The King and I (1956)

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

04 Apr 2007 10:05 PM

"The King and I" began as the true story of Anna Leonowens, a widow who went to Siam to teach English to the children of the King. She first wrote "The English Governess at the Court of Siam" in 1870, three years after she left Thailand. In 1872, she wrote "The Romance of the Harem". These two books were the inspiration for Margaret Landon's 1943 book "Anna and the King of Siam," after which the 1946 Rex Harrison movie was patterned. Then another movie was made, a musical which starred Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner. This movie so insulted the Thai people that it was banned from being shown in any Thai movie theaters. You can read more about that here if you're interested.

Then an animated movie was created based on the same story, and most recently we've been given Jodie Foster and Chow Yun Fat's version, which I feel remains the most true to the historical and political situations of that time, although it is still just fiction.

After that long and convoluted introduction, I'd like to talk about the Brynner/Kerr musical. While it's not historically accurate and I do regret the offense it caused to the Thai people, if you take it as a work of fiction, it's still a really good movie.

Deborah Kerr stars as Anna Leonowens, a Welsh widow who has come to Siam in the hopes of being able to take care of herself and her son by working as a tutor. The King (Yul Brynner) has promised her a house in addition to her wages, and she can't wait to get settled in. However, upon meeting the King and asking for more information about this house, she is told that no such agreement was made and she'll live in the palace. Desperately wanting to be independent and not seen as another one of the ladies of the court, she's about to throw in the towel and head for home, but then she meets the children, and her heart is immediately softened. She'll stay for their sake, but she'd better have that house, and soon.

As she comes to know the children better, she also comes to know their father, and a friendship is soon formed. Although he disagrees with much of her Western theology, such as the world being round, he finds himself more and more often coming to her for advice and respecting what she has to say.

Some of Rodgers and Hammerstein's best music came from this movie. "Hello, Young Lovers," (with Deborah Kerr's singing voice dubbed by Marni Nixon) "Shall We Dance," "Getting to Know You," and so much more. The costuming is incredible, the themes of slavery and personal freedom are inspiring, and the music - yes, I'm circling right back to the music. It's fabulous.

I encourage you to learn more about the real story behind Anna Leonowens and her relationship with the King. But in the meantime, enjoy this breathtaking film for what it is - a sweet story, very well told.

As far as the Rex Harrison version goes, I wouldn't waste your time. It's not well done and Rex looks ridiculous with those fake eyebrows. Now, Yul Brynner can scowl with the best of them.

This film was rated G.

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An Affair to Remember

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Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I've been a blogger for Families.com since August of 2006.

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