Amazon.com video review:
The third Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway hit to go before the
cameras, The King and I boasts a career-making performance from
Yul
Brynner, repeating his stage triumph as the titular monarch and proving
to
moviegoers that bald can be beautiful. It's Brynner's proud king that
provides the fulcrum to the plot, and it's Brynner himself, with his
piercing gaze and graceful physicality, that demands our attention.
The story line, adapted from an earlier, nonmusical stage hit, follows
widowed English teacher Anna Leonowens (Deborah Kerr) to her new
posting as
tutor to the Siamese king's formidable mob of children. The collision
of
East and West affords its winning mixture of drama and humor, and the
warm
friendship that grows between the king and the patrician teacher
provides a
poignant, unfulfilled romance between the two wary protagonists. Into
this
framework, the composers insert a superb score, echoing Asian motifs,
as
well as a bouquet of lovely songs including "Hello, Young Lovers,"
"Shall
We Dance," and two ensemble pieces for Anna and the royal children
("Getting to Know You" and "I Whistle a Happy Tune") that suggest
prototypes for Rodgers & Hammerstein's later hit, The Sound of
Music.
For this 1956 production, 20th Century Fox lavished stereophonic sound,
widescreen cinematography, intricate production design, and stunning
sets.
Technically, this newly mastered THX version is the best-looking and
-sounding King yet to hit video, but in its full-frame, pan-and-
scan
version the formatting downsizes far too much of the splendor, losing
some
sharpness to the imagery. For viewing on all but the smallest screens,
the
widescreen edition is vastly superior. But, in either version, the
glorious music is reason enough to hit "play." --Sam Sutherland
Amazon.com Essentials:
The third Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway hit to go before the
cameras, The King and I boasts a career-making performance from Yul
Brynner, repeating his stage triumph as the titular monarch and proving to
moviegoers that bald can be beautiful. It's Brynner's proud king that
provides the fulcrum to the plot, and it's Brynner himself, with his
piercing gaze and graceful physicality, that demands our attention.
The story line, adapted from an earlier, nonmusical stage hit, follows
widowed English teacher Anna Leonowens (Deborah Kerr) to her new posting as
tutor to the Siamese king's formidable mob of children. The collision of
East and West affords its winning mixture of drama and humor, and the warm
friendship that grows between the king and the patrician teacher provides a
poignant, unfulfilled romance between the two wary protagonists. Into this
framework, the composers insert a superb score, echoing Asian motifs, as
well as a bouquet of lovely songs including "Hello, Young Lovers," "Shall
We Dance," and two ensemble pieces for Anna and the royal children
("Getting to Know You" and "I Whistle a Happy Tune") that suggest
prototypes for Rodgers & Hammerstein's later hit, The Sound of
Music.
For this 1956 production, 20th Century Fox lavished stereophonic sound,
widescreen cinematography, intricate production design, and stunning sets.
Technically, this newly mastered THX version is the best-looking and
-sounding King yet to hit video. But, regardless of format, the
glorious music is reason enough to hit "play." --Sam Sutherland
Amazon.com video review:
This lavish set contains film versions of the five major works by
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, who helped define the American musical
landscape and rewrite the direction of musical theater. After enjoying extremely
successful careers working with others, Rodgers and Hammerstein first teamed up
in 1943 for the prairie tale Oklahoma!, with songs including "Oh, What a
Beautiful Mornin'" and "People Will Say We're in Love." The subsequent 1955 film
starred Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones, who teamed up again for 1956's
Carousel. While that film's dark nature made it less popular than its
predecessor, the score ("If I Loved You," "You'll Never Walk Alone") was
Rodgers's favorite. The King and I (also 1956) featured stage star Yul
Brynner as the King of Siam and Deborah Kerr as schoolteacher Anna Leonowens,
who must learn Asian customs even as she tries to instill some of her Western
ones. The somewhat bloated version of South Pacific (1958) follows two
couples during World War II and features standards such as "Some Enchanted
Evening" and "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" from stars Mitzi
Gaynor and Rossano Brazzi. The last film, The Sound of Music (1965),
proved to be the most popular, with Julie Andrews winning the hearts of seven
children and their father with her blissful songs. And if the perhaps saccharine
music and plot may test the patience of some, there's no doubt that songs such
as "My Favorite Things" and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" have charmed audiences around
the world for decades.
Accompanying the Big 5 in this set is the relatively minor State Fair
from 1945 (though it does have "It Might as Well Be Spring" and "It's a Grand
Night for Singing"). Some may prefer other entries in the R&H canon such as
Flower Drum Song or the television production Cinderella, but
State Fair was included because it was one of the five films (not
including Sound of Music) released in 1999 in sumptuous remasterings that
allow their scores and locales to truly shine. The remasterings ensure good
sound and picture quality throughout this historic collection. --David
Horiuchi
Amazon.com video review:
This lavish set contains film versions of the five major works by
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, who helped define the American musical
landscape and rewrite the direction of musical theater. After enjoying extremely
successful careers working with others, Rodgers and Hammerstein first teamed up
in 1943 for the prairie tale Oklahoma!, with songs including "Oh, What a
Beautiful Mornin'" and "People Will Say We're in Love." The subsequent 1955 film
starred Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones, who teamed up again for 1956's
Carousel. While that film's dark nature made it less popular than its
predecessor, the score ("If I Loved You," "You'll Never Walk Alone") was
Rodgers's favorite. The King and I (also 1956) featured stage star Yul
Brynner as the King of Siam and Deborah Kerr as schoolteacher Anna Leonowens,
who must learn Asian customs even as she tries to instill some of her Western
ones. The somewhat bloated version of South Pacific (1958) follows two
couples during World War II and features standards such as "Some Enchanted
Evening" and "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" from stars Mitzi
Gaynor and Rossano Brazzi. The last film, The Sound of Music (1965),
proved to be the most popular, with Julie Andrews winning the hearts of seven
children and their father with her blissful songs. And if the perhaps saccharine
music and plot may test the patience of some, there's no doubt that songs such
as "My Favorite Things" and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" have charmed audiences around
the world for decades.
Accompanying the Big 5 in this set is the relatively minor State Fair
from 1945 (though it does have "It Might as Well Be Spring" and "It's a Grand
Night for Singing"). Some may prefer other entries in the R&H canon such as
Flower Drum Song or the television production Cinderella, but
State Fair was included because it was one of the five films (not
including Sound of Music) released in 1999 in sumptuous remasterings that
allow their scores and locales to truly shine. The remasterings ensure good
sound and picture quality throughout this historic collection. --David
Horiuchi
