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:

20th Century-Fox's crowning entertainment achievement!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Thai

Release Date:

29 June 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I

Filming Locations:

Stage 16, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,550,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$21,300,000

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though Richard Rodgers rejected Maureen O'Hara for the title role of Anna, she had previously starred in the Rodgers and Hart musical They Met in Argentina (1941).

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Goofs

We see people eating with chop sticks in Siam (Thailand), however in Thailand they never use chop sticks.

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Quotes

Lun Tha: Death is not worse pain than an empty life.

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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

Home video releases have been very inconsistent with whether or not they have the A Boy Named Charlie Brown mock opening to the movie. It was not included on the 1990 VHS release, was reinstated for the 1991 VHS, but removed again for the 1994 VHS release.

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Connections

Referenced in Keeping Up Appearances: The Commodore (1993)

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Soundtracks

Act I Finale
(1951) (uncredited)
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Sung by Yul Brynner, Siamese wives and children

User Reviews

Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera

"The King and I" was a personal triumph for Yul Brynner and Gertrude Lawrence when the musical made its debut on Broadway. The king of the story seemed to be tailor-made for Mr. Brynner, who made it his signature role and returned with it to the musical theater, again and again.

As captured in film, directed by Walter Lang, "The King and I" is quite a splendid showcase for Mr. Brynner. Since Ms. Lawrence was not chosen to repeat the role of Anna that she created on the stage, her substitute was Deborah Kerr, an immensely talented actress who was a delight in any of the films she graced with her talent and charm.

As a spectacle, this movie is full of exotic colors of what Hollywood thought Siam would look like in the years where the story takes place. The film works as well because of the charismatic performance of Yul Brynner and the terrific chemistry he and Ms. Kerr projected in the film.

All the elements of a Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical are in place. The music serves the story being told. "The King and I" will charm its viewers because of the amazing impact Yul Brynner made in it.