective best. This provides ample opportunities for flashbacks to scenes from earlier films. Jouvet also interviews Clouseau's father (a heavily disguised Richard Mulligan
), at his winery, providing glimpses of Clouseau's childhood where he is played by Lucca Mezzofanti, and his early career in the French Resistance
in which he is played by Daniel Peacock
. Jouvet also has an unpleasant encounter with Mafia don, Bruno Langlois (Robert Loggia
), an antagonist who also appears in the next film
. Langlois warns Maria to stop asking questions about Clouseau as business is booming in the French underworld with the detective missing. Jouvet refuses and tries to file a complaint against Langlois with Chief Inspector Dreyfus. Dreyfus, who wants Clouseau dead just as much as Langlois does, refuses to press charges citing circumstantial evidence, much to Jouvet's frustration.
The film ends with Maria hoping that Clouseau might be alive. Clouseau (played by Joe Dunne
only shot from behind) is seen standing looking over a seaside cliff, when a seagull flies over and messes the sleeve of his coat. The words "Swine seagull!" are heard in the distinctive 'over French' accent of Clouseau. The animated Pink Panther in trench coat and fedora is revealed in place of Clouseau watching the sunset. The Panther turns around and flashes the audience, but his opened trenchcoat reveals a montage of funny clips of Peter Sellers
from his five Pink Panther films while the end credits roll.
, had made over $49m. Nonetheless, it was soon followed by a further Pink Panther film, Curse of the Pink Panther
, which had been shot concurrently with Trail. That film did not feature Peter Sellers at all, and was instead built around the talents of Ted Wass
, as Clouseau replacement Clifton Sleigh.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
. It was the seventh film in the Pink Panther series, and the last in which Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
starred as Inspector Jacques Clouseau, although Sellers died before production began and the film thus contains no original material. His performance only consists of flashbacks and outtakes from the previous films.
Background
Sellers had died over 18 months before production began, and his performance was constructed from deleted scenes from The Pink Panther Strikes AgainThe Pink Panther Strikes Again
The Pink Panther Strikes Again is the fifth film in the Pink Panther series and picks up where The Return of the Pink Panther leaves off...
.
David Niven
David Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
appears in the film, reprising a role he had first played in the original The Pink Panther
The Pink Panther (1963 film)
The Pink Panther is a 1963 American comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and co-written by Edwards and Maurice Richlin, starring David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner, Capucine, and Claudia Cardinale...
of 1963. Niven was in the early stages of ALS
ALS
ALS refers to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's diseaseIt may also refer to:-Medicine:* Advanced life support, a level of medical training* Anterolateral system, part of the nervous system...
and his voice subsequently proved too weak for looping. He was dubbed by impressionist Rich Little
Rich Little
Richard Caruthers "Rich" Little is a Canadian-American impressionist and voice actor. He has long been known throughout the world as a top impersonator of famous people, resulting in his nickname, "The Man of a Thousand Voices"....
during post-production.
Returning series regulars include Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom is a Czech film actor, best known for his role as former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movie series.-Life and career:...
as Chief Inspector Dreyfus, Graham Stark
Graham Stark
Graham Stark is an English comedian, actor, writer and director.Stark was born in Wallasey on the Wirral in Cheshire, England. He first came to prominence on BBC Radio, making his debut in Happy Go Lucky and going on to Ray's A Laugh, Educating Archie and substitute on The Goon Show...
as Hercule LaJoy (from the 1964 Pink Panther film A Shot in the Dark
A Shot in the Dark (1964 film)
A Shot in the Dark is a 1964 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and is the second installment in the Pink Panther series. Peter Sellers is featured again as Inspector Jacques Clouseau of the French Sûreté...
), and Burt Kwouk
Burt Kwouk
Burt Kwouk OBE , born Herbert Kwouk, is an English actor of Chinese descent, known for many television appearances and for his role as Cato in the Pink Panther films.-Career:...
as Clouseau's faithful manservant Cato. The film also featured Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lamond Lumley, OBE, FRGS is a British actress, voice-over artist, former-model and author, best known for her roles in British television series Absolutely Fabulous portraying Edina Monsoon's best friend, Patsy Stone, as well as parts in The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel, and Sensitive...
as an investigative reporter on the trail of the missing Clouseau. Trail featured animated opening and closing credits, which were animated by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises was a Hollywood-based animation production company, active from 1963 to 1981. They produced theatrical cartoons, animated series, commercials, title sequences and television specials. Notable among these is The Pink Panther film titles and cartoon shorts and the Dr....
, now Marvel Productions
Marvel Productions
Marvel Productions Ltd. , last called New World Animation, was a television and film studio subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment Group , based in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, then New World Entertainment and News Corporation/Fox...
.
Director Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards was an American film director, screenwriter and producer.Edwards' career began in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon turned to writing radio scripts at Columbia Pictures...
dedicated the film to Sellers, "the one and only Inspector Clouseau". Despite the dedication, Sellers' wife Lynne Frederick
Lynne Frederick
Lynne Maria Frederick was an English film actress. In a career spanning ten years she made about thirty films or television drama appearances, but she is best remembered as the last wife of Peter Sellers. She was married twice after his death.-Early life:Frederick was born in Hillingdon,...
filed a $3 million lawsuit against the film's producers and the studio claiming that the film diminished Sellers' reputation. She was awarded over $1 million dollars in damages. Edwards' wife, Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
has an unbilled cameo as a cleaning lady, dressed as her friend Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett
Carol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
's charwoman character. Contrary to rumour, Alan Arkin
Alan Arkin
Alan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director, musician and singer. He is known for starring in such films as Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marley & Me, and...
(who played Clouseau in 1968's Inspector Clouseau
Inspector Clouseau (1968 film)
Inspector Clouseau is a 1968 United Artists feature film, the third in the Pink Panther film series. It was directed by Bud Yorkin, written by Frank Waldman and Tom Waldman and stars Alan Arkin as Inspector Jacques Clouseau...
) does not have a cameo appearance as Clouseau in the WWII flashback.
Plot
When the famous Pink Panther diamondDiamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
is stolen once again from Lugash
Lugash
Lugash is a fictional country in the Middle East, mentioned and featured in the Pink Panther movie series. Its ruler is known as the Shah. Its greatest national treasure, which comes from the dynasty of Akbar the Magnificent in the early 12th century, and the country's religious symbol for over...
, Chief Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
) is called on the case despite protests by Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom is a Czech film actor, best known for his role as former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movie series.-Life and career:...
). While on the case, Clouseau is followed by the mob who are seeking to assassinate him.
Clouseau first goes to London to interrogate Sir Charles Lytton (having forgotten that the British Sir Charles lives in the South of France). Traveling to the airport, he accidentally blows up his car, but mistakenly believes it to be an assassination attempt. Clouseau disguises himself in a heavy cast while on the flight, which causes complications in the air and on land and leads to an awkward introduction to the Scotland Yard detectives who meet him at Heathrow.
Meanwhile, Dreyfus learns from Scotland Yard that Libyan terrorists may have marked Clouseau for assassination once he announces his intent to visit the scene of the crime in Lugash. Rather than order him back to Paris, Dreyfus orders him to continue on to Lugash as planned.
Clouseau's plane crashes en route to Lugash. All aboard are believed lost at sea. Marie Jouvet (Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lamond Lumley, OBE, FRGS is a British actress, voice-over artist, former-model and author, best known for her roles in British television series Absolutely Fabulous portraying Edina Monsoon's best friend, Patsy Stone, as well as parts in The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel, and Sensitive...
), a television reporter covering the story, sets out to interview those who knew the detective best. This provides ample opportunities for flashbacks to scenes from earlier films. Jouvet also interviews Clouseau's father (a heavily disguised Richard Mulligan
Richard Mulligan
Richard Mulligan was an American television and film actor best known for his role as Burt Campbell in the 1970s sitcom Soap and later as Dr. Harry Weston on The Golden Girls and its spin-off Empty Nest.-Early life:He was born in New York City, the younger brother of director Robert Mulligan...
), at his winery, providing glimpses of Clouseau's childhood where he is played by Lucca Mezzofanti, and his early career in the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
in which he is played by Daniel Peacock
Daniel Peacock
Daniel Peacock is an English actor, writer and director best known for his work with the team of The Comic Strip Presents.... He is also known as Danny Peacock.-Acting:...
. Jouvet also has an unpleasant encounter with Mafia don, Bruno Langlois (Robert Loggia
Robert Loggia
Robert Loggia is an American film and television actor and director.- Early life :Loggia, an Italian American, was born on Staten Island, the son of Elena Blandino, a homemaker, and Benjamin Loggia, a shoemaker, both of whom were born in Sicily, Italy...
), an antagonist who also appears in the next film
Curse of the Pink Panther
Curse of the Pink Panther is a 1983 comedy film, the eighth installment of the The Pink Panther series of films started by Blake Edwards in the early 1960s....
. Langlois warns Maria to stop asking questions about Clouseau as business is booming in the French underworld with the detective missing. Jouvet refuses and tries to file a complaint against Langlois with Chief Inspector Dreyfus. Dreyfus, who wants Clouseau dead just as much as Langlois does, refuses to press charges citing circumstantial evidence, much to Jouvet's frustration.
The film ends with Maria hoping that Clouseau might be alive. Clouseau (played by Joe Dunne
Joe Dunne
Joseph John "Joe" Dunne is an Irish former professional footballer. He played professionally for Gillingham and Colchester United and made nearly 280 Football League appearances in a 13-year career. He is currently Colchester's Assistant Manager, having previously served as youth team manager,...
only shot from behind) is seen standing looking over a seaside cliff, when a seagull flies over and messes the sleeve of his coat. The words "Swine seagull!" are heard in the distinctive 'over French' accent of Clouseau. The animated Pink Panther in trench coat and fedora is revealed in place of Clouseau watching the sunset. The Panther turns around and flashes the audience, but his opened trenchcoat reveals a montage of funny clips of Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
from his five Pink Panther films while the end credits roll.
Critical and commercial reception
Although the film was marketed as a tribute to Sellers, it was widely panned by critics. It was released for Christmas 1982, and grossed only $9m. In contrast, the previous film in the series, Revenge of the Pink PantherRevenge of the Pink Panther
Revenge of the Pink Panther is the sixth film in the Pink Panther film series. Released in 1978, Revenge of was the last entry featuring series star Peter Sellers, who died in 1980...
, had made over $49m. Nonetheless, it was soon followed by a further Pink Panther film, Curse of the Pink Panther
Curse of the Pink Panther
Curse of the Pink Panther is a 1983 comedy film, the eighth installment of the The Pink Panther series of films started by Blake Edwards in the early 1960s....
, which had been shot concurrently with Trail. That film did not feature Peter Sellers at all, and was instead built around the talents of Ted Wass
Ted Wass (actor)
Ted Wass , is an American actor and director. Goodman School of Drama graduate Wass made his Broadway debut in the 1976 production Grease...
, as Clouseau replacement Clifton Sleigh.