Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

A Shot in the Dark
1964
*****
Director: Blake Edwards
Cast: Peter Sellers, Elke Sommer, George Sanders, Herbert Lom, Burt Kwouk, Tracy Reed

There's no Pink Panther in the title but this is the second film in the series, and by far the best one. At a posh Parisian home a man has been shot and his lover is found at the scene with a smoking gun. Inspector Clouseau is immediately enamoured by the woman, and the only one convinced of her innocence. This was released only a few months after The Pink Panther, but Sellers has now perfected the character's accent and buffoonery with hilarious results. The story is adapted from Marcel Achard's stage play L'Idiote, which didn't feature Clouseau. Followed by The Return of the Pink Panther in 1975.