Pink Panther 2 (2009)

Director: Harald Zwart

No score soundtrack release

Clip: Parts 2-3 of the End Credits music

THE FILM

After a somewhat forced first outing for Steve Martin's new Clouseau, feeling altogether too contrived, too pleased with itself and too much a victim of the remake bandwagon, The Pink Panther 2 comes across as a shocking surprise. From the moment the animated credits roll things start to fall into place. Recurring jokes are suddenly funny, the slapstick gentler, the injokes (especially regarding Clouseau's hair and his politicially incorrect heritage) genuinely amusing, the regular actors seemingly more comfortable in their roles and the guest stars apparently having a ball. The plot is obvious and derivative but knowingly so.

THE MUSIC

Whereas in the first movie in the reviewer's opinion Beck's score was a distinctly superior effort the film hardly deserved, the higher quality of the finished product this time round renders Beck's equally adept and entertaining cues less distinctive now they support the action rather than carry it. Thus it is a disappointment that no commercial release of the score is available on CD to allow fans to enjoy at least some of the music for its own sake. Presumably with no pop music content, even a mix of songs and score was not possible.

OPENING CREDIT

END CREDITS

Music editor - Fernand Bos
Score mixer - Casey Stone
Orchestrations by - Kevin Kliesch
Conducted by - Pete Anthony

'Habanera para baile'
Traditiona
Arranged by K. T. Wilder

'Sonia's love'
Written by George David Kieffer

'Finale in C major' from 'The Minerva Quartets'
Written by Dick-Jan Zwart
Performed by The Christiania Quartet
Courtesy of Zwart Arbeid

'Bridal Chorus' from 'Lohengrin'
Written by Richard Wagner