A Shot in the Dark

Rating:
Summary: Funny
Review: The best showcase we have for the genius that was Peter Sellers. It's near impossible for one person to sustain the level of comic ingenuity Sellers achieves here for a whole movie.

Rating:
Summary: Peter Sellers and Blake Edwards at their Best
Review: The Pink Panther (Inspector Clouseau) films were so popular that once seen you will never forget them. Whether it was the animated image of the Pink Panther or images of Peter Sellers' bumbling yet likeable screen personification of Inspector Clouseau or Henry Mancini's unmistakable theme you never forget. A SHOT IN THE DARK has somehow come up short with the younger fans for no good reason other than its title. It does not say "Pink Panther" yet once discovered A SHOT IN THE DARK is a true gem. A SHOT IN THE DARK is a great example of sophisticated slapstick (screenplay by Blake Edwards and William Peter Blatty based on plays by Harry Kurnitz and Marcel Achard). A SHOT IN THE DARK has Herbert Lom as Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus and Burt Kwouk as Kato, which THE PINK PANTHER did not. A SHOT IN THE DARK focuses on Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau. It is really more character based and driven than THE PINK PANTHER. In many ways A SHOT IN THE DARK is much funnier. It really defines the character of Clouseau a good-natured inspector who just can not see the forest for the trees. George Sanders is once again brilliant in another similar role, the type that he perfected throughout his career. This time he is the very sardonic yet stately Benjamin Ballon one of Clouseau's suspects. The cast also includes Elke Sommer (the most obvious suspect to the audience), Tracy Reed, Graham Stark and Martin Benson. The opening shot (shots in the dark) and the nudist colony scenes are great examples of Blake Edwards' direction at his best. Production designer Michael Stringer and cinematographer Christopher Challis visually replicate the idea of shots and murder taking place in the dark or at least in places where passions run uncontrollable. A SHOT IN THE DARK has a much different look than the invigorating and opulent images found in THE PINK PANTHER. Henry Mancini once again delivers a very good score. A SHOT IN THE DARK's main title theme is very good but has been greatly overshadowed by THE PINK PANTHER theme. But can you blame it? A SHOT IN THE DARK is somehow in a league of its own yet it spawned all the great supporting characters found in the subsequent films which we all came to love and couldn't get enough of. A SHOT IN THE DARK was the foundation for what was to come and made the world of Inspector Clouseau so enduring and endearing yet there is something very different and special about this one film. It is somehow etched in a time that can never be replicated. To really enjoy it try to place yourself back in that time.

Rating:
Summary: A Shot In The Dark will strike you like a golden bullet!
Review: The second Pink Panther film laid the groundwork for making Inspector Clouseau and the Pink Panther theme as everlasting icons in film history.

A killing has taken place in the home of the millionaire Ballon (George Sanders). Due to an oversight, France's finest (ha ha!), Inspector Clouseau, has been assigned to the case. He meets the suspect, the lovely maid Maria Gambrelli, and falls head over heels in love with her. His superior, Commissioner Dreyfus, wants him off the case, but certain interested parties want to keep him on, so Dreyfus has no choice but to comply. As the corpses pile on, Clouseau realizes he must catch the killer. (For a comedy, this film sure has a high body count).

The body count is inversely proportional to Dreyfus's sanity. He develops a twitch in his eye, he starts to giggle like a madman, and he injures himself twice in scenes involving a cigar cutter and a letter opener. These scenes are topped in the cigarette lighter scene in Return Of The Pink Panther.

After misadventures in a nudist camp, a scene much touted for its hilarity, and a plan where he tries to draw Maria's lover in the open by taking her to public places, he gathers the entire Ballon household in a scene reminiscent of the denouements of Agatha Christie's Poirot mysteries.

There is a running gag as Clouseau shadows Maria in a variety of disguises, only to be stopped by an authority figure and asked if he has a license. A bass chord sounds, followed by the sirens of a Black Mariah as it whizzes down the road, with the object relevant to his disguise hanging visible through the bars of the van.

The best of the above gags involves a pesky crow, a stone thrown at said bird, the bird getting back with a few white drops on Clouseau's hat, and a gunshot. And then comes: 'I am the game warden. Do you have a hunting license?' Chord, then the police van, with the crow hanging on a string from the bars. Hilarious!

The billiard playing scene should serve as a direct warning to homeowners to invest in some Clouseau insurance. Believe me, it will be worth it.

Elke Sommer is pretty as Maria Gambrelli but is no match for Lesley Anne Down (The Pink Panther Strikes Again). She does outshine Capucine (The Pink Panther), Dyan Cannon (Revenge Of The Pink Panther), and Joanna Lumley (Trail Of The Pink Panther, Curse Of The Pink Panther), however.

Graham Stark plays Hercule, Clouseau's subordinate, who has a thankless time working for the bumbling idiot. Hercule appears to be well-organized and sensible, and his rigid adherence to the facts doesn't seem to count for much in Clouseau's eye.

This is also the movie where three actors became regulars of the series and hence established their recognition. They are of course, Herbert Lom as Commissioner Dreyfus, Burt Kwouk as Cato, and Andre Maranne as Francois.

One dialogue goof did not escape from the final print. When Clouseau confronts Ballon, he says, "I put it to you, Inspector Ballon" instead of "I put it to you, Monsieur Ballon." Inspector? I suppose that shows even Peter Sellers wasn't word perfect.

I must say that Cato's opening scene will be the most effective for first time viewers of this comedy classic, although for those of us who have seen this countless times, it's an eagerly anticipated scene.

Director and producer Blake Edward's partner in crime for the screenplay was William Peter Blatty (!!) of you-know-what movie with Linda Blair fame. And NO, Inspector Clouseau did NOT vomit gallons of Pepto Bismol all over Dreyfus or Monsieur Ballon. I don't know, though. That would've been funny as heck!

Rating:
Summary: Inspector Clouseau Benchmark
Review: This is by far the wittiest and amusingly the funniest of all the Inspector Clouseau and Pink Panther films. The last time we saw Inspector Clouseau he was on his way to jail as the convicted notorious "The Phantom" jewel thief at the close of THE PINK PANTHER. Happily he is out and reinstated. Besides the perseverance of Peter Sellers as Clouseau this films introduces the regular members of the series that thrived even after the loss of Sellers. Herbert Lom as Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus, Burt Kwouk as Kato, Andre Maranne as François and Graham Stark as Hercule Lajoy all acted as a counterpoint to Sellers' Clouseau which greatly bolstered and defined the various and curious qualities of the Inspector. It's interesting how Blake Edwards returned to the original format of THE PINK PANTHER for the rest of the series yet he retained these regular characters introduced here in A SHOT IN THE DARK. The other great contribution to the series is Henry Mancini's score once again present here and in all Pink Panther films directed by Blake Edwards. This is a great movie.

Rating:
Summary: Nudist Colony
Review: This is my favorite Pink Panther film by far. It is a sly, sophisticated and hilarious comedy that remains relevent today (unlike elements of "The Pink Panther," which are clearly outdated) and pushes the silliness of Peter Sellers without going over the top (like the 1970s installments). The highlights are Sellers repeatedly getting arrested while undercover and his outing to a nudist colony -- quite a shocker for the early 1960s.

Rating:
Summary: "I Seem To Have Stabbed Myself With A Letter Opener."
Review: This is one of the very rare films where the sequel is better than the original. This movie is absolutely a letter perfect comedy: suave yet silly; understated yet over the top; pompous yet reserved. You get the idea. A perfect film. I wouldn't change one thing about this movie, even if I could. Peter Sellers defines the bumbling Clouseau as an individual better here than in the original, and I think the supporting cast is stronger as well. Elke Sommer is perfect as the beautiful, naive murder suspect who Clouseau goes to any ends to defend, while George Sanders is wonderful as the great scoundrel millionaire, Benjamin Ballon. Introduced for the first time in the series are Bert Kwouk as Kato (later spelled 'Cato'), Graham Stark as Clouseau's (extremely) patient assistant, Hercule, and my favorite of all the Panther supporting characters, the great Herbert Lom as Inspector Dreyfus. Watching Lom go through the phases of psychosis in this film is one of the greatest experiences and delights a person can have as a movie viewer. (I particularly like his performance in the closing scene, and when reading the newspaper with trembling hands and twitching eye.)

The plot concerns Clouseau's infatuation with a wrongly accused murder suspect, and the chaos that develops from that unlikely situation. The film is filled with a degree of nuance seldom seen in a comedy, and is probably the best crafted of all the Panther films (although I have to admit that the way over the top "Pink Panther Strikes Again" is my personal favorite.) The physical comedy that Sellers could make totally natural (watch the "spinning globe" scene for an excellent example) is still unrivalled, and the nuanced interplay with other cast members is better than in any other comedy that I can think of (to see what I mean watch the "curved pool cue" scene and the interaction of both Monsieur Ballon and the butler.)

I highly recommend this film. The DVD print is good, though there are few extras (the original trailer is very amusing and a tad on the weird side.) It is slapstick, but it is very refined slapstick done by the master, Peter Sellers. If only they still made movies like this today. I give it five stars only because Amazon won't allow more!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best Clouseau films ever made
Review: This is the second (and arguably the best) of the famed Inspector Clouseau movies. But the video transfer I purchased was awful. I should have picked up the widescreen edition if I had found it.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST OF THE PINK PANTHERS!!
Review: THIS MOVIE IS THE VERY BEST OF THE WHOLE SERIES. IT HAS MANY GREAT LINES AND SLAPSTICK COMEDY.THIS IS HOW I WOULD RATE THE REST.
1. THE PINK PANTHER- GOOD MOVIE PROBABLY 31/2 STARS BUT SELLERS ISNT IN IT AS MUCH AND IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT IS A LITTLE TOO SERIOUS IN PLACES.
2. A SHOT IN THE DARK- THE BEST. HILARIOUS.
3. RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER- 2ND BEST. VERY FUNNY.
4. PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN- THIS ONE IS PRETTY FUNNY BUT A LITTLE CORNY WITH A SUPERLASER KIND OF DEAL.
5.REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER-THE FINAL TRUE MOVIE WITH SELLERS. AND IT IS A GOOD ONE.
6. TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER- BAD MOVIE BUT.... I SORT OF ENJOYED IT BECAUSE IT SUMS THINGS UP A BIT IT PROBABLLY DOESNT GET QUITE AS BAD AS A RAP THAT IT DESERVES.
7.CURSE OF THE PINK PANTHER -THIS MOVIE IS NOT A BUNCH OF OUTTAKES LIKE THE PREVIOUS ONE. IT HAS AN AMERICAN DETECTIVE SEARCHING FOR THE INSPECTOR. NOT TERRIBLE BUT WAY BETTER THAN THE TRAIL AND THE SON OF THE PINK PANTHER.
8.THE SON OF THE PINK PANTHER- THIS MOVIE SHOULD NOT EVEN BE RELATED TO THE ORIGINALS. THE WORST. BELIEVE IT OR NOT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY LIKE THIS ONE. IM NOT ONE OF THEM. SO TO SUM IT ALL UP, THIS IS THE ORDER FROM BEST TO WORST-SHOT IN THE DARK,RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER, PINK PANTHER, REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER,PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN, CURSE OF THE PINK PANTHER, TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER, AND FINALLY SON OF THE PINK PANTHER.

Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Series
Review: This sequel to the pitiful first film, revives the pink panther and brings the series full circle. Sellers reinvents his character and makes the best comedy film for years to come.

Rating:
Summary: Sellers is Genious
Review: This was probably the only Panther movie i'd never seen before. Not the best, but still good. Sellers is at his rocks when he takes the charactor to the ridiculous Nth degree. As this was the first film in the series he seems to be feeling out the charactor. Also, the writing is not as tight as the later movies in the series. All in all it was worth the watch. As a fan of Sellers' work it this is a must have if for no other reason than it's place in history.