One of my Christmas gifts was The Pink Panther. Not the lamentable Steve Martin remake, but the original 1963 movie. The sparkling crime caper is notable for its Henri Mancini soundtrack and starry cast: David Niven, Claudia Cardinale, Robert Wagner, the model Capucine and, above all, the inimitable Peter Sellers.
Sellers brings a touch of genius to the role of Inspector Clouseau, the hapless detective. More than just performing a slapstick routine, he captures the psychology of clumsiness. I was a clumsy teenager, too busy daydreaming to concentrate on what I was doing, with the result that I was forever spilling or breaking things. The awkward phase passed, but I still have my moments.
That's what makes Clouseau such a lovable character. Although we'd all like to resemble the suave jewel thief played by Niven, in our hearts we know that we are more like Clouseau: vain, egocentric and totally lacking in self-awareness. And klutzy.
There's a little gesture Clouseau makes that gets right to the heart of what it is to be an oaf. When he accidentally pulls off a door knob or steps on an antique violin, he gives an irritable little huff and a twitch of exasperation. Clouseau is trying to do the right thing. But deep down he knows that the universe is ranged against him. Inanimate objects have got it in for him, and there's nothing he can do to change his appalling fate.
For me, that's what separates Sellers from, say, Jerry Lewis. He is not a clown. It's also why, in the films of the silent era, I appreciate Harold Lloyd. Things befall Lloyd. And yet he manages to remain upbeat, collected, even elegant. With his black leather gloves, trench coat and tweed hat, Clouseau too retains a certain Parisian chic. He makes clumsiness seem almost heroic.
Clouseau is anything but a clown. He is a dedicated officer but he gets into the craziest situations. He can be described as being more involved with his career than his own life. That might make him even more socially akward.
Greg
Posted by: Motorcycles Clothing | February 22, 2009 at 07:45 AM