The King and I

The King and I is a fantastic musical that was released in 1956, starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner. Kerr's character Anna Leonowens, plays a widowed schoolteacher sent to teach the King of Siam's many children. Anna is a very strong willed woman that doesn't scare easily not even by King Mongkut played by Brynner.

Leonowens and her son, Louis arrive in Bangkok. The equivalent of Bangkok's Prime Minister greets them. No sooner do they arrive in Bangkok is Anna's tenacity tested. The Prime Minister informs Anna that she will be staying in the palace. Anna speaks up about a handwritten agreement between her and King Mongkut that states she shall live outside of the palace. This does not go over well with the Prime Minister, and Anna requests an audience with the King.

The King of Siam has great plans for his country. He wants all that is good about the Western World to be part of Siam, including the printing press. The King says he wants Siam to be  "a very modern scientific country, everyone speaking English."

Once again, Anna brings up the house, and the King says it is a pleasure to live in the palace, and essentially that you'll teach in the palace, so you shall live in the palace. The King interrupts so she can meet the Kings ten plus children. During this meeting it is obvious that he's very proud of his children. At the end of the introduction, Anna agrees to live inside the palace.

Have a listen to The King and I soundtrack: http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-king-and-i-original-movie-soundtrack-recording-mw0000195558

 

From The King and I, great music was produced by the famous team Rogers and Hammerstein. These songs are "Hello, Young Lovers, Getting To Know You, I Have Dreamed, and Shall We Dance. 

Besides the music by Rogers and Hammerstein, their is wonderful scenery and beautiful clothing worn by the cast. In fact The King and I won five academy awards, one for Yul Brynner, Best Art Direction/ Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, and Best Music and Sound.  This is clearly well deserved to all involved in the making of The King and I.

I find Yul Brynner to be very charming and funny at times. The King of Siam asks Anna how Mr. Lincoln will win the war without guns and Elephants for transporting things. Anna has to explain, that America doesn't have Elephants, and The King of Siam says, "No Elephants. No wonder he's not winning war." I know he was not intentionally trying to be funny, but it was. It's amazing the culture shock people learn about different countries.

Another instance of The King of Siam's charm, is when he wakes Anna up in the middle of the night to dictate a letter to President Lincoln, stating that Siam will send small elephants to America.

I know this is just a movie, but I love the idea of Deborah Kerr giving advise to the King of Siam. Of course he does it in his own way by saying guess this or guess what I'll do. I like how these two very different people are working together in building a modern country and building friendships with Siam's adversaries and each other.

 

After these scenes, it is obvious the King of Siam has feelings for Anna. This jealousy is apparent when an old friend of Anna's starts dancing alone with her. The King of Siam interrupts and takes Anna's arm into the dinning hall. 

 

The most famous scene is when they dance together(can you believe it's not on YouTube)

http://www.yourememberthat.com/media/6857/The_King_And_I_Shall_We_Dance/#.UYXFpeCCIyE

 

This is a classic musical, a musical that combines drama, comedy, and romance. The chemistry of Anna Leonowens and The King of Siam is perfectly matched. Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner portray two characters with different backgrounds, but still manage to fall in love and respect each other.