It’s one of several films written, produced, and directed by the hardy team of Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, who found in Kaye an ideal performer for their tendency to mix verbal and physical humor in fiendishly complex plots. She's 83, you know.The Court Jester(1956), a just-about-perfect example of a Danny Kaye vehicle, arrives on Blu-ray for the first time in the Paramount Presents line. hm? What? What's that? All I heard was that the Duchess had a siege of rheumatism. So the Duke got the Duchess, the Duchess got the Doge, and the Doge got the Duke! Now the Duke ducked, the Doge dodged, and the Duchess didn't. Hubert Hawkins: Yes! The Duchess dove at the Duke just when the Duke dove at the Doge. There they were in the dark the Duke with his dagger, the Doge with his dart, Duchess with her dirk. When the Doge did his duty and the Duke didn't, that's when the Duchess did the dirt to the Duke with the Doge. Hubert Hawkins: Oh, it's very simple, sire. Eh, uh, when the Doge does his duty to the Duke, that is. Hubert Hawkins: Well, uh, the Doge did what the Doge does. After VHS went away I had to find a digital copy.Īlso kind of relevant to a certain cryptocurrency: I remember seeing on Sunday afternoon TV in the late 1960s/1970s, and when I saw it once for hire on VHS, I swooped on it to show my kids. And for those who typically don't like medieval films, I would still recommend this film for Danny Kaye's performance alone. In short, if you like lighthearted medieval films such as The Adventures of Robin Hood or MP: The Holy Grail, I can absolutely guarantee that this is the movie for you. Its an odd idea in concept, but the execution is absolutely astounding and both actors are able to perfectly drive home the absurdity of the scene. A fantastic example being a scene where Hawkins must square off against a skilled knight and remember a very confusing tongue twister that could save his life, all the while wearing highly magnetic armor. This film is chock-full with scenes of clever word play and absurd situations. The other part of what makes this film is the amazing jokes. It is ludicrous how much rhyming, alliteration and swapping between emotions Kaye is able to accomplish within ever single scene and it all cultivates in a performance that is able to rival the likes of Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka or Robin Williams as the Genie. This is the plot initially, but quickly enough it spirals out of control as Hawkins must juggle several different problems such as try to make amends with the princess who he seduces under the control of hypnotism, and unknowingly makes a partnership with one of the king's men who plans on assassinating his majesty for his own needs.Ĭourt Jester is one of those old technicolor films that doesn't take itself seriously in the slightest and is just 100 minutes of pure comedic gold.Ī part of what makes it so amazing is the performance of Danny Kaye, who's able to transform into different personalities in a split second and can do it continuously over the course of the film. The Court Jester is a comedic medieval movie from 1955 starring Danny Kaye as Hubert Hawkins, who after a stroke of luck is able to disguise himself as the new jester for an evil ruler as a part of an elaborate plot to overthrow the king and bestow the royalty to the true king. ![]() Hopefully I can change that with this post. Normally if a movie is witty, charming, and funny it becomes at the very least a cult classic, but I have never heard a single soul outside of my own family ever even mention this film. Never before have I ever seen a movie this good be so obscure.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |