Not much goes wrong with this movie, a delightful spoof of action-costumer movies. Danny Kaye is an absolute delight as the young rebel impersonating a jester in the court of an evil king (although in this film, his evil is blunted) but mistaken for a hit man. There have been few performers who could light up an entire scene by their mere presence, and Kaye is one of them. Who in this day could do what he did? He could sing, he could dance, and he could make you laugh so hard you could only take liquids the next day. And in this movie he gets a chance to do all three, plus do some swashbuckling! Also along for the ride are the elegant Glynis Johns, who plays his superior in the slight rebel force trying to return the throne to its rightful owner, and Basil Rathbone, who could play the clever, suave cad as good as anyone in movies. Film buffs may remember Rathbone's turn as the Sheriff of Nottingham in 1939's "The Adventures of Robin Hood," which starred the eminent Errol Flynn. In that movie, Rathbone has a memorable sword-fighting scene with Flynn; here, that scene is copied, with Kaye a hilarious stand-in for Errol. This movie is a true delight, a must-see for all ages.

"The Court Jester" is a film that you'll love or you'll dislike--and it really all depends on what you think about Danny Kaye and his verbal humor. What I mean by verbal humor is his tongue-twisting patter...something you really cannot describe and which you need to hear for yourself to understand.

The story appears set in England, but they never say where the story is set and the names are not historical names from this country. When the tale begins, you learn that some time ago some usurper killed off the royal family and grabbed the throne for himself. However, somehow a baby escaped and the resistance want to return the baby to the throne. How did they know the baby was royalty? It has a weird birthmark. Now that is an excellent way to determine who should be king!

Hubert (Danny Kaye) is a part of this resistance. He and his friend (Glynis Johns) hatch a plan--Hubert will impersonate a famous jester who is en route to the kingdom from Italy. Then, he'll kill the king! But in the process the plan keeps changing. First, the royal baby falls into their hands and they must hide it. Second, the princess' maid hypnotizes Hubert and makes him think he's a great hero. What's to come of all this? See the film.

I didn't particularly love the film. Part of it was Kaye's shtick. Much of it was how plastic everything looked. Instead of medieval England, it looked like a Hollywood sound stage complete with colors and costumes that looked like costumes. Perhaps you'll enjoy it...it just seemed a bit shrill and unfunny....and Kaye's done better work. So, your loyalty belongs to the one with a purple mark on his rear. Now THAT'S a great way to run a country!

"The Court Jester" is a film that you'll love or you'll dislike--and it really all depends on what you think about Danny Kaye and his verbal humor. What I mean by verbal humor is his tongue-twisting patter...something you really cannot describe and which you need to hear for yourself to understand.

The story appears set in England, but they never say where the story is set and the names are not historical names from this country. When the tale begins, you learn that some time ago some usurper killed off the royal family and grabbed the throne for himself. However, somehow a baby escaped and the resistance want to return the baby to the throne. How did they know the baby was royalty? It has a weird birthmark on its butt. Now that is an excellent way to determine who should be king!

Hubert (Danny Kaye) is a part of this resistance. He and his friend (Glynis Johns) hatch a plan--Hubert will impersonate a famous jester who is en route to the kingdom from Italy. Then, he'll kill the king! But in the process the plan keeps changing. First, the royal baby falls into their hands and they must hide it. Second, the princess' maid hypnotizes Hubert and makes him think he's a great hero. What's to come of all this? See the film.

I didn't particularly love the film. Part of it was Kaye's shtick. Much of it was how plastic everything looked. Instead of medieval England, it looked like a Hollywood sound stage complete with colors and costumes that looked like costumes. Perhaps you'll enjoy it...it just seemed a bit shrill and unfunny....and Kaye's done better work.