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A Shot in the Dark (1964)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
23 June 1964 (USA)
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Tagline:
It's Sellers the Sleuth... and there's nothing he won't do to track down a body -- dead or alive! more
Plot:
As murder follows murder, beautiful Maria is the obvious suspect; bumbling Inspector Clouseau drives his boss mad by seeing her as plainly innocent. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.
Another 1 win
&
1 nomination
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User Comments:
"I suspect everyone... and I suspect no one"
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US TV Schedule:
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Peter Sellers | ... | Jacques Clouseau | |
| Elke Sommer | ... | Maria Gambrelli | |
| George Sanders | ... | Benjamin Ballon | |
| Herbert Lom | ... | Charles Dreyfus | |
| Tracy Reed | ... | Dominique Ballon | |
| Graham Stark | ... | Hercule LaJoy | |
| Moira Redmond | ... | Simone | |
| Vanda Godsell | ... | Madame LaFarge | |
| Maurice Kaufmann | ... | Pierre | |
| Ann Lynn | ... | Dudu | |
| David Lodge | ... | Georges | |
| André Maranne | ... | Francois | |
| Martin Benson | ... | Maurice | |
| Burt Kwouk | ... | Kato | |
| Reginald Beckwith | ... | Receptionist |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Quand l'inspecteur s'emmêle (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Clouseau i skottlinjen (Sweden) (TV title) [sv]
Ein Schuß im Dunkeln (West Germany) [de]
El nuevo caso del inspector Clouseau (Spain) [es]
Et skud i mørke (Denmark) [da]
Ett skott i mörkret (Sweden) [sv]
Inspektor Clouseau - Ein Schuß im Dunkeln (West Germany) (video title) [de]
Karanlikta bir çiglik (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Laukaus pimeässä (Finland) [fi]
Um Tiro no Escuro (Brazil) [pt]
Un disparo en la sombra (Mexico) [es]
Uno sparo nel buio (Italy) [it]
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Clouseau i skottlinjen (Sweden) (TV title) [sv]
Ein Schuß im Dunkeln (West Germany) [de]
El nuevo caso del inspector Clouseau (Spain) [es]
Et skud i mørke (Denmark) [da]
Ett skott i mörkret (Sweden) [sv]
Inspektor Clouseau - Ein Schuß im Dunkeln (West Germany) (video title) [de]
Karanlikta bir çiglik (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Laukaus pimeässä (Finland) [fi]
Um Tiro no Escuro (Brazil) [pt]
Un disparo en la sombra (Mexico) [es]
Uno sparo nel buio (Italy) [it]
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
102 min
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Canada:13+ (Quebec) (original rating) |
Canada:G (Quebec) (re-rating) (2003) |
Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) |
Canada:PG (Ontario) |
Portugal:M/12 |
Iceland:L |
New Zealand:PG |
USA:Approved (certificate #20691) |
Canada:G (video rating) |
Netherlands:AL |
Argentina:13 |
Australia:PG |
Brazil:12 |
Finland:K-16 |
Ireland:PG |
Norway:11 (re-rating) |
Norway:16 (original rating) |
Singapore:PG |
UK:A (original rating) |
UK:PG (video rating) (1988) |
USA:PG (re-rating) (1975) |
West Germany:12
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
According to Blake Edwards in the DVD boxed set documentary, a week into filming, Sellers disappeared. When he returned, from an apparent holiday, Edwards was ready to kill him until Sellers told him of a peculiar hotel manager he met who had a funny French accent which Sellers was to give to the Clouseau character....Thus was born Clouseau's trademark odd pronunciations such as "bimp" for bump and "miths" for moths.
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Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: In the scene where Peter Sellers answers the door bell and finds a package (a clock with a bomb) you can see clearly that someone has left the keys in the door lock as he opens the door.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Godzilla vs. Megalon (#3.12)" (1991)
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Soundtrack:
Shadows of Paris
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FAQ
Directors appearing in movies / other people's moviesmore
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Although "A Shot in the Dark" is really the second film in the Pink Panther series, in many ways it is a beginning, as the first film to showcase Peter Sellers' bumbling Inspector Clouseau as the highlight of the film, overcoming the first film's occasional shortcomings due mainly to devoting too much screen time to David Niven's jewel thief, when what audiences really wanted was more Clouseau. Well here, their wish came true as there are virtually no scenes in the film without Clouseau present, and it is all the better as such. There can be no doubt that Peter Sellers is one of the greatest comedic actors of all time, and he is the primary reason the film is so enjoyable.
Director Blake Edwards is wise enough to latch onto this fact, and indeed, the entire premise of the film is essentially just a series of opportunities for Sellers to make full use of his brilliant physical comedy skills wrapped around a twisty murder mystery, as Clouseau struggles to prove that the prime suspect, the beautiful maid Maria (Elke Sommer) is not guilty, despite an increasing load of evidence proving otherwise. Introduced here are also Pink Panther regular characters Commissioner Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) and Clouseau's lethal assistant Cato (Burt Kwouk), instructed to attack him when he least expects it to keep his guard up. (said instances including when in the bath, and in bed with Maria)
The storyline is admittably simple, with only a few basic twists to conceal the murderer's identity until the end, and mainly does exist to give Peter Sellers full reign to do what he is so very skilled at doing - evoking laughs out of the most ordinary situations or what would have been deemed immature and juvenile if attempted by another actor. (the primary reason Steve Martin's latest re-hash is almost certain to flop - he can never hope to compare to Sellers in his iconic role) And of course, Henry Mancini's unforgettable jazz theme music is a welcome addition to an already great movie.
It may seem strange that the only film in the series without the words "Pink Panther" should turn out to be the best in the series, but such is the case here. The film may seem somewhat dated, and perhaps not quite as witty as it would have been back in the 1960s, but Sellers' unique comedic talents assure that the entertainment value of the movie remains classic, even 40 years on.
-8/10