The Pink Panther (1963) on Netflix
Exiled Princess Dala refuses to give up the Pink Panther diamond. Inspector Jacques Clouseau trails the jewel thief known as the Phantom to a resort in the Italian Alps.
- Netflix4.0/5
- IMDb7.0/1062,417 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes89%
Trailer
Plot summary
In Lugash, Princess Dala's father, the Maharajah, gives her the Pink Panther, a huge pink diamond with a flaw that looks like a leaping panther. Years later, after his death and a military takeover, she is exiled and refuses to hand the gem to the new government, which claims it. She is staying at a ski resort in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Inspector Jacques Clouseau, a French detective who tracks the jewel thief known as the Phantom, travels there expecting the Phantom to strike. Sir Charles Lytton, an English playboy, and his nephew George are also at the resort; George arrives unannounced, poses as a graduate about to join the Peace Corps, and conceals gambling debts. Simone, Clouseau's wife, is having an affair with Sir Charles.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Pink Panther (1963)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The Pink Panther was planned as a David Niven vehicle, but Blake Edwards' many takes of improvised scenes made clear that Peter Sellers, hired as a supporting actor, was stealing the film, and he went on to lead all the sequels. Niven later asked that his Academy Awards walk-on music not be the Pink Panther theme, saying, "That was not really my film."
- Peter Ustinov was first cast as Inspector Clouseau with Ava Gardner as his wife, and Janet Leigh turned down the lead female role because it meant being away from the United States too long. Audrey Hepburn, Nancy Kwan and Cyd Charisse were considered for Princess Dala before Claudia Cardinale was hired.
- After Ava Gardner quit in October 1962 because The Mirisch Company would not fund a personal staff, Peter Ustinov left the project too, delaying it for weeks; Blake Edwards then cast Peter Sellers, whom he had met on a weekend vacation in Rome, and hired Capucine in Gardner's place. The rest of the cast was recast around them.
