shakercoola 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.

Python Hyena The King and I (1956): Dir: Walter Lang / Cast: Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, Rita Moreno, Terry Saunders, Martin Benson: Technical achievement for director Walter Lang about the humble humbling the authority. The king in question is played with surprising authority and humour. He is king of Siam and has too many kids to count. Deborah Kerr play Anna Leonowens, a widow with a young son. She arrives from Wales by ship accepting a job opportunity to teach the king's numerous kids. They butt heads when she becomes the one person who dares counter argue the king. She claims that he promised her a house while he declares that she remain in the palace. This is surprisingly witty in its humour thanks to Brynner's performance as a king who refuses to admit his shortcomings. Kerr is able to communicate so that he may maintain his image. The climax regards a banquet put on in order for the king to improve his image in the face of false claims. In supporting roles are Rita Moreno as the latest female presented as the king's umpteenth wife who is secretly in love with another man. This subplot is poorly resolved and a weak element in the film. Terry Saunders plays Lady Thiang who intervenes for the king when he refuses to address Anna. The musical numbers are often corny but the set decorations is an art all its own and render it fit for any king. Score: 8 / 10

lasttimeisaw This classic musical extravaganza stars a contrasting pair Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner, a British widow Anna sails to Siam to be the governess of King Mongkut's many children and wives in the early 1860s, as the king is dedicative to modernise his country with western civilisation.This premise is grating enough to introduce the scenario completely based on westerners' wanton concoction and superior hubris to a less civilised society. As a successful adaptation of a sensational play, the film practically is a more lavish play in a giant set, it won 5 Oscars (Brynner won for BEST LEADING ACTOR) with 9 nominations altogether including the big five.The film goes extensively into the ostentation and extravagance of its exotic setting, which must have been marvellous for audience then, all that glittery, kitschy bells and whistles are visually winsome, most prominently is the enthralling choreography of a Thai version of UNCLE TOM'S CABIN. But the central story, an oriental king versus a dignified British lady, fabricates the drama which is too primitive and too on-the-nose, what's more disheartening, the film in shamelessly biased in the Thai culture, and not in an ironical way which one can laugh about it as a self-mocking ridicule, under today's world, it is untimely, irrelevant and politically incorrect (at least hiring some real Asians in the extras for Christ's sake!). Brynner's Oscar-winning performance is quite a novelty then, a star-making opportunity for him to introduce to audience with his unique handsomeness and virility, with a bald head although it is a reprise of his role in the original play, he insistently flaunts his sinewy bod to justify his masculinity, verbalises his lines with peculiar accent and extracts a lively combination of royal panache and congenial naiveté albeit his plot twist in the end is too brusque to accept.This is maybe Deborah Kerr's most memorable role and she is so fearlessly engaging in embodying all the virtues of a dignified woman with nobility, candidness kind-heartedness and self-respect, sadly both her and Brynner cannot rescue the entire film from becoming awfully outmoded after nearly 60 years.All its music numbers are standard show-tunes from a bygone era, some is bordering on cringe-worthy for my ear, simply not my cuppa. The story itself is a detritus made only for the world-view of 19th century, our concept of ethnology has thankfully evolved through one and a half centuries, so sometimes, something better being left in its own time-frame, otherwise heedful readjustment is indispensably needed to adopt the new mindset of a different generation, as much as I adore two leads' performances and all the efforts behind the production team, the film I really cannot endorse.

avi-greene2 I have recently watched this movie on my VHS tape for the first time I can remember, because my grandparents used to own the tape and they gave it to us. I have to say that, while this movie has a depressing ending, this movie has a really good soundtrack, and I love all the beautiful gowns Deborah Kerr wore in the film. Not to mention the phenomenal performance of Broadway star Yul Brynner, who played the King of Siam in the film as well as the show. He was great. This is just a fantastic musical flick and is superior to the animated King & I remake from the 1990s. I like the animated version of this R&H show as well, but I just think this one is the best. This would probably be my second favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein musical hit, my first being "The Sound of Music" of course.