A Shot in the Dark

Rating:
Summary: A Shot in the Dark -- One of the Funniest Films of All Time
Review: Peter Sellers was a comic genius, and nowhere is this more evident than in A Shot in the Dark, the first of the Pink Panther series to exclusively feature Sellers' Inspector Clouseau. It's one case where the sequel is superior to the original! This film can only be described as gaspingly funny. I've seen this move several dozen times, but it still makes me howl with laughter every time I see it. It's amazing to think that Sellers also made The Pink Panther, Dr. Stangelove, and The World of Henry Orient the same year (all titles I would highly recommend as well). The fact that "Shot" is now on DVD in widescreen makes it that much more special. The supporting cast (Elke Sommer, Herbert Lom, George Sanders, and Bert Kwouk, among others) is perfect and provides a perfect ensemble foil to Sellers. The "Camp Sunshine" scene alone makes "Shot" worth seeing. This film is so funny, I can recommend that you purchase it without having seen it first -- it's that good!

Rating:
Summary: Inspector Clouseau Benchmark
Review: This is by far the wittiest and amusingly the funniest of all the Inspector Clouseau and Pink Panther films. The last time we saw Inspector Clouseau he was on his way to jail as the convicted notorious "The Phantom" jewel thief at the close of THE PINK PANTHER. Happily he is out and reinstated. Besides the perseverance of Peter Sellers as Clouseau this films introduces the regular members of the series that thrived even after the loss of Sellers. Herbert Lom as Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus, Burt Kwouk as Kato, Andre Maranne as François and Graham Stark as Hercule Lajoy all acted as a counterpoint to Sellers' Clouseau which greatly bolstered and defined the various and curious qualities of the Inspector. It's interesting how Blake Edwards returned to the original format of THE PINK PANTHER for the rest of the series yet he retained these regular characters introduced here in A SHOT IN THE DARK. The other great contribution to the series is Henry Mancini's score once again present here and in all Pink Panther films directed by Blake Edwards. This is a great movie.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST OF THE PINK PANTHERS!!
Review: THIS MOVIE IS THE VERY BEST OF THE WHOLE SERIES. IT HAS MANY GREAT LINES AND SLAPSTICK COMEDY.THIS IS HOW I WOULD RATE THE REST.
1. THE PINK PANTHER- GOOD MOVIE PROBABLY 31/2 STARS BUT SELLERS ISNT IN IT AS MUCH AND IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT IS A LITTLE TOO SERIOUS IN PLACES.
2. A SHOT IN THE DARK- THE BEST. HILARIOUS.
3. RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER- 2ND BEST. VERY FUNNY.
4. PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN- THIS ONE IS PRETTY FUNNY BUT A LITTLE CORNY WITH A SUPERLASER KIND OF DEAL.
5.REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER-THE FINAL TRUE MOVIE WITH SELLERS. AND IT IS A GOOD ONE.
6. TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER- BAD MOVIE BUT.... I SORT OF ENJOYED IT BECAUSE IT SUMS THINGS UP A BIT IT PROBABLLY DOESNT GET QUITE AS BAD AS A RAP THAT IT DESERVES.
7.CURSE OF THE PINK PANTHER -THIS MOVIE IS NOT A BUNCH OF OUTTAKES LIKE THE PREVIOUS ONE. IT HAS AN AMERICAN DETECTIVE SEARCHING FOR THE INSPECTOR. NOT TERRIBLE BUT WAY BETTER THAN THE TRAIL AND THE SON OF THE PINK PANTHER.
8.THE SON OF THE PINK PANTHER- THIS MOVIE SHOULD NOT EVEN BE RELATED TO THE ORIGINALS. THE WORST. BELIEVE IT OR NOT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY LIKE THIS ONE. IM NOT ONE OF THEM. SO TO SUM IT ALL UP, THIS IS THE ORDER FROM BEST TO WORST-SHOT IN THE DARK,RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER, PINK PANTHER, REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER,PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN, CURSE OF THE PINK PANTHER, TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER, AND FINALLY SON OF THE PINK PANTHER.

Rating:
Summary: The Best of Clouseau
Review: It's funny that this movie is considered an entry in the Pink Panther series, even though there is nothing in the movie to indicate that it is, except for star Peter Sellers, Blake Edwards direction and the Henry Mancini score (without the Pink Panther theme). But this movie is so good, who really cares? In this escapade, Clouseau has been assigned to solve a murder that has occurred in the home of the wealthy Benjamin Balon. The killer appears to be the beautiful housemaid Maria Gambrelli but Clouseau, who is falling in love with her, is convinced she's innocent and sets out to expose the real murderer. If you haven't seen this movie, you should. There are a number of great comic scenes that Clouseau goes through in this film, one of which includes the famous nudist camp sketch. What I really like about the comedy here is that it has a sort of charm, which vanished in the later episodes. One of the important things about this movie is that it introduces us to two of the best characters in the series: Clouseau's houseboy Kato and the lunatic Chief Dreyfuss. Clouseau's karate romps with Kato and Dreyfuss' attempts to destroy the inspector are also brought in. All of these became staples in the later movies. Aside from the new characters, I think the most significant thing about "A Shot in the Dark" is that Peter Sellers is now the star. He was only a supporting player in "The Pink Panther" but this time Sellers is given center stage and, in turn, delivers a great performance. Blake Edwards also gives the movie some good direction, setting things up nicely so Sellers can work his magic. Overall, this entry is the best in the series. If you are looking for Inspector Clouseau at his finest, then check out "A Shot in the Dark".

Rating:
Summary: Great follow-up from the first!
Review: "A Shot In The Dark" finds Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau on the case of a murder at the Chateau. Maria Gambrelli (Elke Sommer), a resider, is accused. Clouseau has fallen in love with her and is willing to free her of any charge by watching her every move and masquerading, which finds him going to the police station 4 times in a repeated paddy wagon sequence which is absolutely the cream of it all. Streaking through a nudist colony is another great sequence that is a quite a shocker on film. When the climax is about to occur, Clouseau questions a group of bickering people who've comitted dirty sinful deeds, plus Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) is out to eliminate Clouseau. He did, of course, fail to do so. The outcome is surprising. You'll have to see for yourself. It's not better than "The Pink Panther Strikes Again" as it is called by many the best. It comes close, though. This is the only Pink Panther movie that does not have the Pink Panther in the title and the theme song in the movie, but is definetly worth seeing. There's no question about it. You'll laugh so hard you'll fall. Don't fall to hard, otherwise you'll receive a "bemp" on the head!

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: A chapter in the myriad of Pink Panther films, this film is one of the best crafted and most hillarious in the series. Unlike the other films in the series, this film does not focus as much on the Pink Panther as on The Svejk-like inspector Clouseau himself. Valuable to a fan of the series it takes the time to provide a deeper insight into the character of the infamous and clumsy inspector. Investigating a murder in the house of the multimillionaire leads Clouseau to brilliantly farcical adventure, unexpected romance as he tries to defend his lovely object of affection from false accusations and yet a more unexpected conclusion to his case.
Clouseau's developed persona and the mishaps attached to it may be the highlight's of the film, but they do not compensate for the 2-dimensionality of the rest of the characters. There is little to the films secondary protagonist, Maria Gambrelli, as her only feature is a magnificent talent to attract bad luck and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yes, having a well-developed character, Clouseau in this case, is very good, but it seems that there should be more Clouseau's in the film.
So, this dramatic production seems to have spread out a bit too thinly as it tries to focus on Clouseau, the case, and the sparked romance. If the director could perhaps chose a more defined focus, this film could have been improved greatly. Having said that, this film does a far better job in the field of comedy than most modern films that audaciously bear the title of "comedy". Highly recommended

Rating:
Summary: Closeau on the loose
Review: In many ways "A Shot in the Dark" is the best of the Inspector Closeau films, while being the only one that doesn't have a Pink Panther reference in its title. Sellers is in top form, but Herbert Lom as his boss nearly steals the film. And what's truly strange is, it's based upon a play that had nothing to do with Closeau.

Rating:
Summary: The BEST of the Pink Panther Series!
Review: I love the Pink Panther series, yet somehow I didn't see this particular title until recently, and with good reason; technically, it's not a Pink Panther movie... Which basically means it doesn't have the Pink Panther cartoons or theme music in the titles. Everything else is here: Peter Sellers, Blake Edwards, Herbert Lom, Henry Mancini's music (but not the Pink Panther Theme), etc.

Don't miss this one. It's truly the best in the series.

Rating:
Summary: The best Clouseau film gets better on DVD
Review: Peter Sellers and Blake Edwards are at it again-in top form. This is a murder mystery-comedy that isn't as dated as the original Pink Panther. There are so many scenes that make this film worth renting, and not that its on DVD, and you can slow-mo and rewind quicker, and in widescreen, is all the more better. Not only do you get two viewing modes (P&S, WS), but you also get a very informative 8-page pamphlet, telling about the improvisation of the Africa line during the globe scene, and the synchoronizing watches sequences. There are many running gags, including the clumsy inspector being taken to prison. The music sounds great, and the picture looks solid for a film that age. You also get the trailer, and while it stinks that there aren't deleted scenes of a film of this stature, it probably looks a lot better than the VHS (which I haven't seen). This is a double-sided disc, so it's susceptible to scratces...

Rating:
Summary: Possibly the greatest Comedy Film of all time.
Review: Well what can you say about this film and its star Peter Sellers exept BRILLIANT!Peter Sellers was i think the greatest comedian ever and will never be bettered.Every scene in this film is superb, the comic timing is priceless.I have seen this over 150 times in the last twenty years orso and it just gets better the more you watch it.The other film that compares is the party which is so funny it cheers you up no end.Dont hesitate to buy these you will consider them like me to be the best films ever.
God Bless Mr Sellers you are irreplaceable.