A Shot in the Dark
…the picture that gets away with murder!
A Shot in the Dark (1964)
Production
Revenue
$12 368 234
Director
Scenario
Composer
Producer
Actors
Peter Sellers
Jacques Clouseau
Elke Sommer
Maria Gambrelli
George Sanders
Benjamin Ballon
Herbert Lom
Charles Dreyfus
Graham Stark
Hercule LaJoy
Moira Redmond
Simone
Tracy Reed
Dominique Ballon
Burt Kwouk
Kato
Short description
Inspector Jacques Clouseau takes on a murder case at the home of millionaire Benjamin Ballon, where the maid Maria Gambrelli is found beside the body of her lover with the apparent weapon in hand. The evidence points to her, and Clouseau's superior, Charles Dreyfus, wants a quick arrest. Clouseau, convinced she is innocent, releases her and follows her instead, hoping she will lead him to the real culprit. Further killings occur, and each time the trail circles back to Maria, while Clouseau's disguises and blunders multiply.
Blake Edwards directed, produced and co-wrote the screenplay with William Peter Blatty. It is the sixth of the twenty-seven films Edwards directed, coming between Days of Wine and Roses and The Great Race. Peter Sellers plays Clouseau, with Elke Sommer as Maria, George Sanders as Ballon, Herbert Lom as Dreyfus, Graham Stark as Hercule LaJoy and Moira Redmond as Simone, among twenty-nine credited cast members.
The film was released in June 1964 and took about 12 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a critics' rating of 8.1 from 33 reviews, while on TMDB it sits at 7.2 from 681 votes, a gap suggesting reviewers responded more warmly than the wider audience. The mystery plot and Sellers's central performance carry a comedy that places the inspector at the centre of a series of investigations.
What's left behind the scenes
- George Sanders (who played Benjamin) informed the actors and crew that anyone who laughed at Peter Sellers (who played Inspector Clouseau) because of his pronunciation would be fined 5 pounds sterling. By the end of production, the total amount of fines reached 200 pounds, which was given to a poor local farmer.
- When Elke Sommer was cast in the role of Maria Gambrelli, she had already signed contracts for two German films. She paid a total of $100,000 in fees to terminate those contracts, after which she signed a three-year contract with MGM.
- According to director, screenwriter, and producer Blake Edwards, a week after filming began, Peter Sellers, who played Inspector Jacques Clouseau, disappeared. He resurfaced a week later, by which time Edwards was ready to kill him. Sellers shared a story about a hotel manager who had a very unusual French accent, which Sellers intended to use for Clouseau. This is how Sellers' portrayal of the inspector acquired his incredible accent.
- The dialogue about "synchronizing watches" was improvised by Peter Sellers and his co-star Graham Stark.
- Peter Sellers and Blake Edwards worked together on several entries in the Pink Panther franchise. However, because "A Shot in the Dark" was full of improvisations, working on the project involved constant arguments. By the end of filming, both vowed never to work with each other again. Despite this, four years later, Edwards directed the comedy "The Party" (1968), starring Sellers in the lead role. After "The Party," there were several more Pink Panther sequels.
- The screenplay was based on the French play "L'Idiot" by Marcel Achar. It was translated into English by Harry Kernitz and titled "A Shot in the Dark." The translation was quite accurate, but Peter Sellers didn't like it and expressed his reluctance to participate in the project. United Artists brought in Blake Edwards as director, writer, and producer to keep Sellers on board. Edwards read the script, decided it would be better to introduce Inspector Jacques Clouseau, and rewrote the screenplay together with William Peter Blatty. The film was released just three months after the original "The Pink Panther" and became its sequel, launching the franchise.
- The car driven by Peter Sellers' character was his own. He later gave the Mini to Blake Edwards.
- Professional musicians played the roles of the naked musicians in the nudist camp. Blake Edwards (the director, screenwriter, and producer) invited them himself while visiting a London jazz club a couple of days before filming began. The musicians were paid 12 pounds sterling for each day of filming. Almost everyone enjoyed participating in the project.
- During a preview screening, the audience was so delighted by the animated opening credits featuring Inspector Clouseau that they gave a standing ovation. The cinema management had to stop the screening so that all the viewers could take their seats.
- The scene in which Inspector Jacques Clouseau runs through a Parisian apartment and then falls out of the window into the Seine was filmed with three cameras. A stunt double was used, of course. He was told to move his legs actively while falling into the water to enhance the comedic effect. Filming took place in one of the MGM studios near London, which featured a huge warm-water pool. Sets representing the first few floors of an apartment building were constructed next to the pool. During the first take, one of the camera operators hesitated, failed to capture everything, and asked for a retake. After a few minutes, during which the stunt double changed into dry clothes, the take was repeated. This time, the director was unsatisfied and requested another retake. It is claimed that the stunt double was paid about 100 pounds sterling for filming this single scene.
- The only Inspector Clouseau film that takes place exclusively in France.
- Walter Matthau played Benjamin on stage (George Sanders portrayed him on screen), and at one time it was assumed that he would be the one to play Inspector Clouseau's partner in the film.
- The role of Maria Gambrelli was initially given to Sophia Loren, but she fell ill and declined to film. The role was then offered to Romy Schneider, but she was busy with other projects. Ultimately, Maria was played by Elke Sommer.
- British actor of Chinese descent Burt Kwok played Kato, a Japanese character. The name Kato was borrowed from 1930s and 1940s radio and television series about the superhero The Green Hornet. In subsequent entries of the franchise, the spelling of the character's name was changed, apparently due to intellectual property issues.
- Jacques Clouseau pays compliments to Maria Gambrelli (played by Peter Sellers and Elke Sommer, respectively) regarding her perfume, to which she replies that he has caught the scent of scented bath oil. A similar explanation appeared in Mark Robson's crime thriller The Prize (1963), where Sommer's co-star was Paul Newman in the role of Andrew Craig.
- During a scene toward the end of the film where everyone is arguing over who had an affair with whom, Peter Sellers at one point turns toward the camera and looks directly into the lens.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
