One of the funniest films to come out of Hollywood, this influential Blake Edwards masterpiece will be paired with two animated shorts starring the titular feline.
When a notorious jewel thief known as the Phantom (an impossibly suave David Niven) sets his sights on a princess’ (Claudia Cardinale) priceless pink diamond, it’s up to one man to crack the case: the bumbling French police inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers). The first film to introduce the character of Clouseau to the world, this madcap smash became a pop culture mainstay thanks to its iconic Henry Mancini score, outrageous gags from writer/director Blake Edwards, and a screamingly funny performance from Peter Sellers that has inspired ten additional films. [115 min; comedy; English, Italian, and Greek]
Preceding the film will be two animated shorts directed by the legendary Fritz Freleng and Hawley Pratt, The Pink Phink and Dial ‘P’ for Pink. The very first Pink Panther short and the winner of the 1964 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, The Pink Phink (1964, 6 min) follows the rascally feline as he turns everything a man paints blue into—you guessed it—pink. Dial ‘P’ for Pink (1965, 6 min) finds the panther once again creating chaos when he becomes involved in a criminal’s ruse to rob a safe.
“All the ingredients for a great evening at the movies: lively music, eye-catching scenery, larger-than-life comic setpieces, suave men and beautiful women, and odd-man-out Clouseau, played to perfection by the one and only Peter Sellers.” – Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews
“Hilarious no matter how many times you watch it.” – Brandon Judell, PopcornQ
“Clouseau is...a character that must go down as one of the great comic creations in motion picture history.” – John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
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