IMDb RATING
7.3/10
32K
YOUR RATING
Bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau falls in love with murder suspect Maria Gambrelli and tries to clear her name.Bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau falls in love with murder suspect Maria Gambrelli and tries to clear her name.Bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau falls in love with murder suspect Maria Gambrelli and tries to clear her name.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 3 nominations total
Bryan Forbes
- Camp Attendant
- (as Turk Thrust)
Andre Charisse
- Game Warden
- (as André Charise)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough they had worked well together on The Pink Panther (1963), the improvisational nature of Phát Súng Trong Đêm (1964) led to many arguments between Peter Sellers and Blake Edwards. At the end of filming, they both agreed never to work together again. This wouldn't last. They would ultimately re-team four years later for The Party (1968) and, subsequently, several Pink Panther sequels.
- GoofsClouseau falls into the fountain at the beginning. Yet when he puts a lit lighter into his wet coat, it catches on fire.
- Crazy creditsThe title sequence is of an animated Inspector Clouseau bumbling around, getting into scrapes.
- ConnectionsEdited into Trail of the Pink Panther (1982)
Featured review
When a murder occurs in the house of millionaire Benjamin Ballon, Inspector Clouseau is put on the case. When he makes a real pigs ear of it, Commissioner Dreyfus takes him off the case until political pressure forces him to put him back on it. The maid, Maria Gambrelli was found in a locked room with a gun in her hands and a body at her feet - all the clues appear to point to her, but Clouseau is too taken by her beauty to believe it could be her. He pursues a more complex theory, much to the chagrin of Dreyfus - but could his bumbling have brought him onto the right track.
In terms of cinema, 1964 was one of the best years of Peter Seller's career; not only did he make his best film with several great performances (Dr Strangelove) but he also made the best of the Pink Panther films with this entry. The two films are quite different - Strangelove is very much an all round performance(s) whereas Shot In The Dark displays his physical comedy to great effect. The basic plot is a murder mystery but it doesn't really matter who did what to whom as the focus of the film is the bumbling investigation of Clouseau. This is as funny as the character got and the material is pretty good. It depends a great deal on your personal taste as to how much you are laughing at this film. I found it funny but not as funny as I had hoped I would. The reason for this was that the film relied very heavily on Clouseau. The problem with this is that the comedy around Clouseau usually requires a small build up and hence a lag before the laugh - hence the laughs are spaced rather than consistent.
Of course, basing the film around Sellers is not a bad thing in itself, it's just the material that needed to be sharper and funnier. Although I like Sellers better in other things (namely Strangelove and The Goons) but he is the only man who could do this role and he does it very well indeed. Sommer is actually pretty good and manages to add to the laughs. Sanders is a nice addition even if he plays it straight most of the way; Lom on the other hand is increasingly funny as he breaks down - he is better here than in other films. Kwouk is given a small role but he shows that he has a flair for comedy (a flair that he has continued to show recently including his series with Harry Hill).
Overall, those hoping for a rip-roaring spoof may well be a little disappointed as it is not a laugh a second, even if it is still funny. The plot doesn't really matter and the material could have been sharper and more consistent, but it still stands out as the best of the Pink Panther films. All in all, 1964 and these two films is as good proof of Sellers' abilities as you could ask for and he carries this film here.
In terms of cinema, 1964 was one of the best years of Peter Seller's career; not only did he make his best film with several great performances (Dr Strangelove) but he also made the best of the Pink Panther films with this entry. The two films are quite different - Strangelove is very much an all round performance(s) whereas Shot In The Dark displays his physical comedy to great effect. The basic plot is a murder mystery but it doesn't really matter who did what to whom as the focus of the film is the bumbling investigation of Clouseau. This is as funny as the character got and the material is pretty good. It depends a great deal on your personal taste as to how much you are laughing at this film. I found it funny but not as funny as I had hoped I would. The reason for this was that the film relied very heavily on Clouseau. The problem with this is that the comedy around Clouseau usually requires a small build up and hence a lag before the laugh - hence the laughs are spaced rather than consistent.
Of course, basing the film around Sellers is not a bad thing in itself, it's just the material that needed to be sharper and funnier. Although I like Sellers better in other things (namely Strangelove and The Goons) but he is the only man who could do this role and he does it very well indeed. Sommer is actually pretty good and manages to add to the laughs. Sanders is a nice addition even if he plays it straight most of the way; Lom on the other hand is increasingly funny as he breaks down - he is better here than in other films. Kwouk is given a small role but he shows that he has a flair for comedy (a flair that he has continued to show recently including his series with Harry Hill).
Overall, those hoping for a rip-roaring spoof may well be a little disappointed as it is not a laugh a second, even if it is still funny. The plot doesn't really matter and the material could have been sharper and more consistent, but it still stands out as the best of the Pink Panther films. All in all, 1964 and these two films is as good proof of Sellers' abilities as you could ask for and he carries this film here.
- bob the moo
- May 1, 2004
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- A Shot in the Dark
- Filming locations
- Luton Hoo Estate, Luton, Bedfordshire, England, UK(Ballon Estate general views)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $12,368,234
- Gross worldwide
- $12,368,817
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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