The Court Jester [1956] | ![The Court Jester [1956]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51R8HMRXkCL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Directors: Melvin Frank, Norman Panama
Actors: Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury, Cecil Parker
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: £9.99
Buy New: £4.97
You Save: £5.02 (50%)
New (9) Used (1) from £4.97
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 1730
Format: Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region: 2
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 97 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5014437921239
ASIN: B000KRNN16
Theatrical Release Date: 1956
Release Date: March 12, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Danny Kaye spoofs Robin Hood and Scaramouche in this inventive slapstick swashbuckler. Portraying the clownish but good-hearted entertainer Hawkins, he infiltrates the court of the corrupt Basil Rathbone (up to his usual brand of cruel villainy) disguised as the legendary king of jesters, Giacomo. After a court sorceress hypnotises Hawkins into believing he is also a legendary assassin, Hawkins has more identities than he can keep straight, and Kaye zips back and forth between them at, literally, a snap of the fingers. Comic highlights include a wonderful sword fight with Rathbone in which he constantly switches identities, and the classic "chalice from the palace/vessel with pestle" wordplay as Hawkins plays "hide the poison" and forgets where it is. With comely Glynis Johns as his spy-in-arms love interest, Angela Lansbury as the scheming princess, and Mildred Natwick as the dotty spellcaster, this is Danny Kaye at his comic best. --Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 The Vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true! September 29, 2007
Mr. Stephen Kennedy (Doha, Qatar)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
One of Danny Kaye's finer hours, this farce stands the test of time pretty well. Kaye was the Jim Carrey of his time - if you don't like his pratfalling style of physical comedy once, you won't ever like it - but even if not a fan of his particular brand of tomfoolery, the verbal patter alone is worth the price of admission.
The plot should be brushed over - it's intricate and daft as a good farce should be, revolving around mistaken identities and wooing the girl, and multiple characters up to nefarious deeds. Complications arise when Kaye tries to pretend he is the Jester, and is then hypnotised to believe he is a great swordsman and lover, and changes between identities at the snap of a finger. It is the wonderful script that makes the difference, particularly in Kaye's verbally dextrous moments. This is the movie that first did the `The vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true, the chalice from the palace has the pellet with the poison' sketch, which is still classic these many years later. However, there are plenty of other classic scenes such as `When the Doge did his duty and the Duke didn't, that's when the Duchess did the dirt to the Duke with the Doge.' speech, and any scenes with the incomparable Basil Rathbone - still the dashing figure and fencer even at 63.
Support from the brilliant Cecil Parker as the King and even Angela Lansbury as the King's daughter elevate proceedings to make this worth watching, as all of the cast are faultless in their comic timing.
In vivid Technicolour, and with a clean print and clear sound, this is a great buy - shame it is presented as a vanilla disc (no extras) but even so, worth acquiring for repeated viewing. This is the quintessential light hearted and high spirited swashbuckler spoof, with appeal to both kids and adults.
The Brew that is True!! February 17, 2007
londo mollari (Scotland)
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
This is one of those films that stays in your psyche as nothing more than pure fun and entertainment and when seen again does not disappoint. Anyone who recalls the phrases "the pellet with the poison/the vessel with the pestle/flagon with the dragon/chalice from the palace" will remember how funny this delightful Danny Kaye vehicle can be.
Yes, Kaye at his least annoying and most endearing in a colourful period comedy with lots of memorable scenes and a typically wonderful villainous performance from the inimitable Basil Rathbone. So throw away those old grainy VHS copies taped from analogue tv and bask in sumptuous digitally restored (we hope!) technicolor and enjoy what Leonard Maltin called "one of the best comedies ever made"! A classic - Enjoy!!
Danny Kaye's sublime "Court jester." January 29, 2005
Isolde Jane Holland (Hudson Valley, New York, USA)
21 out of 23 found this review helpful
This 1956 classic is widely considered to be Kaye's most
inventive and sustained feature. The Robin Hood type parody
of the swashbuckling genre is tailor-made for Kaye's unique
comic gifts for patter, tongue-twisters and slapstick. In
fact, he received a special honorary Oscar for this performance.
Oscar does occasionally get it right. Danny plays Hawkins, a member of a group of forest rebels
who are protecting the infant heir to the throne from the
usurper King Roderick. To overthrow him Hawkins must infiltrate
the palace and court disguised as Giacomo, King of Jesters
and Jester of Kings. Once within the palace, the somewhat timid and awkward
Hawkins is hypnotized by court enchantress Griselda (Mildred
Natwick) into believing himself to be a bold and fearless
master swordsman and cunning assassin. A finger snap is
Hawkins trigger to switch to his bold new persona,
and naturally the ensuing scenes have more inopportune snaps than a revival of West side story. In these scenes Kaye displays rare comic finesse, switching
instantaneously between cringing incompetence and
swaggering, emboldened valor. There is an impressive fencing scene with the villianous
Sir Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone, often called Hollywood's
greatest fencer ever). After Rathbone hung up his Sherlock
Holmes deerstalker, he went on to perfect the character of
the elegant, aquilline evildoer. I always thought he deserved
a knighthood for real. In another uproarious scene, Hawkins entertains banquet
guests with the complex, dazzling word-play of "The Jester's lament", because "...a Jester unemployed is nobody's Fool." The opposition faction is anxious to knight Hawkins
so that they can kill him properly in tournament. To this
end there is a farcical, warp speed knighting ceremony
that kids just adore. If any scene can cause them to utter
such unthinkable blashpemies as,"This guy is almost as funny
as Jim Carrey!" this will be the scene that does it.
Yea, verily, yea. Angela Lansbury is the bored, restless Princess
Gwendolyn the Fair, who dallies with Hawkins to escape
an unwanted betrothal. And back in 1956, the comfy auntie
from "Murder, she wrote" was what is generally called a
major babe. But Hawkins true love is fellow resistance operative
Maid Jean, played by luscious, warbly-voiced Glynnis Johns.
Cornered by an amorously inclined King Roderick, Jean
cleverly extricates herself by referring to the recent deaths
of her entire family from the dreaded Breckenridge's Scourge,
impishly recalling how,"I saw their swollen, twisted,
pain-ridden bodies writhing on the floor in agony. But let
us not spoil this moment. Kiss me, Sire!" For the rest of
the picture he recoils automatically at the sight of her." The tournament is a sort of David and Goliath encounter,
only with silk pennants and cup bearing pages. Hawkins is
not optimistic about his chances of prevailing against the
"...grim, grisly, gruesome Sir Griswold" played by burly
Robert Middleton. But the sorceress levels the playing field
considerably by putting a pellet of poison in the chalice
from the palace. Or was it the flagon with the dragon...?
Jest Wonderful February 7, 2004
Peter Reeve (Thousand Oaks, CA USA)
22 out of 22 found this review helpful
Possibly the funniest musical comedy ever made. Even if you are not a Danny Kaye fan, you should try this film. Don't be put off by the opening sequence, which looks rather dated now. The film contains some excruciatingly funny scenes, including the classic "Flagon with the dragon" routine. This is Kaye at his brilliant best.
The story (set in a mediaeval England which cheerfully makes no attempt at historical accuracy) is remarkably solid and complex, which helps maintain the film's brisk pace.
So when you are in the mood for some good old-fashioned fun, put your feet up and summon "The Court Jester".
Update: I saw this DVD again recently and I think I was too mean with my original 4 stars. This is a 5-star classic.
King of Jesters, and Jester to the King... January 23, 2003
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
I can't say enough about this film. Danny Kaye was a comic genius and this, by no means, is not just another one of those channel 4 films they put on at Christmas to fill the gaps.
Kaye's humour is so appealing, and this Jester is truly happy to make a fool out of himself. The Court Jester is a lively, colourful, musical comedy and will make you smile every time you think of it. Just remember, the vessel with the pestle has the pellet with the poison, the flagon with the dragon has the brew that is true. Or does it...?
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