- Title: GERMANY: Funny man Steve Martin brings Pink Panther to Berlin
- Date: 2nd March 2006
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (FEBRUARY, 24, 2006) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR STEVE MARTIN, SAYING: "I love this kind of comedy. It really is the kind of comedy I have been searching for all my life: This combination of slapstick and playing the kind of weirdly intelligent guy with strange, esoteric knowledge. First of all, it was an honour to play the role. But it makes feel like a part of a long tradition, too."
- Embargoed: 17th March 2006 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany
- Country: Germany
- Reuters ID: LVA6A3RDCP3P7MKCB8X7IO077MXY
- Story Text: Comic actor Steve Martin brought Inspector Clouseau back to the big screen- he introduced the new "Pink Panther" movie in Berlin on friday (February 24).
In the US, the movie already rocketed to top of box office last weekend, according to studio estimates.
The update of Blake Edwards' 1963 comedy classic, with Martin assuming the role Peter Sellers originated as a bumbling, oblivious French detective on the hunt for a stolen pink diamond, grossed 21.7 million U.S. dollars its first three days in theatres, distributor Columbia Pictures said.
"Pink Panther," co-starring Kevin Kline, Jean Reno and Destiny´s Child singer Beyonce Knowles is actually set to be a prequel of the second of the original Pink Panther movies directed Blake Edwards.
The legend of the "Pink Panther" began in 1963 with Edwards' original "The Pink Panther" starring David Niven, with Peter Sellers in the role of Inspector Clouseau.
Originally, Sellers was not Blake Edwards' first choice to portray the clumsy character of Jaques Clouseau. Edwards had wanted Peter Ustinov. It is, however, the hilariously inept French detective portrayed by Sellers that has created the lasting legacy of the popular franchise.
"Every actor is different. And the way I do it is slightly different to the way Peter Sellers did it - he certainly defined the role - but there are subtle differences in the way I've done it," Martin says of his Clouseau interpretation. Having originally studied philosophy, Martin claims to have always been drawn to the kind of slapstick comedy displayed in the Pink Panther.
"I love this kind of comedy. It really is the kind of comedy I have been searching for all my life: This combination of slapstick and playing the kind of weirdly intelligent guy with strange, esoteric knowledge. First of all, it was an honour to play the role. But it makes feel like a part of a long tradition, too". Martin lists famous actor Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy to be among his role models. His inspiration, however, he very often draws from near friends:
"Actually, in my life, friends have inspired me comedically. I have had very funny friends. They are not professional comedians. But you find yourself sometimes using an idea a friend said at dinner, or the way he said it or a certain phrase. Certainly, professionals have inspired me from Laurel and Hardy on, but also just coming from life, the way somebody says something, you pick it up and hear it."
In the same way that those classic film comics have endured for nearly a century now, Clouseau's intuitive, physical humour is equally timeless. What makes Steve Martin the perfect Clouseau is his incredible, unique talent as a physical comic. Whether it's his 'wild and crazy guy,' the man with the arrow through his head or The Great Flydini, Steve has always been edgy and inherently physical in his humour."
While "The Pink Panther" affords moviegoers a grand change of pace with energized physical comedy and well-defined characters, attention is also being directed to the upcoming Oscars on March 5. Martin himself hosted the Award ceremony in 2001. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
