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'A Shot in the Dark' 4K UHD Review

Updated: Jan 31

Physical Media Release Date: 01/13/26.

Label: Kino Lorber.

Form of Release: 4K UHD.

The Verdict: A Must-Buy


The second movie in the classic Pink Panther series of crime comedies, A Shot in the Dark is a brilliant re-teaming of director/co-writer Blake Edwards and star Peter Sellers — at his hilarious best as the fearlessly dedicated yet haplessly distracted Inspector Clouseau. Accidentally assigned to a high-profile murder case at a wealthy estate, the fuddled French detective immediately falls head over heels — when not falling out of windows and into ponds! — for the prime suspect, beautiful parlor maid Maria Gambrelli (Elke Sommer). There’s no lengths Clouseau won’t go to in championing Maria as innocent, from disobeying his ferociously furious boss Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) to disrobing at a nudist colony. But when more and more murders occur, will the Inspector himself stay alive long enough to solve the baffling case? George Sanders and Tracy Reed co-star along with — marking their series debuts — Pink Panther fan favorites Graham Stark, Andre Maranne, and karate-chopping Burt Kwouk.

Technical Review:

For it's 4K UHD debut, A Shot in the Dark is presented in its original 2:35:1 aspect ratio, taken from a brand new HDR/Dolby Vision transfer created from a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative. Kino Lorber's restoration preserves the integrity of the original vision of the film with minimal cases of scratches and tears present. In comparison to all other physical releases of the film, this is by far the most superior in terms of both audio and visual.


Once again when it comes to previous releases, the audio is hardly comparable to the other outings. With a lossless 2.0 dual mono soundtrack and a 5.1 surround soundtrack, every aspect of the audio from the dialogue, sound mix and score are the clearest they've ever been with some noticeable distortion that comes with age.


Special Features:

  • Audio commentary by Jason Simos of The Peter Sellers Appreciation Society

  • Back to the Start - Origin of The Pink Panther with Walter Mirisch: Featurette (23:10) HD

  • Blake Edwards and Julie Andrews on The Dick Cavett Show (7:06) SD

  • Five Theatrical Trailers (9:54) SD


Rotten Tomatoes Scores:

  • Tomatometer: 94% (as of 01/13/26)

  • Popcornmeter: 86% (as of 01/13/26)


Physical Release Specs & Other Details:

  • MPAA: PG

  • Runtime: 101 minutes

  • Original Release: 1964


Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265

Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)

HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1


Audio

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)


Subtitles

English SDH.


Discs

4K Ultra HD

Blu-ray Disc

Two-disc set (1 BD-100, 1 BD-50)


Digital

Not Included


Packaging

Slipcover in Original Packaging

Reversible Cover


Playback

4K Blu-ray: Region free

2K Blu-ray: Region A

Positives and Negatives

+ Positive Critical and Audience Reception

+ A Peter Sellers Classic

+ A Sequel Just as Good As the Last

+ Original Director Returns

+ x04 Special Features

+ Audio Commentary

+ Reversible Cover

- NO Digital Code Included

 
 
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