The Court Jester

theriverjordan5.0

If there is a man that would do anything for, it is Danny Kaye in “The Court Jester.”If there is a man I would marry up on sight, it is Danny Kaye in “The Court Jester.”If there is a perfect specimen of manhood, it’s Danny Kaye in “The Court Jester.”When Dame Angela Lansbury said, “If you harm one hair on [Danny Kaye in “The Court Jester’s”] majestic head she would throw herself from the highest turret, she was right. It’s simply impossible to watch Melvin Frank and Norman Panama’s “The Court Jester” without falling head over heels for Kaye, and the film itself. Serendipity simultaneously conspires for and against Kaye’s royal clown. Even language itself seems in on the play, providing ample ammo of alliteration all throughout. As endlessly quotable as it is endearing, “Court Jester” is so accomplished in its parody of Medieval fantasy adventures, it defined its own genre offshoot that stills sees regular entries, and imitators, to this day. It’s not just that the jokes and dialogue are one playfully immortal quip after another. It’s that, by being a parody that spurns the temptation to lean on the cheap gag of the ironic anachronism, “Court Jester’s” comedy becomes eternal. There are always allegations that comedy ages poorly, causing the vast majority of major canon classic films to be heavy works of drama. Rather though, it’s comedy reliant on the grace of its own moment of inception that ages poorly. One can assume, for example, that the many pop culture littered one liners in so many superhero films today will only elicit confusion and not laughs from future generations. “Court Jester,” though, does not yank its jolly band of colourful characters out of their own time period to make its humor. Certainly, the way of speaking in the film is contemporary, but the hijinks of sword fights and spells and maidans fierce and fair is within the context of its knightly setting.That’s not to say that… I wouldn’t wait a few centuries for the jester to reach modern times, if it meant marrying Danny Kaye. Get it? Got it? Good. Warm Fuzzies Winter Golden Age Musicals

Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine4.0

A musical parody that riffs on the Medieval set movies and Robin Hood that easily enters the pantheon of the greatest of its kind along with other classics such as The Princess Bride and Shrek. The music has a really nice charm to it, kind of reminded me of that of Mary Poppins with plenty of humor and word play. The set designs and cinematography leave it clear that this is set on a stage room, but this actually adds to the charm and almost meta, self-aware nature of the film. The writing is so wit and many of the humor lands so well, in large part, thanks to the cast, especially a powerhouse performance by Danny Kaye who’s hitting all cylinders with abundant amount of magnetic charm that draws you in from the get-go. His comedic timing is incredibly on point and his singing talent is delightful. The rest of the cast also delivers Glynis Johns expressiveness and certain actions were priceless and were the source of plenty of probably unintentional laughs.All in all, an entertaining film that works really well as both a musical and a spoof, delivering on both fronts with great excellence. TODAY SCHEDULE2019: After the Fall of New YorkLaws of GravityThe Court JesterThunderheart

Kerry Maxwell4.0

A perfectly silly Robin Hood-esque parody; with silly wordplay, silly songs, silly sight gags, and lot's of colorfully costumed little people. Danny Kaye is delightful and charming, Glynis Johns makes my knees wobble, and it's mid-50's Technicolor is gorgeous. Delightful family fun.