You won't be disappointed!

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Written originally as a stage musical for their friend Gertrude Lawrence, "The King & I" originally had it's emphasis on the "I," being adapted from Margaret Landon's documentary novel, "Anna & the King of Siam." When 20th Century-Fox released the film version in 1956, the emphasis had switched to "The King" in the title, as Yul Brynner was the only member of the Broadway cast to portray the same role in the film. Deborah Kerr was an excellent choice to play Anna, although hers, Rita Moreno's and Carlos Rivas' voices were all dubbed (Kerr's by Marni Nixon). The Fox CinemaScope 55 process (only used on this film and "Carousel," made the same year) provides a wonderful widescreen experience, however the use of DeLuxe color instead of a better color process seems to have cast a blue pallor over the screen images as the negative has aged. While this could possibly be corrected electronically using today's technology, recent home video releases have not made use of it. The acting in this classic musical is terrific, and the only gripe anyone would have with the film is that "Small House of Uncle Thomas" runs too long and should have been edited instead of sacrificing three musical selections from the stage version: "My Lord and Master" by Tuptim, "I Have Dreamed" by Tuptim and Lun Tha, and "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You" by Anna. All three appear on the soundtrack album, but not in the film itself, so the film is docked two stars for the omissions. Visually, Fox spared no expense with costume and set design and construction. Anna's hoop skirts were the fashion of the period in the U.K., and with Siam (now Thailand) being an equatorial territory, the Siamese royal characters were dressed appropriately. The palace set in Bangkok was opulent, making a viewer wonder if Siamese royalty was as affluent as 20th Century-Fox, and certainly no stage production on Broadway or anywhere else could have scenery such as that which Fox used in this production. The songs are great, the acting spot-on, and the only flaws in the film were mentioned above. Even if musicals aren't your thing, "The King & I" (correct title, with ampersand) is worth seeing. See this one BEFORE seeing "The Sound of Music," as from a cinematic perspective, this studio-bound film is the better one.

An arrogant, absolute monarch is brought down a peg or two by an English teacher in this Hollywood studio version of the story of the rule of King Mongkut over 19th century Siam. The art direction is lavish, staged colourfully, and with beautiful costume design. There are heartwarming scenes with the King's children even if the narrative is a little overtheatrical, and questionable for modern day audiences. As a musical it works because it is sequence driven and told in set pieces of meaningful to-the-point drama. It's overlong and over produced, and as popular as the songs are they are slightly less memorable as a Hollywood musical, though the musical score is uplifting. Yul Brynner is in majestic Oscar winning form having practised the role on stage for years and Deborah Kerr is perfectly cast to charmingly subvert him.

This is truly a classic! You will love this movie for its songs, Yul Brynner's performance, and just about everything else. It basically features a schoolteacher from Wales who goes to Bangkok with her schoolchildren and interacts with the king there, finding love on the way. All the songs are great, the cast is great, the chemistry among the performers is first rate, and basically everything is perfect. If you are into classic movies, musicals, classic actors, and everything about great movies, give this marvelous movie a try. The interactions between Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner make it work all the way through!*** out of ****

Although it's a rather difficult choice to make, this is probably my favorite R&H-scored film. Like the others, it's filled with mostly memorable songs. However, the screenplay, lavish sets, quite exotic setting, cinematography, and up and down relationship between the main characters, played by Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr, are equally important in giving it a superior rating. Based upon the historic 6 year relationship between world-traveling, widowed, Brit Anna Leonowens and Thai King Mongkut, it introduces some significant fabrications, especially as relates to the controversial last portion, when The King somehow wills his death, after a very emotion confrontation with Anna over his imminent flogging of harem girl Tuptim for her disloyalty in running away with her preferred lover. Historically, The King died suddenly of malaria, after Anna had left for Britain, she being dissatisfied with some of the terms of her employment. By then, she was no longer teaching the palace children and women, but serving as The King's secretary, as suggested in a scene where The King is dictating a letter to President Lincoln, offering to send some male war elephants to help defeat the seceding states. This scene, as many, suggests that The king regards females as grossly inferior to males. Also, he took very seriously the custom of his subjects prostrating themselves before him, never being higher than his head. This functions as a running gag, along with the too frequently repeated "etc., etc.,etc.", even being included in the King's death scene. This is in contrast to the historic King, who actually instituted some reforms, raising the status of women, although he didn't go far enough for the critical feminist Leonowens. His son and successor , Chulalongkorn, would, over a much longer reign, institute many more reforms, as minimally suggested in the finale. As suggested earlier in the film, both kings were largely motived to institute radical legal, financial and political change to discourage being taken over as a protectorate of some European power, most probably the UK. However, as I understand the meaning of the last portion of the film, The King is conflicted as to whether to enforce his traditional way of dealing with a personal crisis, which Anna labels as barbaric, or do what she recommends. The King was determined not to appear 'barbaric' to western observers, yet felt emasculated in giving into Anna's criticism of his traditional way of dealing with the crisis. Thus, he felt he had to die, and hand over his throne to his young son, who lacked his 'baggage' of a long life of traditional Thai culture, and thus presumably felt more free to institute many European-based social and political reforms. The historic Chulalongkorn was actually mid-teen, rather than the younger boy cast, when called upon to assume the throne. Although he had a regent for a few years, he felt considerably more qualified as a young king than the boy in the film, who has to initially lean on others, including Anna, in beginning to take on the role of king.Although The King periodically says that he is determined not to be considered by Europeans as a 'barbarian', in fact, Brynner, comes across as looking and often acting like a classic palace-bound pampered oriental despot, with his large harem, shaved head, bare feet, frequent menacing look with semi-oriental eyes, sometimes with defiant Mussolini-like hands on hips or arms folded across his chest posturing, frequent finger-pointing, and generally bombastic persona. That is the central irony of the screenplay! Adding to this irony, Anna periodically states that she doesn't consider him a 'barbarian'. Yet, clearly, she(as representative of a western audience) considers some of his excesses in trying to demonstrate his overpowering authority as king as symptomatic of a 'barbarian'...Of course, Brynner had plenty of practice on stage to perfect this persona. As some have pointed out, he often acts as if he is speaking to a live audience, rather than a film audience. However, this exaggerated bravado and gesticulations actually much enhances the irony of the conflict between our perception of him and his verbal statements of how he wishes to be regarded.Scottish-born Debora was quite good in her role as a school-marmish independent-minded feminist, who refuses to be squashed by The King's immense ego, but sometimes diplomatically accommodates his disapproved actions, in the hope that eventually she can change him. Their relationship rather resembles that of a marriage between two very head-strong people, who eventually divorce, after periodic threats of separation over disagreements. Although Anna clearly couldn't become one of The King's harem, just before he dies, The King gives her a valued ring to wear , in remembrance of him: thus functioning as sort of a wedding ring, in recognition of his respect for her gumption and frequent wise advice.The forbidden romance between new harem girl Tuptin(Rita Moreno) and her Burmese boyfriend Lun Tha provides a somewhat visible romance , in a story where the lead male and female clearly cannot fully express their romantic feelings toward each other. This romance also provides the impetus for the unique "Uncle Tom's Cabin" production, in a traditional Thai drama style, as well as the tragic-appearing last portion of the film. We are left perhaps wondering what became of Tuptin, after she is dragged out of the room, having learned that her boyfriend drowned himself after her recapture. Did she also commit suicide? That would have been too much sudden tragedy for the ending of a musical. Her great granddaughter claims this historic woman became one of Chulalongkorn's harem.The melody for one of my favorite songs in this film: "Getting to Know You", was a reject from the previous "South Pacific", but fits in quite well with Hammerstein's new lyrics.Perhaps I especially like this film because, as a Westerner, I am married to a SE Asian from a traditional agrarian culture and, yes, we are both quite headstrong.