An insane vehicle for Danny Kaye. Each scene slowly adds more and more outrageous farce elements until the frenzied finale. Its often quite funny but the movie is a little exhausting.

I have absolutely no idea why this movie is rated so highly. I kept waiting for something remotely interesting to happen, but all I got was tired tongue twisters and a second rate sword fight.

I first saw this movie in the theater for my fifth or sixth birthday party. Since then I have seen it so many times to this day I still have a good bit memorized, and I consistently name it as my favorite movie of all time (and I'm a movie buff). Furthermore, when I was a grad student of English lit, my medieval lit professor showed it in class, noting that--as is mentioned in the prologue--they did tons of research to get the details authentic. Like many others, I consider it the best of Danny Kaye. And check out the young, beautiful Angela Lansbury, and Basil Rathbone before Sherlock Holmes.

Simply put, Danny Kaye is arguably the most talented American entertainer of the previous century, and "The Court Jester" is his best film, employing his talents as a dancer, singer, impressionist, master of elocution and languages, to a greater degree than any of his other films, most of which deserve high marks as does his own network television variety show int he early '60s. No one possesses Kaye's ability to evoke the "inner child" of all of us to the same degree as Kaye--which he does paradoxically through his sophisticate sense of language, gesture and expression (Cole Porter wrote his most difficult lyrics for Kaye, knowing that ONLY he could memorize and deliver these pyrotechnical tongue-twisters.) Warnings: for some unexplained reason, the film was allowed to go uncopyrighted, resulting in numerous cheap, inferior prints with fuzzy edges and weak pastels in place of sharp images with solid colors and a score with high fidelity sound. Recently, the problem has been solves. Don't settle for a "colorized" look in place of the original VistaVision full-spectrum color. And be sure to see the film more than once, and be on the alert for the tongue-twister about the "vessel with the pestle" in the "chalice with a palace."

Best Danny Kaye comedy.

he Court Jester is a fabulous showcase for Danny Kaye's talents, with witty dialogue, entertaining songs, and plenty of physical comedy. In addition, Glynis Johns & Angela Lansbury do a fantastic job making the ridiculous plot feel more believable. This movie is undeniably silly, but if you're in the mood for silly, this will definitely hit the spot.

I found it goofy but not funny.

Very enjoyable parody of swashbuckling/Middle Ages movies. The 'vessel with the pestle' sequence is a high point.

I loved this movie as a kid, and coming back to it as an adult fills me with so much joy. Maybe nostalgia is making me think more fondly of it, but I find myself coming back to this movie time and time again. I only wish it was more accessible, like on Netflix or Hulu.

Good old fashioned fun. Danny Kaye dazzles -- with delightful singing, dancing, swordplay, and wordplay.

Pretty funny movie, fun to watch but there are better spoofs out there in my opinion.

An insane vehicle for Danny Kaye. Each scene slowly adds more and more outrageous farce elements until the frenzied finale. Its often quite funny but the movie is a little exhausting.

A must watch Hollywood classic. Despite its age, this film will still bring you laughs. Love this film and Danny Kaye.

the duelling scenes are great!

Danny Kaye's comedic timing in this situaltional romp is funny, charming and clever.

So pleased to see this film getting the credit it deserves. All the jokes crack me up no matter how many times I watch it. Brilliant physical comedy as well as dialogue. this is a timeless classic.

Fantastic movie. Classic humor and talent at its best.

Danny Kaye's finest role. Witty and charming. Laugh-out-loud funny.

Without a doubt, Kaye's best film, a wonderful, cartoonish mixture of farce, satire and song, and with a stellar supporting cast; includes the classic exchange, "The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle." A must-see.

The Court Jester is absolutely hilarious. I was actually surprised because I suspected that the attempts at humor in the movie would be mostly centered around Danny Kaye bumbling around and making faces. While there is a fair share of both of those things, it's the plot that I found most entertaining. This movie takes everything to excessive levels, which makes me laugh. The basic plan of the protagonist is simple, but they keep throwing more and more complications in there with competing agendas from at least 4 different sides. It's as if each new character that walks onto screen adds their own twist to the story. Then there are 2 different McGuffins that keep getting shuffled around, and with all this the movie starts to feel like a classic screwball comedy. The cast also elevates The Court Jester brilliantly. Glynis Johns, Cecil Parker, and Angela Lansbury all have a perfect feel for the comedy while still making their characters genuine instead of goofy like Danny Kaye. The surprise in the cast is Basil Rathbone who feels like he was plucked right out of an Errol Flynn film in order to add gravitas to the villain. He even gets a few scenes to display his brilliant sword-fighting skills, which are only accentuated by the comically bad swordplay from Danny Kaye. I couldn't ask for much more from The Court Jester, because it completely delighted me from start to finish. It's the kind of movie that made me think "why didn't I watch this years ago?"