The King and I (1956) - film review

In 1862, a young English widow, Anna Leonowens, arrives in Bangkok with her infant son to take up the post of private tutor to the numerous offspring of the King of Siam.  Anna is infuriated that the King has failed to provide a house for her as he promised but she agrees to stay when she loses her heart to his angelic children.  At first, the King’s chauvinism and autocratic ways appal Anna.  The King is equally offended by Anna’s unwillingness to concede to his every whim.  However, after a frosty first few days, they soon develop a liking for one another.  Anna is anxious when she learns that the British government is considering making the country a protectorate, having received reports that the Siamese King is a despotic barbarian.  A delegation from Queen Victoria is soon to arrive in Bangkok to assess the veracity of these reports.  Anna comes to the King’s rescue.  She suggests that, to make a good impression, he should host a European-style banquet which will show he is a modern, civilised king...

One of the best loved and most extravagant of the 1950s Hollywood musicals, The King and I shows no sign of loosing its charm and lustre, even though five decades have passed since its initial, triumphant release in 1956.  With opulent sets of the kind that we only find in the most lavish of Hollywood productions and the legendary pairing of Deborah Kerr with Yul Brynner, to say nothing of the unforgettable musical numbers, this is the kind of musical spectacle that can hardly fail to please.

The film is based on the enormously popular Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical, which opened on Broadway in 1951.  Yul Brynner was the original male lead in this stage production and played the part of the King of Siam in over 4,500 productions, over a 34 year period.   Gertrude Lawrence, who played opposite Brynner on Broadway (and for whom the musical was created), was contracted for the role of Anna in the film version, but she was replaced by Kerr when she was diagnosed with cancer.  (Marni Nixon would provide the singing voice for Kerr.)   The musical was itself based on an earlier work: a novel entitled Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon, which was adapted as a straight dramatic film in 1946, starring Rex Harrison and Irene Dunne.

The King and I was one of the most popular films of 1956.  A critical and commercial success, it was nominated for nine Oscars, of which it won five, in the categories of: Best Actor (Yul Brynner), Best Color Art and Set Decoration, Best Costume Design (Color), Best Music and Best Sound.  Its most memorable songs – Getting to Know You,  Shall We Dance? and  I Whistle A Happy Tune – are all instantly recognisable to a generation of filmgoers.  One of the film’s artistic highpoints is an inspired Oriental reinterpretation of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which is particularly amusing if you happen to have read the book beforehand.

The King and I has the distinction of being one of just two films to be recorded using the short-lived CinemaScope-55 system (the other being another celebrated musical, Carousel).  This was an enhancement to CinemaScope that used a film width of 55 mm instead of the traditional 33 mm.  When it was found that the improvement in image quality did not justify its cost, the system was abandoned and both films were released in the standard 33 mm format.

Whilst some may criticise the film for its sugary artifice and showy theatricality, The King and I is one of Hollywood’s more respectable musicals and it has much to tempt those who are not natural devotees of the genre: uplifting songs, witty dialogue, unflagging energy, sumptuous art design and, best of all, the sparkling rapport between Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr.  This is about as good as it gets.  A cinematic gem.  Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

© James Travers 2008

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