Out of all of the titles to be released by Paramount's newest line, The Court Jester is by far my favorite. With the lack of new releases from theatrical films, lines like this will ensure that film will never die.
“Celebrating its 65th Anniversary, Paramount’s beloved madcap musical debuts on Blu-ray beautifully remastered from a 6k film transfer of the original VistaVision negative. In this swashbuckling comic farce, star Danny Kaye is kind-hearted entertainer Hawkins who disguises himself as the legendary king of jesters, Giacomo. Hawkins infiltrates the court of an evil villain (Basil Rathbone), but when a sorceress hypnotizes him, royal chaos ensues. Alternating identities at the snap of a finger, between swordplay and wordplay, Kaye’s comic genius shines through. The stellar supporting cast includes Glynis Johns, Angela Lansbury, Mildred Natwick, Cecil Parker, and John Carradine.”
Paramount’s next installment in their Paramount Presents line features a signature class, The Court Jester, for the first time on Blu-ray. This hilarious musical is just as funny 65 years later, breathing new life into the film that will surely find an audience in a new generation.
Danny Kaye’s comic skill was greatly undervalued during his time, and one of the biggest tragedies is that he wasn’t more well-known or had more quality roles during his life. His wit and natural charisma is contagious on-screen as Hubert Hawkins, whose delightful tongue-twisting lyrics and dialogue give the film a certain charm that you don’t quite often see in film these days. The Court Jester provides a lot of laughs thanks to the mistaken-identity theme that plays out as Hawkins is mistaken for Giacomo, a court jester/assassin, but also hypnotized to think he is this assassin that has arrived at the palace to sweep the princess off her feet before her father can marry her off for political gain. These situations are brilliantly written and superbly acted by Kaye, whose ability to instantly switch characters and provide not only clever and quick dialogue, but perform impressive physical comedy is what makes the film so memorable after 65 years.
The supporting cast doesn’t disappoint either, which is able to round out Kaye’s exceptional performances by delivering additional aspects to the story. Glynis Johns as Maid Jean provides the love interest. A strong woman holding her own in a band of outlaw men, vowing to restore the rightful heir to the throne by any means necessary. Despite Hawkins’ perceived ability to not be able to handle himself when it comes to fighting alongside his fellow outlaws, Johns’ character sees the qualities that he does have that allows him to be successful in infiltrating the castle, qualities that provide a lot of laughs: such as the old man in the beginning of the film. Basil Rathbone is such an elegant villain; smart and sophisticated in his plot of hiring an assassin, and equally skilled in swordplay. His scenes opposite Danny Kaye really are brilliant, and their sword fight near the end of the film is simply astonishing.
The musical numbers are short and to the point, and while there certainly are musical traits to the film, I’d be hard pressed to call it a true musical. However, that blend of music and comedy is balanced perfectly, with those musical numbers really complimenting the sequences they are present in. The opening number introducing us to The Black Fox, Hawkins’ real talents and little friends that end up helping him out in a pinch. Each one of them highlight Kaye’s talents at wordplay and ability to recite those tongue twisters that still amaze me to this day.
Video
The Court Jester is presented in a brand-new transfer that is remastered from a 6k transfer of the original VistaVision negative. The quality and care that Paramount has gone to to ensure the film looks incredible for its first foray into High Definition is worth the purchase of this set alone. The film does indeed look magnificent. Detail is impressive, as is the natural grain that is kept consistent throughout. Colors especially are vibrant and very well-balanced, and for such a colorful film this is a big plus.
Audio
The audio is presented in a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track. Despite its limited capacity, the film can sound quite impressive at times. There are limitations, with some of the louder sequences like the end battle, the jousting fight, and the knighthood marching sequence, topping out, but overall the track can sound good for what it is.
Special Features
This is the 13th film in the Paramount Presents line, with the set containing all the normal stuff you saw in previous releases. A slipcover that opens to reveal the original poster artwork, with a Digital Code included.
- Filmmaker Focus: Leonard Maltin on The Court Jester
- Theatrical Trailer
Paramount continues to allow some of the greatest films in their catalogue to see new life on High Definition, brining them to Blu-ray for the first time, for a new generation to see and enjoy. The Court Jester may be one of the best yet in this line, and will hopefully not be the last of older films to get a chance to shine. Even if you’ve never seen the film before, do yourself a favor and pick this one up. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how wonderfully humorous and charming the film still is to this day.
