The Court Jester is a perhaps a hidden gem of the 1950s, the plot is a bit sitcom-esque in its conveniences but I had a blast with the humor and enjoyed the core cast, especially Danny Kaye and his ability to switch personalities on a dime.
The Court Jester
— Paramount Presents —
(1956)
Genre(s): Adventure, Comedy, Musical
Paramount | NR – 101 min. – $29.99 | January 26, 2021
Date Published: 01/20/2021 | Author: The Movieman
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Paramount provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3¾/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Former carnival performer Hubert Hawkins (DANNY KAYE) and maid Jean (GLYNIS JOHNS) are assigned to protect the infant royal heir from tyrannical King Roderick I (CECIL PARKER). While Jean takes the baby to an abbey, Hawkins gains access to the court by impersonating the king’s jester, unaware that the jester is really an assassin hired by scheming Sir Ravenhurst (BASIL RATHBONE). When Princess Gwendolyn (Angela Lansbury), falls for Hawkins, a witch secretly aids him in becoming a knight.
Quick Hit Review: The Court Jester, released in domestically in 1956, was a surprisingly entertaining musical and partial parody of Robin Hood, decades before Robin Hood: Men in Tights. The slapstick comedy, the form of comedy I generally enjoy, was consistently funny thanks to Danny Kaye’s performance, switching personalities at the snap of a finger, literally. Also of note are the two female leads, both lovely actresses with Angela Lansbury and Glynis Johns, whom I was partial to with wonderful charisma opposite Kaye. Add in Basil Rathbone, whom I mostly know as Sherlock Holmes in a variety of features, as the film’s primary antagonist, albeit not altogether bright villain. By today’s standards, hell standards of the 1970s onward, The Court Jester has a sitcom like plot and some overacting at points, however I found it highly enjoyable from beginning to end and appreciate the performances from Danny Kaye and the wonderful Glynis Johns. With this new Blu-ray release, it’s a good time to give this one a shot. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2/5 |
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This is #13 in the Paramount Presents line of releases. Like the others, this comes with a slip cover where the front opens up to show the movie’s original poster art. Unfortunately not exactly a plethora of features, but there is Filmmaker Focus (7:03), an interview with Leonard Maltin and the film’s Theatrical Trailer (2:24). |
VIDEO – 4¾/5 |
| The Court Jester comes to Blu-ray through Paramount and is presented with a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio and given a new 1080p high-definition transfer, which was taken from 6K scan of the original VistaVision negative. There are no notes on if any restoration was done exactly but the picture looks fantastic with excellent detail, vibrant colors and there weren’t any obvious dust marks, film damage, scratches or other flaws so another well done transfer through the Paramount Presents line of releases. |
AUDIO – 4½/5 |
| The movie includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track offering clear dialogue levels and no apparent bouts of pops or hissing and depth for the most part is well balanced, making for a wonderful lossless track. Nothing incredible but for the film’s age, still impressive enough. |
OVERALL – 4/5 |
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The Court Jester is a perhaps a hidden gem of the 1950s, the plot is a bit sitcom-esque in its conveniences but I had a blast with the humor and enjoyed the core cast, especially Danny Kaye and his ability to switch personalities on a dime. This Blu-ray release from the Paramount Presents line offers up great video and audio transfers though features are on the limited side. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.