The Pink Panther Strikes Again finds the Clouseau series gleefully abandoning plausibility in favor of pure comic momentum—and it’s all the better for it. The film opens with former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus escaping from an asylum, now fully unhinged and vowing revenge on the man who drove him mad. His scheme is operatic in scale: blackmail the world’s nations with a doomsday device unless they assassinate Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Naturally, every attempt fails spectacularly, thanks to Clouseau’s uncanny ability to survive disaster while causing even greater ones in his wake.
That loose, almost episodic plot gives Peter Sellers maximum room to play, and he seizes it with anarchic joy. By this point, Clouseau is less a character than a walking comic principle, and Sellers leans into that abstraction: accents drift, logic dissolves, and physical comedy reigns supreme. A simple walk across a room becomes a multi-stage calamity, and Sellers’ genius lies in how casually he sells the absurd, never winking at the audience even as the world collapses around him.
Director Blake Edwards matches that energy with immaculate control. His staging favors long takes and wide frames, allowing chaos to unfold organically rather than being chopped into punchlines. Edwards understands that Clouseau is funniest when the camera stays put and lets inevitability do the work. The result is a film that feels confident rather than strained, escalating its set pieces until destruction itself becomes the joke.
One of the film’s greatest comic peaks arrives during Clouseau’s visit to Dreyfus at the asylum, a scene that distills the series’ humor to its purest form. Peter Sellers plays Clouseau with immaculate sincerity—gentle, encouraging, and unfailingly polite—while every well-meant word systematically dismantles Dreyfus’ hard-won sanity. The comedy comes from patience and precision rather than noise: Sellers never raises his voice or tips a joke, allowing the audience to feel the disastrous implications of his remarks before Dreyfus does. Herbert Lom responds with an exquisitely calibrated breakdown, his expressions shifting from cautious optimism to dawning horror and finally explosive rage. It’s a perfect example of comic inevitability, where Clouseau doesn’t need to do anything outrageous—his very presence is enough to guarantee catastrophe, and the laughter comes from watching that fate unfold with merciless, elegant timing.
The soundtrack is another crucial ingredient. Henry Mancini’s score glides between elegance and mischief, using the iconic Pink Panther theme sparingly and to great effect. Mancini’s music doesn’t just accompany the humor—it sharpens it, accenting pratfalls, undercutting authority, and giving the mayhem a strangely classy polish. It’s a reminder of how integral the music has always been to the series’ identity.
Just as memorable is the expansion of Dreyfus, played with ferocious commitment by Herbert Lom. What began in earlier films as comic irritation here blossoms into full-blown madness, and Lom walks the tightrope between genuine menace and absurdity with precision. His growing fixation on Clouseau provides the film with a darkly comic spine, making their dynamic as essential as the slapstick itself.
Seen today, The Pink Panther Strikes Again stands as one of the series’ high points—and the new 4K transfer only reinforces that status, revealing crisp visuals and rich colors that finally give Edwards’ visual comedy and Mancini’s lush score the presentation they deserve.
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Edition
Home Video Distributor: Kino Lorber
Available on Blu-ray - January 13, 2026
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Video: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A
Experience one of the most uproarious entries in the Pink Panther series like never before in this stunning 4K Ultra HD presentation from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. Newly restored from the original camera negatives and presented in native 4K resolution with Dolby Vision HDR, this release brings Blake Edwards’ madcap masterpiece into breathtaking clarity, with vibrant colors, enhanced detail, and reference-quality sound.
Follow Peter Sellers’ incomparable Clouseau as his blissful incompetence sends former boss Dreyfus over the edge and around the globe in a cascade of unforgettable comic set pieces.
Featuring lossless DTS audio and optional subtitles, this deluxe edition finally does justice to the film’s visual gags and Henry Mancini’s iconic score, making it a must-own for fans and newcomers alike.
VIDEO
The new 4K UHD transfer from Kino Lorber Studio Classics gives The Pink Panther Strikes Again a level of visual polish it’s never enjoyed on home video. Sourced from a fresh restoration, the image is impressively film-like, with fine grain intact and a noticeable boost in detail that flatters Blake Edwards’ widescreen compositions and busy visual gags. Colors are richer without looking pushed—skin tones stay natural, the asylum’s sterile whites finally have texture, and the globetrotting set pieces pop with renewed clarity. The presentation also benefits Henry Mancini’s score, which sounds fuller and cleaner, giving the music real presence without overpowering the dialogue. It’s the kind of upgrade that doesn’t reinvent the movie so much as reveal it, making this 4K edition feel like the definitive way to experience one of the series’ comic high points.
AUDIO
On the audio side, the Kino Lorber 4K release treats the film with equal respect. The soundtrack is presented cleanly and faithfully, prioritizing clarity over gimmicks, and that choice pays off beautifully. Dialogue is crisp and intelligible—crucial for catching every malapropism and underplayed line reading—while effects remain appropriately restrained, letting the physical comedy breathe.
Most impressive is how well Henry Mancini’s score comes through: the iconic Pink Panther motifs have warmth and depth, with improved dynamic range that gives the music real presence without overwhelming the mix. It’s not a showy audio presentation, but it’s an honest, well-balanced one that serves the comedy and music exactly as intended, making it a quiet but essential part of the upgrade.
Supplements:
Commentary:
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See Special Features.
Special Features:
Kino Lorber’s special features round out the package with a thoughtful, film-lover-friendly approach that complements the restoration rather than padding it. The highlight is the audio commentary, which provides valuable context on the production, the evolution of the series, and how this entry represents both a creative peak and a turning point for the Clouseau films. Insights into Blake Edwards’ increasingly stylized approach and Peter Sellers’ late-period performance help frame the film as more than just a collection of gags, while discussion of Henry Mancini’s music underscores how integral the score is to the comedy’s rhythm. The supplements aren’t flashy, but they’re smartly curated, offering just enough historical and critical perspective to deepen appreciation without overwhelming the film itself—exactly what a classic comedy like this needs.
Disc 1 – 4K UHD
- Brand new HDR/Dolby Vision master from a 4K scan of the original camera negative.
- Audio commentary by Jason Simos of The Peter Sellers Appreciation Society.
- 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 audio tracks.
- Optional English subtitles.
Disc 2 – Blu-ray
- Brand new HD master from the same 4K scan.
- The Panther Musings – A Life in Films with Lesley-Anne Down featurette (≈ 21:49 min).
- A Cut Above – Editing the Pink Panther Films with Alan Jones featurette (≈ 24:31 min).
- Clouseau, the Greatest Fumbler in the World: 1976 featurette (≈ 7:18 min).
- Four theatrical trailers, four TV spots, and four radio spots.
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 107 mins
Director: Blake Edwards
Writer: Frank Waldman
Cast: Peter Sellers; Herbert Lom; Lesley-Anne Down
Genre: Comedy | Crime
Tagline: The newest, Pinkest Panther of all!
Memorable Movie Quote: "Call the FBI, the CIA and the Pentagon. Find out who won that game!"
Theatrical Distributor: MGM
Official Site: https://kinolorber.com/product/the-pink-panther-strikes-again-4kuhd
Release Date: December 15, 1976
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: January 13, 2026.
Synopsis: After escaping from an insane asylum, the bonkers Charles Dreyfus sends 26 assassins on the trail of the forever bumbling Inspector Clouseau.
