Product: The Court Jester [VHS] (1956)
Rating: 5.0
Outstanding Dialogue and Physical Comedy
Amazingly funny. Incredibly physical. Written with precision and razor sharp wit. All of these accolades fit perfectly when discussing THE COURT JESTER.Making fun of British royalty in the 1700s, Danny Kaye pulls off a stunningly funny and physical performance. Much of this appreciation, however, must be placed firmly in the laps of writer/directors Melvin Frank and Norman Panama. The dialogue is masterful and shoots from the characters in rapid-fire succession. The infamous "Get it. Got it. Good." as well as the unforgettable "The vessel with the pestle has the pellet with the poison" routine which will most likely have you wetting yourself with laughter.The story, from the get-go, is light and intentionally so. We find young Hawkins (Danny Kaye) singing in the merry forest, pretending to be The Black Fox, a Robinhood-esque fighter against the royal crown. But Hawkins real job is to take care of the true heir to the throne, a baby born from royalty but saved from the slaughter of the now sitting King. And this baby has a birthmark on its royal bottom: the purple pimpernel. Hawkins job is to show the new recruits into The Black Fox's legions the royal bottom with this royal birthmark. But Hawkins craves more excitement, and he's going to get it ...whether its exactly what he wants or not.Trying to find a way into the castle via back-routes, Hawkins, along with his beautiful companion, Maid Jean (Glynis Johns), run across someone known as "The Incomparable Giacomo," King of Jesters and Jester of Kings. He's on his way to the castle to be the King's new court jester. But Maid Jean conks him on the head and Hawkins takes his place.But more trouble is brewing in the castle. Princess Gwendolyn (Angela Landsbury) desires a marriage of love and threatens to jump from the highest tower if she doesn't get it. The King wants her to marry a gruff and ugly German beast, but once Gwendolyn sets her eyes on Hawkins/Giacomo, she wants him. With the help of her hypnotizing consort Griselda (Mildred Natwick), Hawkins is snapped in and out of a dashing personality and back into his more mundane life so often it makes one dizzy to even think about it!Giacomo/Hawkins is also supposed to kill off the King and his advisors in a plan devised by Sir Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone), so that Sir Ravenhurst can assume the throne. Hawkins knows nothing about this, but his alter-ego/hypnotized Giacomo does.Battling multiple personalities within himself, the love of Maid Jean, the advances of Princess Gwendolyn, the murdering schemes of Sir Ravenhurst, and his loyalty to the purple pimperneled bottomed baby, the story culminates as Hawkins battles the deadly German who's ten times his size in a show of knightly honor that is magnetic.The Court Jester and much of its crisp and hilarious dialogue are still heard today. Truly a credit to the writers of this now 52-year-old flick.