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The film stars Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr with Rita Moreno, Terry Saunders, Martin Benson, Rex Thompson, Patrick Adiarte, Alan Mowbray and Geoffrey Toone. The cinematography was by Leon Shamroy, the art direction by John DeCuir and Lyle R. Wheeler and the costume design by Irene Sharaff. Production An interview with actor Carlos Rivas (Lun Tha) included in the 50th anniversary edition DVD mentions that originally Dorothy Dandridge was under consideration for the role of Tuptim, but for reasons unknown to Rivas, was not cast. Rita Moreno, who was under contract to the studio producing the film, was invited merely for a test, but impressed the producers enough that she was selected for the part.[3] Several of the musical's songs were deleted from the film, but three of these are heard on the soundtrack recording. Omitted from the film were "My Lord and Master," "I Have Dreamed," "Western People Funny," and "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?", as well as reprises of several of the other songs. "I Have Dreamed" and "Western People Funny" survive in the film as orchestral underscoring. A special 50th Anniversary edition was released in 2006, which promised to restore the lost numbers, but it included only the audio for "Shall I Tell You?" This would seem to indicate no footage exists of these numbers. An off-screen choral reprise of "Something Wonderful" was added to serve as the film's finale. (The play ends with musical underscoring, but no singing.) The film was shot and promoted in the then-new 55mm CinemaScope 55, but was actually shown in the standard 35mm CinemaScope, with 4-channel stereo instead of the 6-channel stereo originally promised. CinemaScope 55 was never used or promoted again after this production.
Mrs. Anna Leonowens, a widow from Wales (Kerr), arrives in Bangkok with her young son, Louis, to teach English to the children of the royal household of King Mongkut (Brynner). She is escorted to the palace by the King's sinister right-hand man, the Kralohom, of whom she is terribly afraid- she and her son must disguise their fear, ("Whistle A Happy Tune"). She is greeted, but told she will stay in the palace, although the king promised her she will have a house. She demands to see the king and does see him. The King is pleased with her, and takes her to meet his wives and his fifteen children that live in the palace (he has sixty-two more). She agrees to stay and teach them. Here she meets a new, young wife named Tuptim, who is unhappy living at the castle, because she is in love with Lun Tha, the man who had brought her to Siam from Burma. The King is troubled- he craves knowledge, but how can he learn the truth when different cultures say different things? ("Is A Puzzlement"). As Anna teaches her lesson to the children, she explains that getting to know people is her favorite thing to "teach" (Getting to Know You). The lesson goes on and the children start to not believe in the things she is teaching them, such as snow and Siam's small size. The King intervenes and scolds his children for not believing her. Late one night, the king summons Anna to talk to her about the Bible, and how Moses says the world was created in six days. The King of Siam thinks Moses is a fool- he thinks that the world took many centuries to create. They have a small argument about the bible, and Anna standing above the King- it is the Siamese custom that no-one's head should be higher than the King's- and Anna is forced to sit on the floor as the king has her write a letter to U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, telling him he will send male elephants to America to help with the Civil War. Anna tries to tell him that the elephants will not last long if only male elephants are sent, but the King loses interest and tells her to finish the letter herself. Anna goes outside, where she meets Lun Tha, Tuptim's lover, and learns that they have been meeting in secret. He asks Anna to fetch Tuptim. Anna refuses at first, afraid of the consequences if the lovers are caught, but, remembering her own happy days with her husband, Tom, she relents. The lovers meet ("We Kiss In A Shadow"), and Lun Tha promises that when he comes again, he and Tuptim will escape from Siam. Later, the King is told that England thinks him a barbaric leader, so he and Anna plan an English style feast for many European officials. Anna helps to make some of the ladies' European dresses, and also orders food and teaches the orchestra European music. She is apalled to find that she only has one week to do this in, but the King reminds her that according to Moses, the whole world was created in one week. Anna dresses the ladies up in English clothes, but forgets to give them undergarments. She is horrified on discovering her mistake, and entreats the ladies to keep their backs to the wall when presented to the Ambassador. But at the sight of the Ambassador's spyglass, the ladies flee in panic, declaiming that he has the head of a goat. The Ambassador arrives, along with his aid Sir Edward Ramsey, with whom Anna once had an affair. He wayleighs Anna as she goes to help the King with the seating, and they reminisce and dance together, which the King walks in on and is highly jealous. The king offers his arm to her and leads her to dinner, where the guest are entertained by the King's intellectual observations, and Tuptim's theatrical version of Uncle Tom's Cabin, which she narrates. When the play is over, however, she escapes with her lover. Anna and the King talk after the feast, and he gives her one of his rings as a present. Anna is quite taken by this gesture. It is here that the movie seems to show that they have fallen in love with each other, even though the King rejects the idea. She then teaches him how to dance the polka (Shall we Dance?). However, they are interrupted by the King's chief minister, the sycophantic but evil Kraloholm, who explains that Tuptim has been found and the King is told of her lover. He decides to whip her, but Anna calls him a barbarian, and says that he has no heart. He is unable to beat Tuptim and runs off, and Anna gives back the ring and decides to leave Siam. Tuptim is led off in tears when an official announces that the corpse of Lun Tha has been discovered in the river. She is not seen again. Anna, thinking that she can no longer be of any use, is just about to leave Siam when she is told that the King is dying. She goes to his bedside and he gives her back the ring, saying that she helped him learn a lot. She decides to stay in order to help his young son, her favorite pupil, Crown Prince Chulalongkorn rule the people. As the prince is making his first statements as King, the King dies, only Anna and his right hand man noticing. The film ends with Anna laying her head on his hand. There are some differences between the film and the stage play. "Western People Funny", a song performed by Lady Thiang and the other royal wifes, in which they complain of their uncomfortable English costume, and muse over the English customs they don't understand, is axed, although an instrumental version of it is played as Anna prepares the ladies for the banquet. A reprise of the King's song "Is A Puzzlement", performed by Prince Turaloncon, the heir to the throne, and Anna's son Louis, was also axed. Awards and nominations Academy Awards The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won five.
Best Actor - Yul Brynner Nominations Best Actress - Deborah Kerr
Wins Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Best Film Promoting International Understanding Other In 2006, this film ranked #11 on the American Film Institute's list of best musicals.
The most famous quote from The King and I is arguably that spoken by the King on numerous occasions: "Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera!" There are however other memorable quotes, such as the one below: "Welcome sir." Louie: "He called you a sir!" King to Ambassador: "These are my royal wives" Wife: "AHHG! He has the head of a goat!" Ambassador: "How many children do you have?" King: "Ohh I have only 106, I am not married long". (Ambassador stares). King: "Expecting 5 more next month".
1. Thai Students' Guide: The King & I, Fact Or Fiction? |
