Shot in the Dark DVD

A Shot in the Dark
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, All Movie Guide

Cast Peter Sellers as Inspector Jacques Clouseau Elke Sommer as Maria Gambrelli Herbert Lom as Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus George Sanders as Benjamin Ballon Graham Stark as Hercule Lajoy Tracy Reed as Dominique Ballon Andre Maranne as Francois Douglas Wilmer as Henri LaFarge Vanda Godsell as Mme. Lafarge Maurice Kaufmann as Pierre Ann Lynn as Dudu David Lodge as Georges Moira Redmond as Simone Martin Benson as Maurice Burt Kwouk as Kato Reginald Beckwith as Receptionist at Camp John Herrington as Doctor Jack Melford as Psychoanalyst

Crew 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 Harry Kurnitz - Play Author Marcel Achard - Play Author

A Shot in the Dark
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, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: English, French, Spanish Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: cc DVD Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1: Cinemascope MPAA Rating: PG DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 102 min   DVD Chapters: Disc #1 -- A Shot in the Dark 1. Shadows/Main Titles [8:49] 2. Home of the Rich & Famous [4:57] 3. A Fiery Passion [7:18] 4. Facts, Facts, Facts! [5:52] 5. The In "Tear" Rogation [6:07] 6. A Global Sticking Poing [5:40] 7. Billiards Anyone? [5:43] 8. Right on Cue [7:29] 9. The Naked and the Dead [7:24] 10. In a Jam, a Traffic Jam [5:52] 11. Just Following Orders [6:51] 12. You Dance, You Die [7:03] 13. Time Bomb [5:40] 14. A Foolproof Plan [5:43] 15. A Drawing-Room Discussion [6:05] 16. 'Fessing Up/End Credits [5:38]