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How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

A SHOT IN THE DARK is a crime comedy about new hilarious adventures of inspector Jacques Clouseau. It is the second installment in "The Pink Panther" series. This film is a very strange combination between a black and sexy humor.Inspector Clouseau is called to the country home of millionaire Mr. Ballon to investigate the murder of his chauffeur. A chauffeur was shot and killed in her bedroom. His mistress Maria, a maid in the Mr. Ballon home, is found with a gun in her hand at the crime scene. All evidence points to Maria as the killer, but Clouseau is convinced of her innocence, because, a confused maid is a very attractive young woman. A tragic-comic struggle for a hopeless case, truth and love can begin...A well developed farce, which constantly moves from funny to tragic, stands out from all mentality. The case of a murder,later more of them, is so intricate and yet so obvious that it becomes hard to watch. Our "capable" Inspector constantly runs away from each cue and clue, which would help him in his investigation.Mr. Edwards has succeeded to include all the characters in this hilarious criminal-comedic game, where no one knows who kills and who is trying to kill.Peter Sellers (Jacques Clouseau) brings a strange kind of monotony in the story, through a combination of his dignity and clumsiness. I think he is, nevertheless, aware of his incompetence, but he is convinced to do his job perfectly at the same time.Elke Sommer as Maria Gambrelli is confused beauty, which perfectly accepts comic effects by Mr. Sellers. Herbert Lom (Charles Dreyfus) is somewhat stole the show as a nervous and crazed commissioner, on the other hand he is a counterbalance to inspector Clouseau. George Sanders as Benjamin Ballon is a calm rich man and jealous lover. Graham Stark as Hercule Lajoy is a crumb of intellect that circulates around inspector Clouseau. Burt Kwouk as Cato is a Chinese assassin until a phone rings in a residence.This is a frivolous, colorful and enjoyable experience.

I saw the original Pink Panther movie and I liked it, but didn't think it was the masterpiece like a lot of people thought it was. Well, this is considered to be even better and I certainly agree! I'm not the biggest Inspector Closeau fan, but this was a lot of fun. It helps that we escalate the slapstick and everything just keeps on going. I guess the best part is that Closeau plays it straight. Well, he at least tries to play it straight. The other characters are much more intellectual and do a better job playing it straight. It's great to see him be confronted by everyone else.Can I just say that the opening animated credits were some of the best I've ever seen? I'm surprised they didn't have, well, the Pink Panther in them. It does get a little slow in the middle, but it all pays off in the end. I realize that I'm not much of a fan of murder mysteries, but what better way than to do a parody of them? Many people do consider this the best in the whole series and of the numerous I have seen, I agree with them. It helps that Peter Sellers as Closeau is so funny. I knew the name Kato was a shout out to the Green Hornet. ***1/2

Peter Sellers can still draw a smile in the role of the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. The scene where he tries to burst down a door where a lady is singing in a recital (thinking her in trouble), only to have the door opened and then flail through the room on his way out of the window opposite and the river below, made me chuckle. That gives you an idea for the physical comedy to expect in this film, some of which works, and some of which has lost its edge over the years. Elke Sommer plays the suspected murderer who Clouseau can't believe has done it because he has the hots for her, but wasn't all that appealing to me. You can certainly do worse, but I doubt you will be blown away either.

"A Shot in the Dark," which followed "The Pink Panther," is considered the second of the popular series. It focuses not at all on the Pink Panther diamond or the Phantom or on Mancini's original music score, but solely on the antics of Inspector Jacques Clouseau. That bungler cannot get through any day without causing some kind of mayhem. Peter Sellers' bumbling but likable inspector always delivers laughs in buckets. In this movie, the Spanish chauffeur of Benjamin Ballon (George Sanders) is found shot to death in Ballon's mansion with the gorgeous maid, Maria Gambrelli (Elke Sommers) literally holding a smoking gun. Miss Gambrelli was having an affair with him. When Clouseau arrives at Ballon's house, he falls into a small pond as he exits his vehicle. As he walks into the house we hear the "squish squish" sound of wet shoes. But he tries to interview folks with his stubborn decorum. All signs point to Maria's guilt, so Inspector Clouseau naturally thinks she is innocent! "We must have the facts, Hercule! We must have the facts!" Naturally he feels that she is "protecting someone." After Miss Gambrelli is allowed to leave jail on several occasions, Clouseau tries unsuccessfully to follow her in various disguises, and concludes getting arrested each time. Meanwhile chaos ensues as the bodies multiply, and Clouseau's actions unknowingly ensure more trouble. Clouseau's immediate superior, Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) is slowly driven insane by Clouseau's antics. Clouseau even winds up in a nudist colony, where Maria and he must drive away without a stitch of clothing! In the film we are introduced to Kato (Burt Kwout), who is Clouseau's housekeeper. One of Kato's duties, is to "attack" Clouseau using judo when the inspector least expects it, to keep his reflexes fresh. So, it should come as no surprise when Kato assails Clouseau even in his bathtub! In the confrontation scene in the end, the feckless Clouseau summons all of the murder suspects in Ballon's spacious Parisian house to reveal the killer(s). Either fracturing the English language or being tongue-tied, Clouseau says a suspect "killed ... in a rit of fealous jage!" George Sanders plays it straight as opposed to the whacked-out Clouseau, making for laugh after laugh. When Peter Seller's created Clouseau, madness reached a new high! There would be sequels.