R.I.P.: Blake Edwards (1922–2010)

Blake Edwards has died. Here is the Variety obituary notice. We may tend to think of him primarily as a director, but on IMDB he has 62 writing credits, TV and film, including The Pink Panther, A Shot in the Dark, The Party, The Return of the Pink Panther, The Pink Panther Strikes Again, and Revenge of the Pink Panther. But perhaps his best movie is 10. A quote from the Variety notice:

The hilarious and thoughtful “10,” brought Edwards his best notices and is regarded as a quintessential example of his art. 

“A movie as personal in its way as ‘Apocalypse Now,’ “ is how Newsweek critic David Ansen assessed the film starring Moore and Andrews, “a bittersweet comedy about a man whose voyeurism prevents him from seeing himself.”

As for me, what will always stand out is Edwards’ work with Peter Sellers, perhaps my all-time favorite comic actor. The Pink Panther series brought silent film slapstick sensibilities into the modern era in an oftentimes hysterical fashion with one of the most memorable movie characters Inspector Jacques Clouseau:

And then there is the underrated The Party:

Comedy is hard to do. Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers hit a groove and mined it big-time. And if my youngest son is any indication — he watches a Pink Panther movie at least once a month — there is a whole new generation of fans in the making.

Godspeed, Blake Edwards.

What’s your favorite Blake Edwards movie?

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