The Emperor’s New Clothes | clown ministry | Reviews

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The Emperor's New Clothes - a tailor-made move that will have the entire family in stitches - Sid Caeser - Clive Revill - Robert Morse as The Tailor
The Emperor’s New Clothes is one of those children’s movies that plays on two levels. On one level, it’s a very entertaining children’s film—as my wife reminded me while writing this review, our children viewed the DVD over ten times the first week that we owned it. On the second level, it’s very entertaining for adults as well. I laughed out loud many times at the self-absorbed Emperor, as portrayed by Sid Caesar. He is one of those great comedians/clowns that can make people laugh by reading the phone book.

The rest of the cast is also very good and very funny, with excellent performances by the Duke (Julian Chagrin) and the Prime Minister (Clive Revill), especially as they fight over what color the "invisible" material is; there’s a romantic subplot as well, but it doesn’t drag the story down, although some of the songs in the musical are too long. One exception is "Weave-o!" which is quite funny (due to the setting), although possibly a little long.

A recommended children’s film, as well as well worth studying to see classic clowns in action.

Plot Synopsis of The Emperor’s New Clothes starring Sid Caesar

In Europe several several centuries ago, a group of prisoners about to be executed are freed as part of the celebration of the upcoming marriage of the emperor’s daughter, Princess Gilda, to a very rich prince from another country. Among these newly free men are an uncle-and-nephew con artist team, who continue their usual work to the point where they end up in the emperor’s own palace, posing as tailors. Taking advantage of the emperor’s extreme love for new and newer clothing as a symbol of his wealth, the fake tailors get him to hire them to make clothes (in time for the wedding) that are invisible to all who are either unfit for their position, or very stupid. Of course, they wouldn’t make anything at all, but instead steal all of the material (many jewels) and leave the emperor and all the people thinking that they are unfit or stupid. Things start to get more difficult as neither the emperor nor Gilda like the prince she is engaged to, she and the nephew fall in love, the nephew has misgivings about being a con artist, and the emperor is constantly checking on the progress of his tailors, who are watched over by a very suspicious guard.

Funny Movie Quotes from The Emperor’s New Clothes starring Sid Caesar

Wenceslas:
[singing] With such a handsome robe to sit in, anyone could rule Great Britain!

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
[the Emperor doesn’t want to be overdressed] I don’t want to blind them, I just want them to blink a little.

Prime Minister (Clive Revill):
The people are clamoring for you, Your Majesty.

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
They’re not clamoring very loud.

Prime Minister (Clive Revill):
But they’re our best clamorers…

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
Tell them I want more clamoring. I want more clamor!

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
The collar’s always around the neck, the sleeves always come off the shoulders, the waist always goes around the middle! When will they invent something original?

The Tailor (Robert Morse):
[singing] Don’t call it a crime, call it an adventure! Don’t call me a cheat, call me an explorer, off on a journey, out of the rut we’re in!

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
Why does everyone argue with me? I’m the Emperor!

The Tailor (Robert Morse):
We are weavers of distinction, Your Majesty.

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
Would the pants have two legs?

The Tailor (Robert Morse):
How many would Your Majesty like?

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
Five! Then when you’re walking around, you can go jumping from leg to leg to leg to leg to leg to leg to leg to leg to leg to leg…

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
How do you spin a thread out of a solid diamond?

The Tailor (Robert Morse):
Ah! That is a family secret!

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
I think this will be very good for the kingdom. It will weed out all those people who try to bluff their way through life.

Prime Minister (Clive Revill):
[Prince Nino is no match for Princess Gilda] The marriage contract has already been agreed.

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
They better have a lotta money. And I mean, a lotta money!

Prime Minister (Clive Revill):
Unfortunately, they have.

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
No, I mean a LOTTA money! And I wanna count it!

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
[the tailors use strange measurements] Duke, you realize I have bigger whoopets than the Maharajah?

Duke (Julian Chagrin):
Oh, congratulations, Your Majesty.

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
Thank you. I wonder what they are. I hope it’s nice.

Duke (Julian Chagrin):
I can’t see a thing. I AM unfit for my office. My wife was absolutely right!

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
Blue? Red? There’s only one way to settle this. I’ll have to see the cloth myself.

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
[the invisible cloth] Everybody’ll think I’m stupid. I can’t be, I’m the Emperor.

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
It’s diamond thread! Diamond makes a spectrum, and blue and red make…

Duke (Julian Chagrin):
Uh… reddy-blue?

Prime Minister (Clive Revill):
Uh… bluey-red?

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
Blue and red make PURPLE!

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
We’ll have your wedding dress made out of the same material.

Princess Gilda:
No!

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
You don’t have to baloney me any more, Wenceslas.

Prime Minister (Clive Revill):
Your Majesty, I take it this is one suit of clothes that will not be in the museum.

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
Wrong! This suit of clothes will have a place of honor in the museum, to show that even an Emperor can be wrong.

The Emperor (Sid Caesar): :
[the Prime Minister and the Duke admit their stupidity] But I, as Emperor, was OVERPOWERINGLY stupid… I, as Emperor, was more stupid than you all, because I was responsible for all this stupidity!