MovieChat Forums > The Pink Panther (1964) Discussion > The ending

The ending

posted 18 years ago by flamingangus
6 replies | jump to latest

I have to admit the ending had me rather frustrated. I mean the honest yet bumbling inspector gets his man and is about to see him incarcerated. Suddenly he finds out his wife has been deceitful and spending thousands behind his back. Furthermore he discovers that the investigation is turned on him and he is now the prime suspect. Hoping to recover he dabs his forehead to discover the hankerchief has had the Pink Panther planted on him, by none other than a conspiracy to put him behind his bars co-headed by his own wife. So the police inspector is jailed by the very man who waved him goodbye five years prior and the real culprits escape, not only unscathed but sitting pretty with a good fortune. I know it's a comedy, a darn good one at that, but did anybody else feel somewhat sympathetic for the poor inspector at the end?

[–] Ultimate007 18 years ago

i think you're supposed to feel somewhat sympathetic, but then, as Sir Charles explains, Clouseau won't spend much time in jail, anyway, since the next time The Phantom strikes, he'll be cleared! as for his wife, i suppose you're just meant to see that he and she weren't quite a perfect match from the beginning, and she's better off with Sir Charles... i dunno, that one's a bit more of a stretch... but yeah, for a comedy, it's a rather odd ending, isn't it?!

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[–] sawsan59 18 years ago

I thought it was rather mean-spirited. But we have to remember also that the movie was originally intended as a vehicle for Niven. HE was supposed to be the hero, the smart thief who gets away at the end. I think the viewer is supposed to sympathize with him. Only after Sellers stole the show from everybody did they think of making sequels with Clouseau as the lead character. Of course, in these movies Clouseau, despite his helplessness, always wins at the end.

[–] Ultimate007 18 years ago

true, and i think it's safe to say that Clouseau somewhat enjoys his newfound bachelorhood in those later films... as much as he can, at least...

[–] NSurone 17 years ago

I think it's safe to assume that Clouseau's adulterous wife will eventually be abandoned by her lover and will probably end up as a streetwalker.

[–] empath69 16 years ago

You never watched any other 'Pink Panther' movies, did you? Simone marries Sir Charles. In the "Trail of the Pink Panther," Sir Charles and Lady Simone Lytton are interviewed about the missing Insp. Clouseau; they reprise their roles for the 'beating a dead horse' "Curse of the Pink Panther."

Again, remember that the film was intended to be about Sir Charles, Simone and George - the burglary team that pulls off a great heist; the fact that they get away with it calls back to the original plot...before this 'unknown' Sellers chap came along and stole the show! :-)

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[–] whitespirit26 16 years ago

So? He may still have dumped Simone eventually. In the fourth film, though, "Return of the Pink Panther", was the Phantom's wife still supposed to be Simone??