The Pink Panther [Mass Market Paperback]

Max Allan Collins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 27, 2005

At age 40 the legendary screen star, Pink Panther, is making a return to film in an all new movie starring Steve Martin, Kevin Klein, Beyonce Knowles and Jean Reno. A world famous soccer coach has been murdered and his priceless ring has been stolen - a ring set with the stunning gem known as the Pink Panther Diamond. There are 27,683 suspects. The French government needs a master detective to solve the case, but he's not available...so they recruit Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Comic superstar Steve Martin is the infamous Clouseau in an all new "Pink Panther" adventure. Coming off the success of "Cheaper by the Dozen," and "Bringing Down the House," Steve Martin has never been hotter. He is joined by film and recording superstar Beonce Knowles.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Collins is one of publishing industry's leading authors of movie tie-in novels, including the international bestsellers in the Line of Fire (Jove, 1993), Maverick (Signet, 1994), Waterworld (Boulevard, 1995), Daylight (Boulevard, 1996), Air Force One (Ballantine, 1997), and Saving Private Ryan (Signet, 1998). He has written two original NYPD BLUE novels for Stephen Boccho and Signet Books, Blue Beginning (1995) and Blue Blood (1997).

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 257 pages
• Publisher: HarperEntertainment (December 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060797231
• ISBN-13: 978-0060797232
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,564,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Max Allan Collins is a New York Times bestselling author of original mysteries, a Shamus award winner and an experienced author of movie adaptions and tie-in novels. His graphic novel ROAD TO PERDITION was made into a major motion picture by Tom Hank's production company, Playtone.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars "A Great Detective... But Clumsy", June 14, 2006

By 

SylvesterFox007 (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pink Panther (Mass Market Paperback)

The new Pink Panther movie tells the story of how the world's worst detective, Jacques Clouseau, first achieves the rank of inspector, sleuths the murder of a famous soccer coach, and recovers the Pink Panther diamond. Max Allan Collins' novelization follows the movie's shooting script closely. But most fans of the new movie realize the film's original release date was delayed when Columbia Tristar decided the movie required extensive reshoots. Max Allan Collins' novel is filled with jokes, some of them hilarious, that didn't make the final cut of the movie. Many of them were too risqué for the target audience.

Max Allan Collins is a pro when it comes to murder mysteries and humor, so he's a perfect choice to write a novel based on this more mystery-geared Pink Panther story. The prose is seamless. Collins also provides insights into the characters that make them more empathetic during the story's sentimental scenes and that suggest Clouseau might not be quite as bumbling as he appears, adding a little more realism to the climax in which Clouseau actually does solve the murder. Also, the novel pays tribute to the original Peter Sellers Pink Panther films in ways the movie does not. Several quirks that Peter Seller's brought to the role are described even though they were nixed from the new film, and fans of the original Pink Panther films might be excited to learn Professor Auguste Balls designed the camoflauge Clouseau wears when he traps the killer in the book's climax.

Unfortunately, the novel is missing the benefit of Steve Martin's brilliant performance, one of the movie's strongest assets. Also, many of the jokes are less funny read in prose after being seen acted out on the big screen. Still, fans of the Pink Panther movies might find this book worth a look.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good writing, but the story is weak., February 2, 2006

By 

Craig Clarke "Living After Midnight: Hard and... (New England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Pink Panther (Mass Market Paperback)

I have to admit I had very low expectations when I picked up Max Allan Collins' novelization of Steve Martin's prequel to Peter Sellers' classic film The Pink Panther. In fact, the only reason I gave it a chance at all is because of Collins' name on the cover. Since I read Two for the Money last year, Collins has quickly topped my list of favorite authors. I will read anything he writes, and if anyone could make something out of what is sure to be a travesty (this poor attempt to reignite a dead franchise), it would be Max Allan Collins.

The Pink Panther is a very quick read. At 250 pages, it flies by; Collins' prose is smooth and easy to read, flowing quickly through the all-too-familiar plot to a surprisingly appropriate finishing one-liner. It's fun, provided you don't think about it too much.

The problem seems to be that Collins didn't have all that much to work with. The body of The Pink Panther's storyline (script by Len Blum and Steve Martin from a story by Blum and Michael Saltzman) is weak and relies on pratfalls, bad-accent humor, and completely unsubtle sexual innuendo for its laughs. Physical comedy is hard enough to perform properly, and Collins is stuck with the thankless task of trying to describe it.

It is therefore not surprising that little humor remains. While Collins may be a superb comic writer, he is not a comedy writer; mysteries are his forte. Sadly, the "mystery" as such is of little consequence in The Pink Panther; the purpose is solely to witness Inspector Jacques Clouseau's bumblings toward eventual -- if probably undeserved -- success.

After reading The Pink Panther, I am not likely to see the film -- not that I had planned to in the first place. It just seems like so much of a waste of time -- even though, given how long the film's release was delayed, there is probably a good deal that is different in the finished film from the script that Collins used as his source. But it's rarely a good sign when poor audience testing requires reshooting scenes or reediting the film.

No, if anything, I'll just get out my well-worn copy of A Shot in the Dark and try to recapture some of the magic of the legendary Blake Edwards / Peter Sellers team, while Max Allan Collins' novelization of The Pink Panther is relegated to its rightful place in my Collins collection but unlikely to be opened again.