The King and I

Vesaire, vesaire, vesaire... "Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera!"

Epic musical about the love/hate relationship between Anna Leonowens; who was the hired teacher and consul for King Mongkut of Siam; and the king himself; in the 1960s at the tale end of his reign. The play is a musicalization and dramatization of Leonowens' own published journals; based on her own real-life experiences as a member of King Mongkut's court in the 1860s. Leonowens was hired to teach Mongkut's many children, (he famously had 39 sons, 43 daughters and 36 wives). She was also brought in because Mongkut had a stated desire to "modernize" his court; and bring a calming British influence into his own regime; (to fight the prevailing notion that he was a "barbarian" amongst Westerners). The musical follows Anna's numerous ongoing interactions and consultations with the king for the decade she was in Siam; their discussions about culture; their debates about human rights and priorities and customs; their fights about her living situation and the various power plays that went on between them; as well as the unstated love affair that was going on between them... Both Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner are absolutely brilliant in these performances; particularly Brynner, who won an Oscar for his performance. But fiesty Kerr is no slouch either and she proves his perfect foil in this romance/battle of the wits. Is the play hackneyed with stereotype and racist colonial tropes?.... Yes! Is it entertaining, brilliantly acted; and very moving as well?... Yes! Not to mention the direction by musical empresario Walter Lang is sumptuous and breathtaking; and the music by Rodgers and Hammerstein is just classic, tear-jerking stuff. To quote the song "Something Wonderful": "He will not always say, what you would have him say; but now and then he'll do, something wonderful!" The same goes for the show; which ofcourse has many cringe moments; but now and then it is wonderful. The part that hasn't dated is this depiction of two strong personalities; coming together and forming a friendship; and coming to understandings about how to improve society in some small way and learn from eachother. The heavy-handed colonial missionary subtext be damned... This is still the story of a real life fascinating friendship between two fascinating people. Perfectly played by two brilliant actors. And in that sense it's definitely still worth watching. Not to mention the brilliant classic musical numbers like "Getting to Know You"; "Something Wonderful" and "Shall we Dance". Highly Recommended!

As I said, I really like this film-musical, as I like most all Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals. Rodger's music is sublime and catchy in all the right ways, invoking thoughtful and sophisticated influences of Asian music. The problem, however, lies in the portrayal of Mongkut, who although driven to bring modernism and education to Siam for the sake of his subjects, is really little more than a funny speech inflection. Nevertheless, the striving for common ground between the Eastern and Western values serves to enlighten both Mongkut and Anna in unexpected ways, with both learning to respect and love each other. In fact, I would argue that it is only with the blending of cultures that the characters truly learn who they are. It is a story from a less politically correct, more innocent time, but a good deal of enjoyment can still be garnered.

The most well know Rogers and Hammerstein musical and it's an Visual spectacle

The performances are strong but the story is ridiculous and ignores history.

Beautiful sets and a dedication to visual splendor certainly elevate the film and preserve the feeling of stage presence, but it can hardly be argued that most of the individual tracks clear the bar to be labeled true classics. Brynner's breakout performance is energetic, entertaining, and still highly watchable, but the film overall has aged poorly from a social perspective, and I believe that the legacy of the King and I has likely suffered as a result when compared to more palatable fare, and will likely continue to do so. Even judging it as a production of its time, I believe it to be an enjoyable and opulent (if narratively simple) production, but not much beyond that. Much of the pacing is erratic, such as the deviation into the rendition of Uncle Tom's Cabin, which plays a narrative role but could have been effectively completed in a far shorter period without removing the audience from the story for such a prolonged period. (3/5)

Getting to know The King and I is a wonderful experience. Yul Brynner is unforgettable as the king of Siam, and Deborah Kerr is able to stand toe-to-toe (or head-to-head) with his every move. With its lavish sets, elaborate costumes, and amusing songs, this musical has an undeniable charm, even if it may feel foreign or dated to some.

Opulent movie musicals were a staple of the 1950s box office as hits like Annie Get Your Gun (1950), Oklahoma! (1955) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) encouraged big studios to pump them out regularly. This film was a cultural sensation at the time and represented the high point of Yul Brynner's career as he also appeared in The Ten Commandments (1956) and won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in this film. Like many musicals there is dreadful overacting, many forgettable songs and an over reliance on spectacle but this film does not have the giddy joy of Gigi (1958) and at two hours and seventeen minutes it quickly becomes a drag. Welsh governess and widow Anna Leonowens, Deborah Kerr, travels to Siam in order to teach the children of King Mongkut, Yul Brynner, but is angered when he reneges on his promised to find her and her children a house outside of his palace. She is initially shocked by the inhumane practices that he is in support of as he has multiple wives and over 100 children while maintaining slavery in his country and encouraging sexism. She educates his children and they begin to learn about their nation's position in the world and facets of western culture such as Christianity and etiquette. As Leonowens and Mongkut begin to develop romantic feelings for one another he softens and is more susceptible to her lobbying against slavery and desire to have him reach out to other world leaders like Abraham Lincoln. One of his slaves, Tuptim, Rita Moreno, is in love with Lun Tha, Carlos Rivas, and wants to run away with him but is prevented from doing this by Mongkut who rules with an iron fist. At a party that Mongkut throws for foreign politicians he is a success but is confronted by Tuptim about his treatment of her. If the film were to be made today I assume it would be hit with a flurry of angry opinion pieces written for The Guardian as it definitely has a pro-Imperialist bent that makes watching the film an awkward experience. Leonowens lectures Mongkut about his lack of faith and essentially serves as a missionary which has uncomfortable parallels to "The White Man's Burden" as a native person is converted to British culture by a beautiful white woman. The presentation of the culture in Siam is also stereotypical as we hear gongs being banged regularly and are invited to look at the locals not as human beings but as exotic animals. Then there is the fact that they all speak English poorly and are mocked for this with their malapropisms and inability to pronounce certain words correctly becoming a running gag. Leonowens also addresses all of them as children and the implication that even the most powerful and successful native is less intelligent than a low ranking white person is offensive. If the film had treated these characters with respect and avoided feeling like an advertisement for Imperialism it would have been a better film and this offensive messaging may be what keeps the film from being as popular as Mary Poppins (1964) or Fiddler on the Roof (1971). Despite my issues with the character she plays I thought that Deborah Kerr was typically graceful and self possessed in the lead role and so I was left enjoying her delivery of lines but hating their content. She also maneuvers around in her dresses quite well and her dancing is very good but I do think an actress who could sing would have been a better choice for the role. It is obvious that Kerr is lip-synching and this makes her musical numbers less powerful. Obviously not everybody can be Julie Andrews but there were talented performers around at the time who would have been a better fit. Brynner earned much praise for his work in this film and played the role on stage for 25 years but whether it was just the way the role was written or the way he was so one note throughout I find it hard to love the character. He spends most of the film yelling "Et cetera, Et cetera, Et cetera!" and this line did not become funnier the more he said it and his singing left something to be desired. Next to Kerr I wondered why she had any interest in him at all as he registers as trying too hard while she seems perfectly natural when delivering dialogue. The film's greatest assets are the costumes worn by Kerr and the production design which gives us a colorful palace to feast our eyes on. Irene Sharaff deservedly won an Academy Award for her work on the film and when we see Kerr in dress after beautiful dress we understand why as they take your breath away. As for the visuals they elevate the film as the pinks and blues that appear frequently differentiate the film from others in the musical genre.

Loved the music and splendor

The best, GREATEST musical romance movie ever made! With the best movie character ever portrayed: Deborah Kerr as Anna Leonowens! Plus 2 of the best movie songs ever sung: Getting to Know You and Shall We Dance?! And the best movie quote ever spoken: "Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera."