The Court Jester

A tyrant has seized the throne and the true heir is still an infant. Hawkins, the least capable member of the resistance, disguises himself as a jester to get inside the castle, where a witch's hypnosis keeps switching him between two personalities: a cowardly fool and a knight who fights to the death. Norman Panama and Melvin Frank wrote it as direct parody of the costume adventure. Danny Kaye carries the part with language and body alike, and the rhyme describing which vessel holds the poison is among the most cited pieces of verbal comedy in film. The story uses swordfights, hypnosis and mistaken identity at the same speed. It was expensive for its period and did not find the audience it expected on release. Who it is for: viewers who like classic Hollywood comedy and Danny Kaye. Who it is not for: anyone troubled by verbal jokes that do not survive translation.