A Shot in the Dark Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

A Shot in the Dark Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson June 29, 2017

A Shot in the Dark is being released as part of The Pink Panther Film Collection.

Originally, A Shot in the Dark (1964) was not intended to be a sequel to The Pink Panther. Based on a French play by Marcel Achard, A Shot in the Dark was produced on Broadway in 1961 with Walter Matthau playing the lead character. A filmmaker not named Blake Edwards was tapped to direct and with Matthau presumably reprising his stage role, Sophia Loren was selected to star opposite him as Maria Gambrelli, a parlormaid accused of murdering her lover at the posh Parisian home that she works. However, the original director determined that the material wasn't for him and Loren also dropped out. Executive producer Walter Mirisch got involved in the project, brought Edwards on board, and convinced Peter Sellers to portray Inspector Jacques Clouseau once again.

A Shot in the Dark begins with camerawork outside the mansion of Benjamin Ballon (George Sanders). Some type of altercation is occurring in one of the upstairs bedrooms and gunshots are heard. Inspector Clouseau (Sellors) is assigned to the case and all signs point to housemaid Maria Gambrelli (Elke Sommer) as the prime suspect for the killing. However, Clouseau takes an instant liking to Maria and seems to rule her out as the suspect. When circumstantial evidence places her at the scene of the crime, she is put in jail (actually multiple times) but Clouseau always arranges her release. Clouseau targets Ballon as the killer and upon visiting him at a billiards game, he makes a mess out of Ballon's cue sticks.

Benjamin Ballon (George Sanders) and Inspector Clouseau at the murder site.

A Shot in the Dark is notable for the initial appearance of Police Commissioner Charles Dreyfus (Herbert Lom), who will become a very important recurring player in the series. Dreyfus has absolutely no faith in Clouseau being able to conduct much less solve the case so when he learns that he can't remove the bumbling detective, he plans a scheme of his own to bump Clouseau off. A person dressed in all black trails Clouseau at various locales such as the Hurtado De Cordoba Ballet and at a performance by the Tahitian Dance Group but the anonymous figure winds up murdering someone else. The movie also features the series debut of Kato (Burt Kwouk), Clouseau's martial arts instructor who always attacks him abruptly when he comes home. This film begins a slew of wild and boisterous sight gags between Clouseau and Kato, who face off with each other in the sleepless apartment. A Shot in the Dark moves very fast and contains memorable scenes at a nudist colony and later when Clouseau and Maria flee the camp in a car without any clothes on. Edwards accelerates the third act, however, and the ending feels rushed. There needed to be at least one more scene or an epilogue to wrap things up and tie up loose ends.

A Shot in the Dark Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A Shot in the Dark makes its worldwide debut on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Select on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. The label presents Edwards's film in an aspect ratio of around 2.35:1, which replicates it theatrical appearance. Video streams average 31998 kbps and the disc contains a total bitrate of 41.38 Mbps. The label advertises this transfer as a "new 4K scan of the interpositive." The restoration supposedly culled from extant DeLuxe film elements and when one compares the results next to the unrestored scenes featured in some of the trailers on this disc, the new video transfer is truly remarkable. A reviewer for the e-zine Films on Disc observed that the 1999 MGM DVD of A Shot in the Dark possessed "minor scratches and dirt [that] appear[s] on some scenes but never to the extent that it disturbs the flow of the film. It appears there is also slight loss of color vitality in a few sequences." I would also echo that some scenes which feature only a monochromatic palette can appear washed out. However, damage marks are less prominent in the frame. Red particularly stands out (see Screenshot #s 5 and 12). Flowers around the Ballon mansion look lovely as do the aesthetics in the fireplace room (see #8).

Shout has provided twelve scene selections.

A Shot in the Dark Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three sound track options for A Shot in the Dark: a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (1875 kbps, 24-bit), a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (1569 kbps, 24-bit), and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Dual Mono (1562, 24-bit). The tracks are clean without any major issues. Dialogue is coherent and understandable. Henry Mancini's music shows decent depth and spatiality.

Shout makes optional English SDH available for the main feature.

A Shot in the Dark Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• NEW Audio Commentary by Jason Simos of The Peter Sellers Appreciation Society - a feature-length track that is Simos's first commentary in the set. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Featurette – Back to the Start: The Origin of The Pink Panther – An Interview with Production Company Chief Walter Mirisch (23:11, 1080p) - the longtime Hollywood producer discusses how he first met Blake Edwards and explains the genesis behind the productions of The Pink Panther and A Shot in the Dark. In English, not subtitled.

• Blake Edwards and Julie Andrews on The Dick Cavett Show (7:07, upconverted to 1080) - Edwards and his wife chat briefly with host Dick Cavett in this vintage recording. It is mainly of interest for historical value to see Peter Sellers's outtakes from A Shot in the Dark that Edwards luckily saved. In English, not subtitled.

• Trailers (9:55, upconverted to 1080) - a teaser trailer (3:44) presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) for A Shot In The Dark that features a cartoon figure narrating the film's plot. This is followed by a letterboxed but cropped trailer and a black-and-white TV spot (presented in 1.33:1) for the same film. The Pink Panther and A Shot In The Dark 1966 reissue theatrical trailers (presented in non-anamorphic widescreen with badly faded colors) and a TV spot (B&W) round out this section.

• Still Gallery (5:38, 1080p) - the first twenty-two images in this slide show comprise high-resolution pictures from A Shot In The Dark's production in full color glory. The next fifty-three images contain black-and-white pictures blown up as well as some photos from UA's press kit.

• Poster Gallery (2:59, 1080p) - a slide show consisting of thirty-nine images depicting US and international theatrical poster sheets and lobby cards. These all appear in color with several likely pulled from a theater's exhibition manual.

• Rare Image Gallery (1:32, 1080p) - a moving presentation of nineteen behind-the-scenes photographs and United Artists production candids/stills, which are all displayed in black and white.

A Shot in the Dark Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Several film critics and fans of A Shot in the Dark consider it to be one of the strongest if not the strongest sequel in The Pink Panther series. I agree that it's a fine comedic romp but its third act feels hurried. Shout Select delivers a terrific video restoration and a problem-free audio presentation. The commentary track, Walter Mirisch interview, and ancillary extras make this the most complete package of the film to date. RECOMMENDED.