The Court Jester has been my top Danny Kaye film since I was a kid, and that hasn’t changed. As wonderful as his Goldwyn Technicolor productions may be, I’ve always believed that this topped them.
At first glance, there’s a new addition to the way that Paramount is marketing their Presents line of Blu-rays.
This one is spine number 13, and has the year of release (1956) in the lower right hand corner. But new to the overall design is the VistaVision logo, now in the lower left. And it’s a nice touch.
What’s also nice, is that The Court Jester hasn’t been de-grained and softened akin to To Catch a Thief.
It has proper grain (almost – more on that in a bit), with lovely color, and a wonderful overall cinema appearance, especially (or even) in projection.
Everything works beautifully, and the work performed is lovely.
With a single exception.
The Main Title sequence.
And that has the rough hewn appearance combining the graphic information with the live action. It takes on the appearance of an extra window, which essentially freezes the graphics (with different grain structure), and the overall effect is less than pleasing. It looks nothing like film. It’s totally digital. And I can’t imagine why it was done that way.
Aside from that, the new Blu-ray is a wonderful presentation, and a welcome addition to the Kaye legacy.
Before anyone begins to wonder if it should be released in 4k, I’d advise against it. Grain is on the heavy side for Vista, but the overall look is still one of the process. Blu-ray fits this release like a fine steel piece of armor.
Image – 4.75
Audio – 5 (monaural – left and right)
Pass / Fail – Pass
Upgrade from DVD – Without a doubt
Very Highly Recommended
RAH
Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.
His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.
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