Product: The Court Jester [VHS] (1956)
Rating: 5.0
"A jester unemployed is nobody's fool!"
Danny Kaye's 1956 "The Court Jester" is a deliciously funny, unapologetically silly spook of all "Robin Hood"-esque films. Widely considered to be one of Kaye's best films, it costars a shockingly youthful Angela Lansbury and Glynis Johns ("Marry Poppins".)The engaging (and continuously entertaining) plot centers around the good-natured yet hopelessly clumsy Hawkins (Kaye) whom is elected to infiltrate the court of Sir Ravenhurst (Basil Rathborne), who has usurped the rightful King (a small baby with a purple pimpernel on his rear) by the Robin Hood clone, The Black Fox (Edward Ashley). Hawkins, a member of the Fox's band, is sent to obtain the key to the King's secret tunnel so that The Black Fox can carry out his mission under the alias of a Court Jester named Giacamo. Nonstop laughter and absolute comic genius ensues.This uproarious and good-natured slapstick swashbuckler will have you clutching your sides with laughter. There are some truly classic moments in here that will have you quoting it months after viewing. The witty banter between characters and clever wordplay makes this a unique and unforgettable film. Watching "The Court Jester" made me nostalgic for Old-Hollywood when comedies were this funny, accessible, and inoffensive and movie stars were as genuinely talented, charming, and lovable as Danny Kaye.Hawkins: I've got it! I've got it! The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true! Right?Griselda: Right. But there's been a change: they broke the chalice from the palace!Hawkins: They *broke* the chalice from the palace?Griselda: And replaced it with a flagon.Hawkins: A flagon...?Griselda: With the figure of a dragon.Hawkins: Flagon with a dragon.Griselda: Right.Hawkins: But did you put the pellet with the poison in the vessel with the pestle?Griselda: No! The pellet with the poison's in the flagon with the dragon! The vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true!Hawkins: The pellet with the poison's in the flagon with the dragon; the vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true.Griselda: Just remember that.