Summary
- The Court Jester, despite being an old film, offers heart and entertainment similar to the RPG spectacle of Skyrim, making it a must-watch for Skyrim fans.
- The film, written, directed, and produced by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, is considered a classic Hollywood comedy and medieval fantasy, despite its initial box office failure.
- The Court Jester follows an ex-circus performer on a quest to protect the true heir to the throne, filled with assassinations, romance, and witchcraft, ultimately leading to a triumphant ending.
While those who love the massive RPG spectacle of Skyrim may not think they’d love a film from the fifties, those same people won’t want to miss out on 1955’s The Court Jester. Due to how old the film is, there aren’t any massive dragons to be found or incredible CGI effects, but instead, there is a lot of heart and entertainment. Starring Hollywood legend Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Angela Lansbury, and Basil Rathbone (just to name a few), this entire movie feels like a massive quest that could have been ripped right out of Skyrim.
Written, directed, and produced by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, The Court Jester is still seen as a triumph of classic Hollywood comedy and medieval fantasy to this day. Believe it or not, despite its now legendary status, the film was a massive flop at the box office. To make matters even worse for The Court Jester, it was one of the most expensive comedy movies ever made at the time, only further twisting the knife. Luckily, the film is now seen as a Hollywood classic filled with knights, jesters, witches, kings, rebel groups, and plenty of nefarious plots.
What Is The Court Jester About?
On the surface, The Court Jester is about an ex-circus performer turned rebel who is tasked with protecting the heir to the throne, though he winds up tied up in a plot to assassinate key officials in the castle, wrapped up in a romantic entanglement with a princess, and bewitched by a scheming woman known as Griselda. After a false king has claimed the throne of England, it falls onto the Black Fox and his group to keep the final surviving heir to the true king of England safe until they can get him onto the throne. Hawkins wishes for more responsibility than caring for the royal child and showing off his birthmark of a purple pimpernel, and he gets just that when he sets out with group captain Jean to protect the child.
Hawkins winds up taking the place of Giacomo, a court jester who is headed to entertain the false king, but both he and Jean wind up captured separately and taken to the castle, though the royal infant is able to remain hidden. Unfortunately for Hawkins, Giacomo is actually an assassin posing as a court jester and finds himself wrapped up in a murder plot in the castle at the behest of Ravenhurst. Hawkins then finds himself hypnotized by a witch who forces him to go make the princess fall in love with him. The incomparable Giacomo does just that after receiving a key as a means of escape from the castle for himself, Jean, and the baby, though the princess has other plans for the key.
Luckily for Hawkins, Griselda ends up poisoning and killing the very same men Ravenhurst employed Giacomo to kill, though Hawkins is soon captured thanks to Princess Gwnedolyn’s admittance of their love. Now believing Hawkins to actually be the Black Fox, Ravenhurst hatches a plan to see his enemy killed, having Hawkins knighted so that he’d be forced to pick up a weapon and duel the fierce knight, Griswold. After being tossed through the knighting rituals, Hawkins is launched into mortal combat with Griswold, with only one man being able to come out the better – the fate of the infant heir to the throne still up in the air.
Why Has The Film Endured So Long?
There are so many reasons why The Court Jester has become such a beloved film. One of the simplest reasons is that it’s a fantastic movie reflected by critic and viewer scores on Rotten Tomatoes at 97% and 93% respectively. The entire cast gives it their all and seems to have a lot of fun with the goofy premise of the movie, with Danny Kaye standing out as the most obvious joy with all of his delightful songs and ability to weave through different emotions and attitudes.
Quite possibly the most famous reason that the film has endured is the now-famous vessel with the pestle scene part way through the movie. The entire situation surrounds a powerful and deadly poison, so deadly that a witch gives a rhyming warning of which cup to not drink from to the bumbling Hawkins. Watching Danny Kaye bumble with his words as he tries to remember which rhyme scheme is the appropriate one, then followed by his rival on the battlefield doing the same is always a riot for people. It’s such a silly scene, but one that is perfectly believable, and as legend has it, one that people would often ask Danny Kaye to perform whenever they saw him out in public.
How Does The Court Jester End?
After Hawkins manages to defeat the mighty Griswold, things don’t continue going his way for all that long. While he is kind enough to spare Griswold, Hawkin’s hubris once again gets the better of him, as the bumbling man seems to forget that he is still stuck in a situation that could very easily lead to his brutal death. Almost immediately upon his victory, it’s revealed by Ravenhurst that Hawkins isn’t the person that anyone at the castle believes him to be. A mole that the Black Fox’s group had in the castle was able to send for help before he was captured and killed, which means that help arrives just before any fate too bad can befall Hawkins.
As Hawkin’s old circus friends arrive to save the day, Jean opens the castle gate, and the Black Fox’s group floods into the castle. While everything is being done to save the baby, it’s a lucky break for Hawkins as well, though just because the Black Fox has arrived doesn’t mean that the situation is done with. Griselda ends up hypnotizing Hawkins yet again, though this time it is for him to be the greatest swordsman the world has ever seen so that he is capable of taking on Ravenhurst in one-on-one combat. The two engage in a lengthy fight, though thanks to the snap of some fingers, Hawkins is constantly shifting back and forth from his sword-flailing self to a sword master. Eventually, Hawkins does get the better of Ravenhurst, having him stuck into a catapult and launched away by Jean.
While it appears that Hawkins and the Black Fox have taken care of everything in the castle, Griswold returns with his army. Everything looks like it's about to take a bloody turn when Hawkins reveals the royal birthmark to Griswold, resulting in everyone pledging their allegiance to the true king of England. With the baby now back on the throne and everything finished for Hawkins and Jean, the movie comes to a close with a final song sung by all in attendance.