Directed by Blake Edwards, who co-wrote the screenplay with William Peter Blatty. A Shot in the Dark is the technically the second film in the Pink Panther series, but really it feels like the first because it features several aspects of what would become hallmarks of the franchise moving forward. Ignoring that he was on his way to jail at conclusion of the previous film, Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) is made the main character. The amount of comedy has expanded. In particular, Clouseau’s klutziness is increased and his French accent more exaggerated. The film also sees the introduction of future series regulars: Commissioner Dreyfus (Herbert Lom), who is driven crazy by Clouseau’s ineptitude; Dreyfus’s assistant François (André Maranne); and Clouseau’s manservant Cato (Burt Kwouk), who surprises Clouseau with attacks to test his readiness and fighting abilities.
Buy A Shot in the DarkOriginally intended to be an adaptation of Harry Kurnitz’s Broadway play of the same name, which was adapted from Marcel Achard’s French play L’Idiote, legend has it that Edwards was brought aboard when the film, which was already set to star Sellers, was having trouble during pre-production. He did so on the conditions that he could rewrite the script and insert Inspector Clouseau as investigator of this comic mystery.
During the prologue, people seem up to no good as they sneak about a chateau of millionaire Benjamin Ballon (George Sanders), some interacting, some not aware of whom is observing them. Then a shot rings out, resulting in a murder. To Dreyfus’s frustration, Clouseau has been assigned to investigate the murder of head chauffeur Miguel Ostos. The body was found in the room of Maria Gambrelli (Elke Sommer), the third maid, and she was found holding the gun. Clouseau believes she is innocent but may be protecting the real killer.
The mystery grows complicated to solve because not only do more members of Ballon’s staff die with Maria as the main suspect, including a funny sequence set in a nudist colony, but Dreyfus keeping removing Clouseau from the case for fear he’ll screw it up; however, higher-ups keep requesting Clouseau be put back in charge.
Clouseau takes Maria out to a nightclub in an attempt draw out the killer. The plan almost works as dead bodies pile up as someone, only seen wearing a black glove, makes numerous attempts on Clouseau. Then, as is common for the genre, Clouseau gathers all the remaining suspects at Ballon’s for the reveal, which is both clever and humorous.
A HDR/Dolby Vision Master was created from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative and is displayed at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Colors appear in strong hues. Blacks are inky. The image is clean aside from a scene with crow as people leave chateau where white specks can be scene. A light film grain is apparent. The audio is available in 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0. Dialogue is clear. Composer Henry Mancini’s score has good fidelity throughout the surrounds. Sound effects are apparent but limited.
The Special Features are:
- Audio commentary by Jason Simos of The Peter Sellers Appreciation Society
- Back to the Start – Origin of The Pink Panther with Walter Mirisch (23 min) – The producer speaks of first meeting Edwards, working together after he became a director, and developing of The Pink Panther.
- Blake Edwards and Julie Andrews on The Dick Cavett Show (7 min) – an excerpt of Edwards showing outtakes from A Shot in the Dark. Some run too long.
- Theatrical Trailers for the eight Pink Panther movies and The Party
A Shot in the Dark led to a comedy-film franchise anchored by the partnership of Edwards and Sellers. It’s clear why from watching the film as Edwards knows how to set up situations for Sellers to thrive in and they know to play Clouseau seriously, which makes the comic situations even funnier. The UHD presentation delivers a satisfying audio-visual experience
