Former carnival performer Hubert Hawkins and maid Jean are assigned to protect the infant royal heir from tyrannical King Roderick I. 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 an assassin hired by scheming Sir Ravenhurst. When Princess Gwendolyn, falls for Hawkins, a witch secretly aids him in becoming a knight. The Court Jester is arguably one of the grandest pieces of entertainment to come out of the 1950s. It takes so many elements from comedy, action, musical numbers, romance, sense of adventure and so much more, pushing them to their fullest. This film gives that true grand big-screen production aura too, which I simply adore. From towering set pieces, extravagant action segments in the wide open halls of the castle to a clearing in the woods for acrobatic displays, there are plenty of beautiful shots and imagery to draw you in with its immense scope. Equally drawing us in is the use of such bright vibrant colours. With colour beginning to be more present during the 50's, movies like this one made good use of it, showing it in all its glory. There are lush green landscapes, striking rich outfits, bright blue skies and a vast array of more explosive colours to delight our senses. Alongside the overwhelming beauty of this film, another exceptional aspect of this picture is the cast. Naturally, Danny Kaye steals the show displaying a tremendous range of talent with his singing, tongue-twisting dialogue, witty humour, switching between roles in an instant and showing a constant tremendous amount of energy. Kaye's character, Hubert Hawkins, is easily the star both in the sense of story but also as a joyful highlight to follow in this wacky caper. Being a former carnival performer, Hawkins' acrobatic agility is shown in full swing alongside his ability to sing and play. Whilst a musical film, it doesn't quite follow in the footsteps of others where a character would randomly burst into a song out of nowhere, they lead into it in a way that fits with the story or moment. My favourite however doesn't feature in the movie but is played during the opening credits where Hawkins moves and interacts with the text whilst singing about what we are in store for in this adventure. Hawkins is the minstrel to the Black Fox who is thrown into the dangerous task of escorting and caring for a baby who is the rightful heir but is currently hunted by an unjust king. He is accompanied by Jean (played by Glynis Johns) whom he falls for and with her help, they concoct a plan to infiltrate into the castle upon knocking out the king's jester who stumbled upon them. From then on out, the film truly goes wild as Hawkins enters the midst of the lion's den pretending to be Giacomo who turns out was a hired assassin with orders to kill the king by Sir Ravenhurst. There are so many crazy moments that ensue from a bewitchment by the witch Griselda that can be triggered at the snap of a finger, the king's daughter, Princess Gwendolyn (played by Angela Lansbury) thinking he is her one true love, a rival interest in the princess challenging him for her hand and so much more. There are plenty of bewildering moments that are only brought to their full entertainment by the comical Hawkins like the snapping bringing him in and out of a trance on multiple occasions much to his confusion. One of the more iconic segments involves the tongue twister scene involving a poisonous drink with the line, "The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true!" It is such a fun line that is frequently quoted by viewers and is equally made enjoyable by the constant confusion of the words that puts Hawkins in a dilemma. The film excels with its later fights that are so extravagant, with the entire brawl of the Black Fox's men to Hawkins and Ravenhurst's duel that is unbelievably quick and truly a sight to behold. Overall, The Court Jester is a tremendous experience full of wonderfully weird twists and turns, songs, action, romance and comedic attributes. It makes for some brilliant family viewing or a perfect delight to sit back relax and have a few laughs. A true cinematic classic to behold.
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