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Hello Cinephiles,
Today we’re talking about the 1955 film The Court Jester.
Story
The story is quite clever and a lot of the humour is based on it being an amalgam of all the constant Robin Hood remakes; something that hasn’t changed much since this movie came out.
The romance is acceptable but contrived and the pacing is a little off in many places.
Score: 0.5
Characters
Most of the characters are well done. The stereotype use of Little People with ridiculously high voices is annoying, but very much a product of its time.
Despite having a woman who is supposed to be a fighter, Jean is pretty useless in the final fight.
I would have liked to see more than a few seconds at the end dedicated to the princess and Griswold’s love story.
And I’ll be honest, I’m still bitter about poor Fergus. He deserved more.
Score: 0.5
Dialogue
Both the language and the delivery of this movie is amazing. “Get it, Got it, Good” is a staple in our house.
The Jester’s monologue song The Maladjusted Jester, along with all the wordplay, cement this as one of the cleverest movies of it’s type.
Score: 1
Visuals and Music
The movie is simple and has some nice visuals, but nothing spectacular. It shows that it was a comedy and not given the budget of a bigger movie. That said, they use it quite well and the sets are nice, the fight scenes amazing, and the choreography fantastic.
I truly appreciate the use of colour in the clothing which was probably done more for the fact that it was a comedy, but is more authentic.
The film score is fun and interesting, but the songs are great.
Score: 1
Fun
I saw this movie with my wife on our second or third date. It’s been a staple in our house for nearly two decades. I love watching this and hearing her laugh.
The kids had a little harder a time sitting still, probably because the dialogue was more elevated and quick on top of the pacing issues I mentioned.
Score: 1
Overall
Despite this movie being dated, especially by it’s treatment of woman and Little People, it is extremely clever, witty, and downright hilarious. A classic of musical comedies and parodies.
Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5