The King and I (1956)

A widow accepts a job as a live-in governess to the King of Siam's children.

Director:

Walter Lang

Writers:

Ernest Lehman (screenplay), Oscar Hammerstein II (book)

Stars:

Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, Rita Moreno

Won 5 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Deborah Kerr	...	Anna Leonowens
Yul Brynner	...	King Mongkut of Siam
Rita Moreno	...	Tuptim
Martin Benson	...	Kralahome
Terry Saunders	...	Lady Thiang
Rex Thompson	...	Louis Leonowens
Carlos Rivas	...	Lun Tha
Patrick Adiarte	...	Prince Chulalongkorn
Alan Mowbray	...	Sir John Hay
Geoffrey Toone	...	Sir Edward Ramsay

Storyline

Mrs. Anna Leonowens and her son Louis arrive in Bangkok, where she has been contracted to teach English to the children of the royal household. She threatens to leave when the house she had been promised is not available, but falls in love with the children. A new slave, a gift of a vassal king, translates "Uncle Tom's Cabin" into a Siamese ballet. After expressing her unhappiness at being with the King, the slave decides to make an attempt to escape with her lover. Anna and the King start to fall in love, but her headstrong upbringing inhibits her from joining his harem. She is just about to leave Siam but something important she finds out makes her think about changing her mind.

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Plot Keywords:

siam | year 1862 | englishwoman abroad | bare chested male | ship captain | 

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Taglines:

More Than You've Ever Seen On The Screen!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Baking under the hot lights on-set, Deborah Kerr lost over 12 pounds, and would often refer to herself as "The melting Miss Kerr".

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Goofs

In "March of the Siamese Children," when the crown prince appears the King greets him with his arms crossed. After the prince is presented to Mrs. Anna and starts backing away, a shot of the King shows him very proudly looking at his son with his hands behind his back. In the next shot, however, the King's arms are crossed again.

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Quotes

King Mongkut of Siam: You will say no more!
Anna Leonowens: I will say no more, because there is no more to say!

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Crazy Credits

In the 1991 VHS release, after the "Feature Presentation" card fades to black, at first a film called A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969) starts playing, and it goes up until the start of its opening credits, then you hear someone saying that they put in the wrong film. The film stops, a quick reel change slide is put up, and then the real movie starts.

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Alternate Versions

An overture was added to the film (and intermission and exit music as well) for the roadshow version, but were never used on the pre-1998 VHS versions or the 2014 DVD and Blu-ray.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cosby Show: Shall We Dance? (1989)

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Soundtracks

The Small House of Uncle Thomas
(1951) (uncredited)
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Narrated by Rita Moreno, sung and danced by Chorus and Dancers

User Reviews

A magnificent, emotionally packed unusual love story

I originally saw THE KING AND I at the Roxy Theatre in New York when I was ten years old. My grandmother took me after a day trip to the Statue of Liberty, and I was expecting to see one of my favorites, Jan Clayton, the star of LASSIE, in the starring role.

When the movie unfolded I was enraptured by the beautiful redhead playing the lead and realized it wasn't Miss Clayton (whom I later learned had played in the road version of the show, and kids that age don't really know the difference). I went out into the theatre lobby and looked at the ornate program, which listed Mrs. Anna as Deborah Kerr.

What an impression this woman has had on my life over the years from the retelling of the classic tale of the British woman who comes to Siam to teach the king's children. It is superb, not only musically, but from a story standpoint holds up as the best of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals. It is essentially a women's lib story, which makes it as relevant today as it was fifty years ago when it premiered on Broadway.

The fiery, but compassionate Mrs. Anna who is at first turned off by the king and then charmed by him, and who little by little changes him from a near-despot to a man who can grow.

The subplots are fanciful, but lovely and, in the ballet of Uncle Tom, as performed by Tuptim draw a direct analogy to the unpleasant lives endured by Siamese slaves, in particular women. It does so with majesty and intelligence, no less so than Arthur Miller did in "The Crucible," contrasting the Salem Witch Trials with the awful McCarthy political witchhunts on Capitol Hill.

It is an extraordinary achievement, and it is shocking that it did not even make the top 100 AFI films a year ago. It is continually fresh and alive, and every time there is a festival or re-release it does well. Indeed, a few years ago it was shown on a huge screen at The Hollywood Bowl, with orchestral accompaniment, and it was a smash again.

My only regret is that Deborah Kerr (six times nominated for an Oscar) was not gifted with an Academy Award along with her co-star Yul Brynner.

It is a film that should be seen for generations to come.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Thai

Release Date:

29 June 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le roi et moi

Filming Locations:

Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,550,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min 144 min (with Overture, Entr'acte and Exit Music) (roadshow)

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1