Watch It: A Shot in the Dark

Today's Queue de Grâce installment, A Shot in the Dark (1964), returns us to Paris, France, this time to solve a murder.*  Again, Geza was working, but the kids and I settled down for a rainy afternoon with Inspector Clouseau, as played by the mad genius chameleon actor: Peter Sellers.

 

*I swear, none of my kids did it. They all have rock solid alibis.

Blake Edwards directed this second film in the Pink Panther series, which will not disappoint fans of Inspector Clouseau and his commisioner-enraging ways. The story begins with a murder in a mansion, and the intrepid Inspector must find the murderer, even if the culprit might be the pretty parlor maid he likes. In execution of his job, Clouseau seemingly does nothing right, bumbling cartoonishly into one awkward situation after another. 

This movie cracked the little kids up with all of the splashy crashy falling, but there are pretty constant adult themes throughout. Cole dished it up for us because he knows we're "European."  It's still quite tame compared with many things kids watch these days, but if you're avoiding all of that as well, consider yourselves warned.

 This movie was extraordinary. It was a funny, grown-up movie. I'm not going to say a lot about it, but if you're trying to keep your children weak, than I think you should watch this by yourself.  This movie is grownup in a French way. 

A bully with a hat shot the sky. And sky was dead. Everybody was naked. They were playing music.




My favorite scenes of a Shot in the Dark are when Kato (played by Burt Kuok) attacked Inspector Clouseau; popping out when the Inspector would least expect it, to help keep his instincts sharp. I loved seeing these two actors together in these moments, imagining the outtakes.

 Something I noticed about this movie: There were a lot of parts that seemed oddly quiet to me and now I know why, it didn't have as much background music as movies nowadays. In current films, the actors have to say their lines with some kind of jauntiness, but back then, the conversation seemed very natural. No so "produced." Also, they end naturally instead of ending with some big flairy catch-phrase. It's kind of like watching a play on TV, only with bigger more realistic-looking sets.

 Good eye, Henry! How astute of you to notice that its style seemed born of the theater. The original screenplay was, in fact, based on an adaptation of a French play, "L'Idiote," by Marcel Archard.



Confession time: Mae didn't really say any of that. I've just been dying to make a joke like that all week. She sort of lost interest in A Shot in the Dark. once the opening credits cartoon ended. I can't blame her, I used to feel the same way about the Pink Panther movies when I was a kid.

Watch It: Our week of Queue de Grâce

Fall is upon us! Just like that! Summer evaporated quickly here, with the birthdays of two boys. and suddenly we were all up in it. Soccer practice, Halloween plans, winter garden preparation, there's a chicken coop in the works; we need another project like we need a Cole in the head.

Our long-time family friend, musician, book boss, role model, and proud owner of the biggest cranium I've ever seen hatted, Cole Roulain, writes an excellent blog for grown-ups who like solid, thoughtful writing on the subject of film, vitagraph, american. If you're over the age of 18, or an exceptionally punk rock minor, give it a look. You won't be sorry.

One of the features on vitagraph, american is the "queue de grâce." Cole hands control of his viewing choices over to a friend for a week, and writes about each of the mandated selections. Often, this is a chance for him to illuminate films that may be obscure, misunderstood, or forgotten; sometimes it is used as an opportunity to force Cole to write at length about a Meg Ryan movie.*

*For those of you too young to know who Meg Ryan is, or why her movies might be hard for a fan of quality cinema to watch, consider yourselves lucky.  Run! 

I like to read his opinion on movies I've watched, because he brings a point of view that I can relate to, even if it's different from my own. Friends who make things and work hard to do them well are one of the best things to have in your life. They always make you think, which is never a bad thing, no matter what you may have heard.

Occasionally, someone is brave enough to allow Cole to choose their week's movies, which they write about. As a result, people from all backgrounds weigh in on a subject they might never have discussed publicly, having seen films chosen for them by a guy who really knows his stuff. Thomas took the challenge, and is a better man for it. He still mentions Godzilla. That wasn't just going to happen on its own.

When we accepted that summer was really gone, and we were certainly headed for colder darker days, we saw a chance to get in on some of this sweet queue action. I asked Cole to make a list of movies suitable for a family, a first for him, I believe. For seven consecutive days, in whatever grouping of parents and children we can manage, we will watch one movie per day, beginning next Monday, October 8. Each day, we will write about it, here, and I do mean "we." I plan to get input from any family member who will talk to me. It might get incomprehensible, but it promises to be interesting.

I present, our queue, all of which are streaming on Netflix:
The Mummy (1932)
The Red Balloon (1956)
A Town Called Panic (2009)
Go West (1925)
A Shot in the Dark (1964)
Raising Arizona (1987)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

So, tend to any last minute errands, and stock up on popcorn, because you only have a few days before the lights dim and the curtain rises on a week of watching it.*

*and writing about it, and perhaps grinding popcorn crumbs into it, and then probably vacuuming it.

Stay tuned!