Review: 'The Court Jester' Sings on Blu-ray

The images in Paramount's musical debut, "The Court Jester," radiate on home media like never before, thanks to new Blu-ray release remastered from a 6K film transfer of the original VistaVision negative.

Even if you've never seen "The Court Jester," odds are it will still seem familiar to you. This silly swashbuckler parody set a standard and tempo for comedy that would be repeated for years to come.

Writer, producer and directors Melvin Frank and Norman Panama didn't invent the wheel. They simply built on a long tradition of comedy aesthetics that had been carried down from vaudeville. And with the help of sharp, practiced actors and comedians, they refined this comedy and brought it to a wide audience. In the process, they did a lot to dispel the notion that high comedy needs to be sophisticated. The wordy wit of Shakespeare, with its double-meanings, pun and punchlines, has here been replaced with verbal slapstick, repetition and rhyme.

Danny Kaye leads the talented cast, playing Hubert Hawkins, a charmingly inept entertainer who longs to prove his worth to the courageous Captain Jean (Glynis Johns), one of the leaders of a rebel band fighting the tyranny of a evil monarch. Suddenly, an opportunity presents itself. Hawkins is able to disguise himself as Giacomo, a jester, and infiltrate the corrupted court. Proficient with buffoonery but less skilled in valor, Hawkins runs into one obstacle after another.

First of all the real Giacomo, the comedian Hawkins clobbered and now impersonating, is also a world-class assassin. Little does Hawkins realize this, but certain members of the court, like the duplicitous Lord Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone), the King's closest adviser, expects him to play both his rolls flawlessly. Then there's the court sorceress (Mildred Natwick) who is able to mesmerize Hawkins, convincing him that he is the gallant lover of the Princess Gwendolyn (Angela Lansbury). As he traverses the castle his role switches from a fool, to a pariah and eventually to a knight, performing a few well placed musical numbers along the way.

As far as musicals, go this isn't one of those shows that ties together spectacular showstoppers with a flimsy plot. Rather, the complex, farce plotting shows more virtuosity than the songs. Each comic moment beats with a rhythm and movement as intricately detailed and expertly timed as any dance.

In addition to the beautiful film transfer, this Blu-ray features a commentary from film critic Leonard Maltin.

"The Court Jester," on this Paramount Presents Collectors Blu-ray is available now.