A Shot in the Dark (1964) United Artists/Comedy RT: 102 minutes No MPAA Rating (comic violence, implied nudity, suggestive content, mature themes) Director: Blake Edwards Screenplay: Blake Edwards and William Peter Blatty Music: Henry Mancini Cinematography: Christopher G. Challis Release date: June 23, 1964 (US) Cast: Peter Sellers, Elke Sommer, Herbert Lom, Graham Stark, Burt Kwouk, George Sanders, Tracy Reed, Moira Redmond, Vanda Godsell, Maurice Kaufmann, Ann Lynn, David Lodge, Martin Benson, Reginald Beckwith, Douglas Wilmer, Bryan Forbes (credited as Turk Thrust), Andre Maranne. Box Office: $12.3M (US)
Rating: *** ½
In some ways, A Shot in the Dark is better than its predecessor The Pink Panther. It wasn’t originally written as a sequel to the previous year’s comedy hit; it’s actually adapted (loosely) from Marcel Achard’s stage play L’Idiote (The Idiot). Star Peter Sellers was already attached to the project when he asked Edwards to step in and take over as director. He reworked the script, substituting Inspector Jacques Clouseau for the original lead character and choreographing comic scenes highlighting the character’s trademark clumsiness and ineptitude.
A Shot in the Dark marks several firsts for the series. It’s the first time Sellers spoke with Clouseau’s hallmark exaggerated French accent. It introduces audiences to two series regulars; his exasperated boss Commissioner Dreyfus (Lom, The Ladykillers) and faithful manservant Kato (Kwouk, Goldfinger). One of the series’ running gags involves Kato attacking Clouseau by surprise at any given moment. Clouseau instructs him to do so in order to keep his mind sharp for whatever case he’s working on. Basically, A Shot in the Dark sets things up for the subsequent films in the series.
The movie opens with a brilliantly orchestrated sequence showing several characters at a mansion sneaking in and out of bedrooms, through balcony doors, up and down stairs and on the grounds while “Shadows of Paris” (sung by Fran Jeffries) plays over the soundtrack. All of the action is seen from the outside, through windows and doors. Then a shot rings out. Somebody’s been murdered. Assigned to the case is Inspector Clouseau. The house belongs to wealthy plutocrat Benjamin Ballon (Sanders, Village of the Damned). The victim is the chauffeur Miguel. The main suspect is the maid, Maria Gambrelli (Sommer, The Oscar), with whom he was having an affair. Instantly attracted to Maria, Clouseau refuses to believe she’s guilty even as the bodies keep piling up. He’s determined to prove her innocence much to the annoyance of Dreyfus, slowly losing his mind over Clouseau’s incompetence.
One major difference between A Shot in the Dark and the other Pink Panther movies is the theme music in the animated opening titles. Henry Mancini composed a new theme and it’s quite good. It’s jazzy and perfectly suited to Clouseau’s character. This is also the only installment featuring Clouseau’s aide-de-camp Hercule Lajoy (Stark, Victor Victoria). That is, unless you count his appearance in the woeful Trail of the Pink Panther.
A Shot in the Dark has many funny scenes including one in which Clouseau inadvertently finds himself in a nudist colony. I also like the running gag involving Clouseau being arrested several times while trying to solve the case. There’s also a great bit with Dreyfus trying unsuccessfully to kill Clouseau, failing each time. It’s like a live-action cartoon. It’s more consistently funny than its predecessor even if a couple of scenes still run long.
Sellers is great as always as is Lom and Kwouk. Sanders does very nicely as the rich guy who might not be telling the truth about a few things. Edwards and co-writer William Peter Blatty (The Exorcist) do a very good job adapting the play to the big screen. It’s a classic drawing-room whodunit murder mystery with a nice comic twist. While mostly effective, Clouseau’s antics become somewhat distracting. It’s not a totally easy fit, but A Shot in the Dark works well enough that I regard it as the best of the Pink Panther movies.
