Product: The Court Jester [VHS] (1956)
Rating: 5.0
Definitely one of my top 5 favorite movies
This movie is among my top 5 (I've only figured out one other of them, which is Snowball Express--see my review on it if you'd like). This movie is extremely funny, and what's nice is that it doesn't have the feeling of just making fun of previous movies like Errol Flynn's Adventures of Robin Hood. It's a spoof, but it's not got the copy-cat flavor of one. There are too many absurd things on the movie for me to mention here, and for me, every single one was funny--none of them seemed stupid, because all the characters treat the subject matter so seriously. I think comedy is funniest when the characters themselves take the silly situation seriously! The Court Jester is the kind of role Danny Kaye was perfect in: a nervous person thrown into danger. But his role has so much originality that it doesn't even feel like "just another Danny Kaye role". Occasionally a comic actor like Bob Hope or Danny Kaye is in a movie which is extraordinarily suited for him, where he can maximize his specialties, like Danny Kaye's tongue twisters or Bob Hope's bravado. This movie is one such case. GET IT IF YOU WANT TO LAUGH!