A Shot in the Dark
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A Shot in the Dark
Plot
A murder has been committed at the palatial Parisian residence of Benjamin Ballon (George Sanders). All the evidence points to sexy, wide-eyed housemaid Maria Gambrelli (Elke Sommer). Police inspector Dreyfuss (Herbert Lom) is prepared to make an arrest -- and then the gloriously, monumentally inept Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) arrives on the scene. Clouseau may have difficulty getting through the day without falling into ponds, knocking people cold with opened doors, and pocketing flaming cigarette lighters, but his instincts are right on target when he decides that Mme. Gambrelli is being framed by someone else in the Ballon household. Even as the murder victims pile up, Clouseau is determined to prove Mme. Gambrelli's innocence. As he cuts a bumbling, destructive swath through Paris, Clouseau drives Dreyfuss literally insane. This fact leads to the literally explosive climax, and to the ultimate vindication of Mme. Gambrelli. While we first met Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther, Shot in the Dark is the film that truly established the Clouseau mythos: the festive clumsiness, the convoluted dialogue ("You shot him in a rit of fealous jage!"), the Fractured French ("A beump on zee head!"), the twitching lunacy of poor Inspector Dreyfuss, the unexpected "judo lessons" of Clouseau's houseboy Kato (Burt Kwouk), and of course the hilariously macabre jokes involving dead or seriously injured bystanders. You'd never know it, but A Shot in the Dark was inspired by a standard three-act stage comedy by Harry Kurnitz, which in turn was adapted from the French play L'Idiote by Marcel Achard. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviReview
A comic masterpiece from beginning till end, A Shot in the Dark is not only the funniest film in the Pink Panther series, but also one of the funniest movies, period! Skillfully imagined by Peter Sellers and director Blake Edwards (with help from future horror scribe William Peter Blatty), the Inspector Clouseau character is boosted to the spotlight with this entry, delivering magical timing in endless impeccably dimwitted situations. If Edwards knows one thing, it's how to stage comedy, and his uncanny grasp of slapstick never worked better than here. The story works as a mystery as well, though the film is mainly propelled by its mad pacing and reoccurring gags. Sellers' work is subtle genius and a sad reminder of what his wild characterization of Clouseau was missing later in the series. With inspired supporting roles filled by a twitchy Herbert Lom, charming sex appeal delivered by the ravishing Elke Sommer, and Burt Kwouk making his debut as the deadly manservant Kato, A Shot in the Dark works even when Sellers hasn't been given the punch line. Additionally, Henry Mancini's score is a joy and makes for a playful '60s soundtrack that's as much a character as anyone in the film. Sellers would return in 1974's The Return of the Pink Panther, but only after Alan Arkin had his shot at the role in the dreadful 1968 follow-up Inspector Clouseau. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, RoviCast
- Peter Sellers - Inspector Jacques Clouseau
- Elke Sommer - Maria Gambrelli
- Herbert Lom - Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus
- George Sanders - Benjamin Ballon
- Tracy Reed - Dominique Ballon
- Graham Stark - Hercule Lajoy
Credit
Margaret Furse - Costume Designer, Blake Edwards - Director, Bert Bates - Editor, Ralph Winters - Editor, Henry Mancini - Composer (Music Score), Henry Mancini - Songwriter, Robert Wells - Songwriter, Michael Stringer - Production Designer, Christopher G. Challis - Cinematographer, Blake Edwards - Producer, William Peter Blatty - Screenwriter, Blake Edwards - Screenwriter, Don Lusher - Musical Performer, Marcel Achard - Play Author, Harry Kurnitz - Play Author| A Shot in the Dark (1941 Film), A Shot in the Dark (1933 Film) | |
| A Show of Force (1990 Film), A Shriek in the Night (1933 Film) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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A Shot in the Dark (1964 film)
| A Shot in the Dark | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Blake Edwards |
| Produced by | Blake Edwards |
| Screenplay by | Blake Edwards William Peter Blatty |
| Story by | Marcel Achard Harry Kurnitz |
| Starring | Peter Sellers Elke Sommer George Sanders Herbert Lom |
| Music by | Henry Mancini |
| Cinematography | Christopher G. Challis |
| Editing by | Bert Bates Ralph Winters |
| Distributed by | United Artists The Mirisch Company |
| Release date(s) | June 23, 1964 |
| Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
A Shot in the Dark is a 1964 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and is the second installment in the Pink Panther series. Peter Sellers is featured again as Inspector Jacques Clouseau of the French Sûreté. Clouseau's bumbling personality is unchanged, but it was in this film that Sellers began to give him the idiosyncratically exaggerated French accent that was to become a hallmark of the character. The film also introduces Herbert Lom as his boss, Commissioner Dreyfus, and Burt Kwouk as his long-suffering servant, Cato, who would both become series regulars. Elke Sommer plays the attractive Maria Gambrelli.
The film was not originally written to include Clouseau, but was an adaptation of a stage play by Harry Kurnitz adapted from the French play L'Idiote by Marcel Achard.[1] As Blake Edwards and future The Exorcist creator William Peter Blatty began work on the script, they decided the story would be a good vehicle for the Clouseau character, and rewrote the script around the new premise. The film was released only a few months after the first Clouseau film, The Pink Panther.
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Contents
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Plot
Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) is called to the country home of a Paris plutocrat, Benjamin Ballon (George Sanders), to investigate the murder of his Spanish chauffeur, Miguel. The chauffeur was having an affair with the maid, Maria Gambrelli (Elke Sommer), who claims that he often beat her. Although all the evidence points to Gambrelli as the killer, Clouseau stubbornly refuses to admit that she is guilty, having fallen madly in love with her. For the real culprits to keep the truth hidden from Clouseau's boss, Commissioner Charles Dreyfus (Herbert Lom), they must commit more murders. With the murders of Georges (David Lodge) the gardener, Dudu (Ann Lynn) the maid, and Henri LaFarge (Douglas Wilmer) the head butler, Maria is arrested, and each time Clouseau sets her free. Clouseau is always at the wrong place at the right time and manages to get himself arrested by uniformed police four times in quick succession (first for selling balloons without a license, then for selling paintings without a license, then for hunting without a license, and finally with Maria Gambrelli for public nudity, after they flee from a nudist community without their clothes).
As Clouseau continues to bungle the case, Commissioner Dreyfus becomes increasingly agitated, resulting in his accidentally cutting off his thumb and stabbing himself with a letter-opener. An anonymous figure begins stalking Clouseau, trying to kill him, but accidentally kills a doorman instead, as well as two café customers and a Cossack dancer. Clouseau gathers all the suspects together, and it comes out that Ballon, his wife Dominique, Madame LaFarge, Pierre the driver, Simone the maid are guilty of murder: each of them having killed one of the earlier murder victims, with Maurice the manservant as a blackmailer, and Maria, who is innocent of any crime. The guilty attempt to escape in Clouseau's car, which is blown up, and the anonymous bomber is revealed to be Commissioner Dreyfus, who has been driven mad by Clouseau's blunders, and, in trying to kill him, has accidentally killed the actual murderers. The films ends when out of nowhere, Kato/Cato (Burt Kwouk) pushes Clouseau and Maria into the fountain and Maria and Clouseau fight Kato/Cato as the title "The End" appears on the screen.
Cast
- Peter Sellers as Jacques Clouseau
- Elke Sommer as Maria Gambrelli
- George Sanders as Benjamin Ballon
- Herbert Lom as Charles Dreyfus
- Tracy Reed as Dominique Ballon
- Graham Stark as Hercule LaJoy
- Moira Redmond as Simone
- Vanda Godsell as Madame LaFarge
- Maurice Kaufmann as Pierre
- Ann Lynn as Dudu
- David Lodge as Georges
- André Maranne as François
- Martin Benson as Maurice
- Burt Kwouk as Kato
- Reginald Beckwith as Receptionist
- Douglas Wilmer as Henri LaFarge
- Bryan Forbes as Camp Attendant
Production
The relationship between Edwards and Sellers deteriorated to such a point that at the conclusion of the film they vowed never to work together again. They eventually reconciled to collaborate successfully four years later on The Party, and on three more "Pink Panther" films in the 1970s.
As with most of the other Clouseau films, A Shot in the Dark featured an animated opening credits sequence produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. This film and Inspector Clouseau are the only Clouseau films not to feature the Pink Panther character in the opening titles. Henry Mancini's theme for this film serves as opening theme and incidental music in the "Inspector" cartoon shorts made by Depatie- Freleng.
Awards and honors
American Film Institute recognition
- 2000: AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs #48
References
- ^ A Shot in the Dark by Marcel Achard and adapted by Harry Kurnitz had a 1961-1962 Broadway run, directed by Harold Clurman. Its cast included Julie Harris, Walter Matthau, and William Shatner.
External links
- A Shot in the Dark at the Internet Movie Database
- A Shot in the Dark at the TCM Movie Database
- A Shot in the Dark at AllRovi
- A Shot in the Dark at the Internet Broadway Database
- A Shot in the Dark at Rotten Tomatoes
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