Rating: 
Summary: So funny your cheeks will ache from laughing!!
Review: This is one of Danny Kaye's best. He was so talented and his comic timing is impeccable. The "chalice from the palace" scene is so funny that I have not forgotten it over the years. This movie will get you out of the blues in no time.
Rating: 
Summary: DANNY KAYE, A VERY TALENTED GUY.
Review: "The Court Jester" is one of the most original comedies that one can see: the film combines quick dialogues, physical stunts and tricks, very original jokes, screwball, slapstick and really memorable characters. Without a doubt Danny Kaye was one of the most resourceful comedians in the comedy universe, he sang with style and humor, he performed physical stunts, he said light-speed dialogues and jokes, well, he had the profile of a possible fifth Marx Brother."The Court Jester" has characters that can make that the audience feels comfortable, interested and identified with them. Besides, most of the scenes have at least one very funny and imaginative sequence. Danny Kaye really is one of the most underrated comedic actors, and really was a talented guy. "The Court Jester" is recommendable for those who enjoy classic comedies.
Rating:
Summary: King of jesters
Review: Danny Kaye: multi-talented, cute as a button with his red hair and long dimples, funny and absolutely adorable with children. Too bad Hollywood had him play similar roles through his career: kind, shy, a bit weird sometimes but always good-natured and ready to sing (in multiple pseudo-languages) and dance. Even if you sometimes find his work a bit irritating or too expectable because of this, you might like this movie. Here he is doing the same again, this time with a bit more panache. Hubert Hawkins (Kaye) lives in the woods with outlaws taking care of the real king, still a baby. Hawkins is reduced to being the nanny, but wishes to be a hero. And he finally gets his chance, when the king has to be transfered. Unfortunately the new king wants to have a ball and his men are looking for pretty wenches to attend it, so Hawkins' companion (Glynis Johns) gets taken. Also Hawkins makes a mistake when looking for his contact inside the castle and starts making plans with one of the greatest villains (and Sherlocks), Basil Rathbone. Alan Rickman -fans: if you still don't know Rathbone, check this one out, you might like him, too. The princess (Angela Lansbury) has been waiting for a prince that would take him away, and she takes a fancy to Hawkins, who arrives disguised as the new jester, straight from Italian court - the best place to court Italians. He is mixed up in several plots and gets hypnotized like that *snap* in and out all the time, without knowing what's happening. So the mess is ready - and the king, the baby with the purple pimpernel, is still in the castle, in danger of being found out... The movie is absolutely one of the best Kaye made, colourful, fast, hilarious, with wonderful word-games. Still it is a pity he never really got to try on a different kind of a role, something with some depth. But one must work and in his (or Sylvia Fine's) own words: "A jester unemployed is nobody's fool!"
Rating:
Summary: Get it? Got it. Good.
Review: The Cout Jester is my favorite movie ever! I laugh every time i see it, and laugh even more when i try saying the tounge-twisters! Great Great Great! funny songs, funny characters, funny everyhing! Even the coustumes are great! During this movie, the 'court jester' becomes a deaf old man, the princess' lover, a grand swordsman, and knight, and, of course, a court jester! Watch this movie... you'll thank me. And as they say in the movie... Get it? Got it. Good.
Rating:
Summary: Craziness
Review: I've lost my mind and memorized the main Court Jester song where he discusses how he came to be a jester. Kaye makes you wonder about how in the world he keeps all of his tongue-twisting lines straight. I love the acrobatic midgets in this film. I don't know who said, "Hmmm, let's put a troop of acrobatic midgets in this," but it came out great!
Rating:
Summary: The Pellet With the Poison's In the Vessel With the Pestle!
Review: Danny Kaye's best, and easily one of the top ten funniest movies ever made. Kaye is more or less the mascot clown of the Black Fox's band of merry men (a Robin Hood-ish bunch in the woods), who conspire to place the true infant king on the throne in place of the country's present pretender. Kaye is in charge of delivering the infant safely to underground members in the palace, and gains entry by knocking out Giacomo, "King of Jesters, and Jester of Kings," who Kaye doesn't realize is already an impostor - the real Giacomo was replaced by the world's most famous assassin, hired by evil court intriguers led by sinister knight Basil Rathbone. The king's daughter (Angela Lansbury, at her youngest and most beautiful) believes Kaye is her great secret love, come to "take her away from all this," and her personal attendant (who is a witch) hypnotizes Kaye into becoming the greatest swordsman in the land to win her affections. Everyone takes Kaye to be someone he isn't, and of course by the end of the picture Rathbone is foiled, the faux king is deposed, Lansbury gets her Prince Charming, and Kaye delivers the infant king and gets the girl. What elevates this above any average musical comedy (it goes without saying that Kaye sings a lot of very funny, rapid-patter songs) is the lickety-split script and flawless performances from the entire cast. Except for a rather slow beginning, this movie shoots out of a gun at lightning speed and never slows down. So many famous comedy routines came from this movie, that people quote from them all the time without realizing this was their source. The "pellet with the poison" routine is the most famous of them, and the funniest of them all. Kaye turning into the greatest swordsman in the land at the snap of a finger - and back into a cravenly coward at the next snap - is hysterical. His one-day-wonder knighthood - done in order that he may accept a duel from a knight whom he has offended - has so many comic bits in it, it's hard to pick one to mention, but probably the most famous is the cranking-up of the speed of the slow, solemn obligation: "Is...he read-y...to take...the sol-emn vows...of no-ble knight-hood...? Yea, ver-i-ly, yea...yea, ver-i-ly yea...!" Be warned, this movie is more addictive than Monty Python. You can watch it dozens of times, and still laugh every bit as hard at every old bit, each time.
Rating:
Summary: Best movie ever made EVER!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I can not recomend this movie enough! It's fantastic for adults and kid's alike. It's my family's favorite movie. It' Danny Kaye's BEST EVER MOVIE, and will not fail to make you laugh again and again. Danny play's Hawkins who works for the black fox, a group of rebels living in the forrest with a mission to restore the rightful King ( a baby ) to the throne. It becomes a case of mistaken identities and one hilarious scene after another.I don't want to say to much an spoil it, just buy it and you will never regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Laughter? Comedy? Yea, Verily, Yea...
Review: Yea, verily, yea; in days of old when knights were bold, and intrigue was a staple of the Royal Court, there were Utopias usurped, kings killed, querulous queens, knights knighted, dukes daily doing whatever it is dukes do and ladies forever in waiting. And in every court there was also a fool; a merrymaker, an entertainer, one with access to the royal ear and often a doer of different kinds of deeds, such as the one portrayed in "The Court Jester," directed by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank. Danny Kaye stars as Hubert Hawkins, an entertainer by trade, who due to circumstances within his control becomes jester to the court of King Roderick I (Cecil Parker). Roderick, however, is a false king, sitting upon the throne in the stead of the real heir to the throne, still a baby, who bears the undisputable truth of his birthright in a birthmark of a scarlet pimpernel upon his backside. And yea, verily, yea, the intrigue mounts as Sir Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone) jostles for position within the court, while a rebel known as the "Black Fox" (Edward Ashley), along with his beautiful daughter, the Maid Jean (Glynis Johns), and his band of merry men attempt to install the true king to the throne. While in the midst of it all, there is Hawkins, now known as "Giacomo, king of jesters, and jester of kings," proving beyond the shadow of a doubt that in the end, it is laughter that is, indeed, the Ruler of any court. Co-directors Frank and Panama deliver a real gem with this delightful comedy, bringing the story to life with humor, music and song, and creating some truly memorable moments along the way. From the "Initiation of Knighthood" sequence, to the famous tongue-twisting "The vessel with the pestle has the pellet with the poison, the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true" scene, to Kaye crooning a lullaby to a baby, this film is rich with humor and song that has an innocence and purity about it that makes it readily accessible to any audience. This is humor that runs deep; humor with a heart and soul you'll want to embrace. Simply put, this is terrific stuff; the timing-- especially by Kaye-- is impeccable, the delivery is perfect and the jokes work. The real key to the success of this movie is, of course, the multi-talented Danny Kaye, who sings, dances, jokes and mugs his way through one of his best performances ever. And what makes Kaye so good, and so special, is the "spirit" of his performance, the sense of joy he emanates while proffering his talents. He gives so completely of himself, so entirely and so honestly, that he's just an absolute joy to watch. You'll never find a false moment in his performance either, and that's something that is discernible in his eyes; it's that twinkle of laughter and love in his eyes that separates and elevates him from so many other performers, in whom you will often find a pretentiousness upon close scrutiny. That's something you will never find in Danny Kaye, a consummate entertainer who obviously loved what he was doing, and was able to successfully convey it to his audience. He was unquestionably unique; a true one-of-a-kind. The lovely Glynis Johns brings beauty and vitality to her role of Jean, acquitting herself quite nicely alongside Kaye's abundant antics. Though not a part that stretched the limits of her considerable talents, she creates a credible character and most importantly, she makes a nice fit with her co-star and lends a beguiling presence to the film. A nice bit of work by Johns, who some eight years later would create one of her most memorable roles, that of Mrs. Banks in "Mary Poppins." Basil Rathbone is a delight, as well, in a role that is essentially a parody of others he's played, specifically his Sir Guy of Gisbourne in "The Adventures of Robin Hood," opposite Errol Flynn. The success of his Ravenhurst, however, lies in the fact that he plays him straight, without a hint of the humor or parody inherent in the character as presented within the context of this story. It goes without saying that he is perfectly cast here, and his swashbuckling duel with a bewitched Giacomo is a lark. Also turning in a notable performance, in a role that is minor, yet integral to the story, is Angela Lansbury, as the king's daughter, Princess Gwendolyn. It's a part that demands little more of her than being beautiful and charming, and she succeeds on both accounts. Her screen time is fairly limited, but it's enough to leave an impression, and a good one at that. The supporting cast includes Mildred Natwick (Griselda), Robert Middleton (Sir Griswold), Michael Pate (Sir Locksley), Herbert Rudley (Captain of the Guard), Noel Drayton (Fergus), John Carradine (Giacomo), Alan Napier (Sir Brockhurst), Lewis Martin (Sir Finsdale) and Patrick Aherne (Sir Pertwee). A fun, feel-good film, "The Court Jester" is a virtual showcase for the versatile Danny Kaye, and he responds with an unforgettable performance. This is true comedy at it's best, and proves overwhelmingly that a movie doesn't have to be hip, crude, rude or vulgar to inspire real laughter. Most of the "comedies" produced in the past decade or so wouldn't even make it to the bottom of the chart this one tops. For some real laughs, just call for a Kaye comedy: Completely conducive to contemporary conviviality. Get it? Got it. Good. Yea, verily, yea. It's the magic of the movies.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best . . .
Review: I first saw The Court Jester as a young boy growing up in rural Michigan. With not much to do, or watch, I quickly became a fanatic; I would watch the tape continuously. About the sixtieth or so viewing the picture began to degrade and the audio started weaning in and out (the tape I had came from my grandfather and was already about five years old when I got my hands on it). With a flair for preservation, and little knowledge of "Tape Stores", I decreed that I would only watch the movie once a year. So for about six years I went with only six views of the film. Then, on a rainy day in March I had a revelation. I was surfing the web, which I usually only used for looking at girlie pictures, when I stumbled upon an amazing site called Amazon.com. In an act of sheer genius the website had compiled a list of movies, books, and cds, from around the world and put them up for sale. I quickly searched for "The Court Jester" and was stunned to find not only did they have a VHS copy but a DVD copy as well! I pulled out my credit card and purchased it right there. Since that date I have been enjoying The Court Jester, digitally remastered, and with dolby digital surround sound.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, not great DVD.
Review: This is the greatest comedy ever made. It deserves better treatment than it was given by this DVD. The colours are not as good as the video version. There are no interviews, no "the making of", no real special features at all. Why was Angela Lansbury not interviewed for this? She narrates the special features for The Wizard of Oz and she wasn't even in that movie! Could no one be found who is still alive to discuss this picture? This film deserves much more attention & credit than it has received.
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