Such a frustrating disappointment

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

An old friend of mine considers this the funniest film he knows, and I'm not inclined to argue with him. Based on the Robin Hood of Errol Flynn, which had appeared 17 years before, in 1938, the Court Jester develops the other side of the coin of that vintage Sherwood masterpiece. Everyone knows the stuttering sign-language, what doges do, and the vessel with the pestle, as well as the flagon with the dragon, and magnetic armour. But there's much more. What about glamorous Angela Lansbury's "Oh, father"; and Captain Jean's "Raise your arm". Cecil Parker, as always, is a riot as the usurping monarch with cautious concern for his health, and Mildred Natwick features strongly in the only role she was born for. Kaye is at his best when snapped into devil-may-care mode, easily the equal of dastardly Basil, and the little men have a field day. I can't think of anything else to say. Brilliantly written.

Plucky carnival performer Hubert Hawkins (Danny Kaye) poses as an Italian court jester/assassin as part of a desperate plot to depose wicked King Roderick I (Cecil Parker), who has taken the throne by force (the rightful heir being an infant who bears a purple pimpernel on his posterior).The Court Jester kicks off with a nifty title sequence in which its star Danny Kaye, dressed in a jester costume, sings an amusing song while interacting with the credits as they appear on screen; it's an ingenious and meticulously choreographed way to start what proves to be an inventive and fun adventure throughout.Kaye gets to give his comedy muscles a thorough workout with clever wordplay and physical buffoonery aplenty, and he is joined by a magnificent cast that includes Basil Rathbone (whose name deservedly appears during the credits three times), the lovely Glynis Johns (as Hubert's love interest Jean), Angela Lansbury (looking foxy in medieval princess garb), and horror icon John Carradine.Admittedly, the complexities of the plot do tend to make matters a little hard to follow at times, but with so many classic moments, the best being the unforgettable 'vessel with the pestle' tongue-twister scene, it matters not if you get a little lost in the process. After the final act, during which Kaye swashes buckles with Rathbone while a team of acrobatic midgets storm the castle, there's a very good chance that you'll be the one grinning like a fool.

It's the one with the purple pimpernel on it. Yes, this is the musical spoof of swashbuckling epics with totally tongue twisting lyrics that will have you in stitches. An evil usurper to the throne has killed off all of the members of a royal family-all except one, a baby boy who can only be identified by a birthmark on his derrière, and this has all the King's horses and all the King's men pulling down the diapers of every tot in the kingdom trying to find him. With them all on a rampage, a mysterious hero named the black fox makes it his duty to protect the little boy and conquer the king so the rightful heir can take over. A carnival entertainer (Danny Kaye) poses as a famous court jester to get inside the palace in order to assist the fox and attracts the attention of the usurper's princess daughter (Angela Lansbury) even though he is in love with the right-hand man (oops, woman) of the black fox.Thanks to the wacky mind of Kaye's real-life wife Sylvia Fine, Kaye gets a series of patter songs and rhythmic dialog that will have you in stitches. Lovely Glynis Johns plays the black fox's captain that poses as a lady in waiting to assist Kaye in his quest while Lansbury keeps threatening her witch-like companion (Mildred Natwick) with death unless she can prevent Kaye from being killed by her evil father. Other memorable character actors in this include Basil Rathbone as the main villain, John Carradine as the real jester, and Edward Ashley as the black fox. The tongue-in-cheek attitude of its players make this a pleasing family film that both children and adults can enjoy, even those who find swashbuckler movies to be predictable and pedestrian.Danny Kaye is most of the show here, his over-the-top performance totally appropriate. Every member of the cast has moments to shine, particularly Natwick with her famous "pessle with the vessel/Chalice with the palace/flagon with the dragon" speech that twists the tongue of practically everybody trying to repeat it. Something tells me that little kiddies watching this will trip over their tongues as well in trying to repeat the hysterical limerick.Glynis Johns, best remembered for "Mary Poppins" and Broadway's "A Little Night Music" (and much later prickly old ladies of imperious natures) is a lovely heroine, her lemon-puckered voice a pleasure to the ear. Lansbury ("Murder She Wrote", "Bednobs and Broomsticks", and ironically, Broadway's "A Little Night Music") isn't given an opportunity to shine with rather ordinary material, but it is obvious that she is having fun with this part that could have become a one-dimensional villainess had she not infused the character with a romantic nature. Rathbone isn't playing his typical villain; There's a lot of humor to be found in his cad determined to take over the country once he rids the kingdom of the usurper's enemies. Kaye takes over where Errol Flynn fought Rathbone in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" in a hysterically funny fencing sequence.The songs are not anything remarkable, but a dance number at the beginning featuring a group of little people billed Hermine's Midgets is well choreographed. This is a film that can be seen over and over again with each tongue-twisting line of the screenplay tempting the viewer to rewind so they too can remember where the pellet with the poison has been placed.

Very enjoyable spoof of the swashbuckling genre with Danny Kaye in effervescent form in the lead role. It's colourful, with sumptuous sets and costumery to the fore, romantic, with a young Angela Lansbury and the fetching Glynis Johns as the competing love interest for our hapless hero, occasionally, well you wouldn't say exciting, but eventful with Kaye squaring off against the old despicable villain in so many of this type of film, Basil Rathbone and last but not least, certainly it's highly amusing.Kaye plays his part with athleticism, impressively given his age but of course it's his buffoonery which is the main attraction. Whether under a witch's hypnotic spell, making him brave at the snap of a finger, engaging in customary hilarious tongue-twisting confusion (it took me some time, but I think I now know in which goblet the pellet with the poison is) or engaging in the climactic sword-fight with Rathbone at the end, he's great value all round.There are some fine songs too, particularly "Outfox the Fox" and "The Maladjusted Jester" wittily written by Sammy Cahn and of course a happy ending with no-one really hurt or killed in action. His rapid-fire patter invariably draws a smile too ("Get it?" "Got it" "Good").I appreciate that Kaye's brand of clowning humour is hit-or-miss with some people but he usually makes me laugh and this is definitely one of his best parts in an affectionate tribute to the ghosts of Flynn, Power, Grainger and others...