After the death of Peter Sellers in 1980, writer/director Blake Edwards assembled a new "Pink Panther" film from outtakes of Sellers as Inspector Clouseau from previous movies in the series (the result was called The Trail of the Pink Panther) and later made two attempts to revive the series with another actor. In this case, Edwards cast Roberto Benigni as Jacques Gambrelli, a hopelessly inept French policeman who turns out the be the illegitimate son of Inspector Clouseau. Gambrelli becomes involved with the investigation of a kidnapping involving the beautiful Princess Yasmin (Debrah Farentino) literally by accident, when he crashes into a car driven by Police Commissioner Dreyfus (Herbert Lom). Gambrelli soon becomes smitten with Yasmin, while the investigation suggests that the kidnapping was set up by her mother, the Queen (Shabana Azmi), and her lover, General Jaffar (Aharon Ipale). Claudia Cardinale who played a different character in the original Pink Panther returns, while Burt Kwouk returns as the violent Korean manservant Cato. Roberto Benigni's Gambrelli proved no more successful at the box office than Ted Wass's Clouseau-like Clifton Sleigh in The Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), though after his multiple-Oscar winning success with 1998's La Vita e Bella, Roberto's probably gotten over it. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Robert Davi - Hans; Anton Rodgers - Chief Lazar; Burt Kwouk - Cato; Graham Stark - Dr. Balls; Shabana Azmi - The Queen; Nicoletta Braschi - Jacqueline; Oliver Cotton - King; Noel Davis; John Francis - Yacht Captain; Andrew Hawkins - French Agent; Aharon Ipalé - General Jaffar; Joe James - Doctor; Jacinta Mulcahy - Louise Chauvin; Nadim Sawalha - Lugash Agent; Liz Smith - Madame Balls; Mike Starr - Hanif; Savant Tanney; Buddy Uzzaman - Wasim; Bill Wallis - President; Dermot Crowley - Francois; Mark Schneider - Arnon; Steven Crossley - Reporter; Henry Goodman - Anchorman Andre; Jon Paul Morgan - Colonel Al-Durai; Nancy Klopper
Credit
David Minty - Art Director, John Siddall - Art Director, Les Tomkins - Art Director, Nancy Klopper - Casting, Emma Porteous - Costume Designer, Blake Edwards - Director, Robert Pergament - Editor, Nigel Wooll - Executive Producer, Henry Mancini - Composer (Music Score), Ken Weston - Musical Direction/Supervision, Michael Roberts - Camera Operator, Peter Mullins - Production Designer, Dick Bush - Cinematographer, Adam Greenberg - Cinematographer, Tony Adams - Producer, Peter Howitt - Set Designer, Blake Edwards - Screenwriter, Stephen A. Hope - Music Editor, Don Lusher - Musical Performer, Kay Rose - Supervising Sound Editor, Kevin Bartnof - Foley Artist
Son of the Pink Panther (1993) is the ninth entry in the 30-year-old The Pink Panther film series. Directed by Blake Edwards, it stars Roberto Benigni as Inspector Clouseau's illegitimate son. Also in this film are Panther regulars Herbert Lom, Burt Kwouk and Graham Stark and a star of the original 1963 film, Claudia Cardinale. The film was the final film for Blake Edwards, and he retired from the movies afterwards. It opened to poor box office and bitter reviews from critics who felt the Pink Panther movies ran their course.
Princess Yasmin of Lugash (Debrah Farentino) is abducted in French territorial waters to force her father to abdicate and allow her disgraced stepmother's lover, a military general with terrorist ties to an unfriendly neighboring kingdom to claim the throne. Police Commissioner Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) is tasked with solving the case of the kidnapped princess. While investigating her disappearance in the South of France, he has a run-in with the kidnappers, and a local gendarme, Jacques Gambrelli (Roberto Benigni). Gambrelli opens the trunk of the kidnapper's van and unknowingly spies the Princess who he believes is the driver's sister en route to the hospital. During the investigation, Dreyfus learns that Gambrelli is in fact the illegitimate son of the late Inspector Jacques Clouseau, which leads to the injured (by Gambrelli) Dreyfus sending the clutzy cop off to rescue the princess and prove himself his father's true heir.
This was the first Pink Panther film in a decade, following two unsuccessful attempts to continue the series following the death of Peter Sellers, who originated the character of Clouseau. Considered a relaunch of the series, the plan was for Benigni—a popular Italian comedian who had yet to be discovered in America—to continue on where Sellers had left off. Son of the Pink Panther failed to generate critical or commercial success, the loss of Sellers proving once again to be too great. (This is the only Pink Panther movie to date to go straight to video in Britain.) Benigni was not Edwards' first choice for the role. Kevin Kline, Rowan Atkinson, Gérard Depardieu and Tim Curry were all considered before Benigni won the role.
Perhaps appropriately, this was the final film scored by Henry Mancini (he makes a cameo himself in the opening titles, giving his baton to the Panther who conducts the film's variation of the Theme). The soundtrack album was released by Milan Records.
The Pink Panther Theme - arranged and performed by Bobby McFerrin (3:10)
Son of the Pink Panther (1:33)
The Snatch (2:22)
God Bless Clouseau - music by Henry Mancini, lyrics by Leslie Bricusse (2:01)
Samba de Jacques (2:24)
The Gambrelli Theme (2:23)
The Bike Chase (1:52)
The Dreamy Princess (3:58)
Riot at Omar's (2:40)
Mama and Dreyfus (1:43)
Rendez-vous with Cato (1:53)
The King's Palace (1:47)
The Showdown (3:31)
The Pink Panther Theme (tenor sax solo: Phil Todd) (4:18)
Kroyer Films created the opening and closing titles for the film starring the animated Pink Panther and Clouseau Junior characters.
Reception
The Radio Times Guide To Films gave the film only 1 Star out of 5. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 18% based on 17 reviews.[1] Roberto Benigni's performance in the film earned him a Razzie Award nomination for Worst New Star.
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