Review of The Court Jester (1955) by Erik R — 12 Jan 2014

I almost didn't watch this movie. I started it up, and the grainy & oversaturated hues always found in such older films made me grumble. I find I have to be in the mood for older films, which are patently different than the films of today. Not just in look/cinematography but in acting & script as well. But I silenced my grumblings with the proper application of a whiskey sour and got on with it.

Boy jolly gee am I glad I did! That is, I fucking loved it.

The Court Jester is a mistaken-identity comedy and a spoof of chivalry films, especially the likes of Robin Hood, but without the more grotesque / anarchic elements found in the equally wonderful Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail. It's certainly 'family fare' but don't let that cause you to doubt its hilarity and sophistication.

The script, and most of the gags, are nothing short of hilarious. Basically the plot is thus: there's an usurper king on the throne. Hubert Hawkins (played by Danny Kaye) is a member of a rebel organization attempting to reinstate the 'proper' king, who is just a baby. They're having a tough time of things, though they have a plan: if they could manage to enter the secret backdoor of the castle, they could overthrow the usurper king with only a handful of men. The only problem is that this secret backdoor is always locked and the king keeps the key close to his person at all times.

When Hubert Hawkins and love interest Maid Jean (played by the husky-voiced Glynis Johns) have a chance meeting with Giacomo, King of Jesters and Jester of Kings, recently hired to entertain the king's court, they see their chance. They knock out Giacomo and Hubert Hawkins takes his place.

What really makes this film such a delight is how several subplots intertwine:

A) One of the king's advisors, Sir Ravenhurst, actually hired Giacomo, King of Jesters and Jester of Kings, because he was also a skilled assassin!

B) Griselda, a witch and mentor to the princess, attempts to use Hubert Hawkins to seduce the princess and thereby save her own life.

C) Hubert's love interest Maid Jean is picked up by the king's men who were on the search for 'wenches' to bring a little life to the king's party, which he is throwing in honor of Sir Griswold, who he expects to marry to the Princess, who doesn't want to marry him.

Hubert becomes the lynchpin to each of these subplots, yet he really has no idea what he's doing, and it's laugh-out-loud hilarious to watch him bumble through each person's schemes.

Final Say: The Court Jester is tremendously funny, and excellently scripted. Unlike many comedy films today, The Court Jester relies less on grotesquery or pushing the envelope (not that there's anything with that - This Is The End was fabulous) and more on plain old wit. Absolutely worth a watch.

How to Watch It: With others! Comedy always better with other people, unless it involves a lot of sex jokes and you're a teenager and with your parents, who are conservative. Then it's awkward.

Trivia: Practically every single actor or actress who played in this film is now dead - except the Princess (Angela Lansbury, most famous for Murder, She Wrote) and Maid Jean (Glynis Johns). They're 90 and 88, respectively.