The King and I
1956 - 133 min. - Color
Genre: Musical
Rated G
Country: USA

LaserDisc Movie Review:
The King and I, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's 1951Broadway musical hit, was based on Margaret Landon's book Anna and the King of Siam. Since 20th-Century-Fox had made a film version of the Landon book in 1946, that studio had first dibs on the movie adaptation of King and I. Deborah Kerr plays English widow Anna Leonowens, who comes to Siam in the 1860s to tutor the many wives and children of the country's progressive King (Yul Brynner, recreating his Broadway role-and winning an Oscar in the process). The culture clash between Anna and the King is but one aspect of their multilayered relationship. Through Anna, the King learns the refineries and responsibilities of "modern" western civilization; Anna meanwhile comes to realize how important it is for an Oriental ruler to maintain his pride and to uphold the customs of his people. After a successful evening entertaining foreign dignitaries, Anna and the King celebrate with an energetic dance, but this is cut short by a bitter quarrel over the cruel punishment of the King's new Burmese wife Tuptim (Rita Moreno), who has dared to fall in love with someone else. Despite the many rifts between them, Anna and the monarch come to respect and (to a degree) love one another. When the King dies, Anna agrees to stay on to offer help and advice to the new ruler of Siam, young Prince Chulalongkhorn (Patrick Adiarte). In general, The King and I tends to be somewhat stagey, with the notable exception of the matchless "Small House of Uncle Thomas" ballet, which utilizes the Cinemascope 55 format to best advantage (the process also does a nice job of "handling" Deborah Kerr's voluminous hoopskirts). Most of the Broadway version's best songs ("Getting to Know You", "Whistle a Happy Tune", "A Puzzlement", "Shall We Dance" etc.) are retained. None of the omissions are particularly regrettable, save for Anna's solo "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?" This feisty attack on the King's chauvinism was specially written to suit the talents of Gertrude Lawrence, who played Anna in the original production; the song was cut from the film because it made Deborah Kerr seem "too bitchy" (Kerr's singing, incidentally, is dubbed for the most part by the ubiquitous Marni Nixon). When all is said and done, the principal attraction of The King and I is Yul Brynner, in the role that made him a star and with which he will forever be identified. Hal Erickson

The King and I typifies the elaborate Broadway musical adaptations with which Hollywood studios often tried to fight the advance of television of 1950s. Shot in an extreme widescreen version of CinemaScope to counter the smallness of the TV screen, the film offers equally grand set design, costumes, and cinematography. The songs and performances are equally impressive: Yul Brynner won an Oscar for his career-best performance as the King of Siam; and Deborah Kerr's singing was dubbed by the capable Marni Nixon, who had been responsible for Natalie Wood's singing voice in West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn's in My Fair Lady. Based on the book Anna and the King of Siam, the story has been filmed at least three times: as the 1946 drama The King and I; as an animated musical of the same name, in 1999; and the non-musical Anna and the King, also from that same year

Cast for The King and I

Deborah Kerr - Anna Leonowens
Yul Brynner - The King
Rita Moreno - Tuptim
Martin Benson - Kralahome
Terry Saunders - Lady Thiang
Rex Thompson - Louis Leonowens
Carlos Rivas - Lun Tha
Patrick Adiarte - Prince Chulalongkorn
Alan Mowbray - British Ambassador
Geoffrey Toone - Ramsay
Yuriko - Eliza, in ballet
Marion Jim - Simon Legree, in ballet
Robert Banas - Keeper of the Dogs
Dusty Worrall - Uncle Thomas, in ballet
Gernze de Lappe - Specialty Dancer
Charles Irwin - Ship's Captain
Leonard Strong - Interpreter
Jadin Wong - Amazon
Jean Wong - Amazon
Weaver Levy - Whipping Guard
William Yip - High Priest
Eddie Luke - Messenger
Josephine Smith - Guest at Palace
Thomas and Dennis Bonifla - Twins
Marni Nixon - Anna (singing)
Fuji



Crew for The King and I

Walter Scott - Set Designer
Leon Shamroy - Cinematographer
Richard Rodgers - Songwriter / Composer (Music Score)
Rodgers & Hammerstein - Composer (Music Score)
John De Cuir - Production Designer
Irene Sharaff - Costume Designer
Lyle Wheeler - Art Director
Robert Simpson - Editor
Margaret Landon - Book Author
Ken Darby - Composer (Music Score)
Paul Fox - Set Designer
Charles Brackett - Producer
Jerome Robbins - Choreography
Alfred Newman - Musical Direction/Supervision / Composer (Music Score)
Oscar Hammerstein II - Songwriter
Ernest Lehman - Screenwriter
Walter Lang - Director



Awards for The King and I

Best Actor (win) Yul Brynner 1956 Academy
Best Actress (nom) Deborah Kerr 1956 Academy
Best Art Direction (win) Lyle Wheeler 1956 Academy
Best Art Direction (win) Walter Scott 1956 Academy
Best Art Direction (win) Paul Fox 1956 Academy
Best Art Direction (win) John De Cuir 1956 Academy
Best Costume Design (win) Irene Sharaff 1956 Academy
Best Director (nom) Walter Lang 1956 Academy
Best Picture (nom) 1956 Academy
Best Score (win) Ken Darby 1956 Academy
Best Score (win) Alfred Newman 1956 Academy
Best Sound (win) Carl Faulkner 1956 Academy
Best Actor Yul Brynner 1956 New York Film Critics Circle
Best Actress Deborah Kerr 1956 New York Film Critics Circle
Best Direction Walter Lang 1956 New York Film Critics Circle
Best Film Walter Lang 1956 New York Film Critics Circle
Best Cinematography (nom) Leon Shamroy 1957 Academy
Best Actress (in Musical/Comedy) (win) 1957 Golden Globe
Best Film (in Musical/Comedy) (win) 1957 Golden Globe


Catalog Number: 0896485
UPC: 086162896460
Manufacturer: Pioneer USA
Publisher: Fox Video

Sides: 4
Cover: Box Set
Certification: THX
Sound Analog Right: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spoken Language: English
Country: USA
Video Format: NTSC