Between the successful "Pink Panther" films, director Blake Edwards fashioned another vehicle for Peter Sellers to showcase the thespian's remarkable mimicry gifts. Once Sellers makes his appearance at the party, the film becomes a parade for the various embarrassing episodes that afflict his oddball character. In spite of the thin story and slapstick antics (bathing an elephant, losing a shoe, the quest for the Free Bathroom, and the Ultimate Communal Bubble Bath), there's a constant focus on the nervousness that plagues anyone invited to a large party, thereby making Sellers' Hrundi V. Bakshi pretty sympathetic.

The "Birdy Num Num" and 'Intercom' sequences remain key highlights, and several later episodes reveal the incredibly detailed and immense set designed for the production, maximizing the widescreen ratio. MGM's anamorphic transfer preserves the film's rich, pastel colour scheme, and Henry Mancini's lounge score sounds clean and crisp on the mono soundtrack. Though short on extras, the anamorphic trailer (featuring a meditating Hrundi) is also very clean.

© 2001 Mark R. Hasan