The Court Jester (1955) on Netflix
Approved19551h 41mAdventureComedyFamily
The Black Fox and his rebel band guard England's infant king from King Roderick the Tyrant. The Fox's minstrel, Hubert Hawkins, takes a jester's identity to enter the castle.
- Netflix2.6/5
- IMDb7.8/1015,256 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes97%
Trailer
Plot summary
England's crown has passed to King Roderick the Tyrant, who took the throne after Lord Ravenhurst slaughtered the royal family. The rebel known as the Black Fox and his followers rescued the surviving heir, a baby with a purple pimpernel birthmark, and they guard the child while raiding Roderick's men. Roderick's lords press him to ally with Sir Griswold of MacElwain by marrying off Princess Gwendolyn, who refuses, trusting the castle witch Griselda's prophecy of a gallant suitor. Hubert Hawkins, the band's minstrel, offers to fight but is turned down. When the king's men find the rebels' hideout, Hawkins and Maid Jean dress as wine merchants to carry the baby away. On the road they meet Giacomo, the king's new jester; Jean knocks him down and tells Hawkins to take his place.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Court Jester (1955)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- During a recording session the whole orchestra turned to look at Igor Stravinsky, who had just walked into the studio. Over coffee afterwards Stravinsky told Schoen, "You have broken all the rules", a remark the self-taught Schoen said took him years to work out.
- The producers removed the score that had been written for the film and commissioned an entirely new one from the Hollywood veteran Walter Scharf, who wrote it from scratch and, short of time, insisted that he did not want a credit for his work.
- Costing $4 million in the autumn of 1955, The Court Jester was the most expensive comedy film produced up to that time, and it bombed at the box office, bringing in only $2.2 million over the following winter and spring of 1956.
- The Court Jester was the first feature film for the Hollywood arranger and composer Vic Schoen, who had no formal training in how music is synchronised to film and learned it on the job; Elmer Bernstein was hired as his assistant musical director.
Stills
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