A Shot in the Dark 4K 1964

After the incredible success of the detective comedy The Pink Panther, the sequel was not long in coming: literally a year after the triumphant release of the original film, Blake Edwards set about creating new adventures for the ingeniously clumsy Inspector Clouseau, adding several new characters who would later become key figures in the film series, and much more detective elements than in the first film, as well as reducing the setting from several countries to a small estate, he successfully manages to preserve the spirit and atmosphere of the first film.

In many ways, this film is a very funny and witty parody of the classic detective genre: it clearly contains elements of Agatha Christie's detective stories: Poirot, Miss Marple, and many others...

At the same time, the film's humor is far from silly; there are also quite sharp, sometimes stunning (in the figurative sense of the phrase) jokes and puns. In general, the entire film seems to mock the sometimes discouraging stupidity and short-sightedness of law enforcement officers who are ready to accuse and suspect everyone and everything in order to fulfill their “official” duties, and who are unable to see the seemingly obvious details right in front of their noses.

Despite the fact that the plot of the film does not tie in with the first part, and there is no actual Pink Panther diamond, watching it is not boring at all; I would say it can be watched almost in one breath.

Inspector Clouseau, played by the brilliant and irreplaceable Peter Sellers, still finds himself in silly, awkward, and absurd situations, breaking and destroying everything in his path, and he drives almost everyone he deals with to distraction, but at the same time manages to maintain his composure and charm at an incredibly high level of mastery.

I was very pleased to see the main characters from the subsequent series: Inspector Dreyfus, Clouseau's assistant Cato, and Dreyfus's secretary -François, who will suffer the most from the actions of the hapless detective in the future. Already here, Dreyfus begins to experience his signature “eternal hatred” for Clouseau, and already here, Cato begins to receive his first painful slaps, from which he then barely recovers...

As for the musical accompaniment, everything is in its place here too: as in other parts, our ears are treated to the criminal, piercing, and intriguing melodies of Henry Mancini, which have become one of the main highlights of the entire series.