Blu-ray movie review: ‘Paramount Presents: The Court Jester’

Melvin Frank and Norman Panama’s lavish medieval musical comedy from 1956 debuts in a magnificently restored version to showcase its Technicolor and VistaVision widescreen origins and the skills of legend Danny Kaye in Paramount Presents: The Court Jester (Paramount Home Entertainment, Not rated, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, 101 minutes, $29.99).

The story finds the ruthless Roderick (Cecil Parker) becoming King of England after wiping out the previous royal family. However, the remaining heir to the throne (a baby bearing a purple pimpernel birthmark) remains hidden by the Robin Hood-type rebel, the Black Fox (Edward Ashley).

Enter one of the Black Fox associates Hubert Hawkins (Danny Kaye), a former circus entertainer who goes on a mission to infiltrate the castle and prepare the way to reinstate the true king by assuming the role of the court jester Giacomo.

Viewers now appreciate knights in battle, daring heroic stunts, horse riding, swashbuckling and rapier word play with a pinch of sorcery tossed in highlighted by the hilarious knighting of Hubert, his fight against Sir Griswold of MacElwain (Robert Middleton) and an army of midgets in tights storming the castle.

Kaye is in rare form with his singing, dancing and prat falling. His impressive supporting cast includes Angela Lansbury as a princess smitten with Hubert (oddly she is never asked to sing a song), Glynis Johns as one of the Fox’s captains and Hubert’s true love and Basil Rathbone as the villainous King’s adviser Lord Ravenhurst.

The musical numbers are forgettable but still fun especially the opening with Kaye dressed as a jester standing next to the opening credits as he sings commentary and breaks the fourth wall.

Also fun is watching some of Rathbone’s famous sword-fighting prowess previously seen in his prime in “The Adventures of Robin Hood” and “The Mark of Zorro.”

For this fantastic restoration, artists scanned the original negative at 6K, and one of the “separation masters” was also scanned and recombined with the negative scans to fix color fading in the negative. 

The result is an incredibly vibrant picture that faithfully captures the colors and textures of Edith Head’s sensational costumes and Hal Pariera’s sparkling art direction.

That translates into a vibrant, screen-busting presentation bursting with color that focused on the ridiculously extravagant sets of ornate castle structures, a throne room and forest brought to the screen by cinematographer Ray June and production designer Pariera.

Equally impressive with this immaculate restoration are the storybook style, period costuming by Head, an eight-time Academy Award winner, showcasing palace soldiers and the finely detailed outfits of Lansbury’s character Princess Gwendolyn.

“The Court Jester” offers a generous amount of light-hearted, family friendly escapism that is a much needed respite from the current challenges of a pandemic-crippled world.

Best extras: Viewers get a seven-minute take from film historian Leonard Malting who briefly discusses the filmmakers, the cast, the production design and his appreciation for the film.

It’s packed with information but should have been three times as long, considering the importance of its incredible look and Kaye and Lansbury’s careers.

And, as with all of the Paramount Presents releases, viewers get a fold-out slipcover displaying the original film poster and an interior sleeve with a collection of behind-the-scenes photos.

Viewers also get a digital code to add the film to their Apple iTunes or Vudu streaming library.