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I am a big fan of Rodgers and Hammerstein - the musical genre has unfortunately faded away but there exists the corpus of their work that are among the best ever created. This is Yul Brynner's signature role and deservedly so. Deborah Kerr's counterpoint to his 'King' is rather less than equal. That's okay though since another performance like Yul's on the same screen would have been overpowering !

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Rita Moreno is a tad weak. The issue of slavery comes up several times in the film. The time is 1860s or so and slavery is an issue in the USA and in active practice in SIAM (Thailand). Perhaps Rodgers and Hammerstein were adding a little social consciousness to this film on the eve of the civil rights movement. Take a look at their films. Without being heavy-handed they addressed a range of social themes in their work . . .

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Lots of gorgeous scenery, beautiful Oriental women, great props and colorful clothes, sterling performances, and interesting dialogue and songs makes this one of the most lively musicals I've seen to date. Yul was perfect as the arrogant, deluded King; I loved his crisp gestures and butchery of the English language. He was most amusing.
This picture, with its infectious score and dynamic performances, is one of the best of its genre. Who can fail to see the sexual tension between the two leads? Who can not marvel at the entrance of the royal children (check out Brynner's different reaction to each child). How can one not applaud the fantastic House of Uncle Thomas performance at the diplomatic dinner. How can your heart not reel to Shall We Dance?
This is old-Hollywood at its very best, and may be the last truly great musical.

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Classic lovely film with an unfortunate failing . . .
The failing would be Deborah Kerr. She's been in so many fabulous films, so many wonderful roles, and yet she continues to annoy me endlessly. Aside from her cackling singing voice, her melodramatic over-acting, and her attempting to out-act everyone else in every film she does.
Yul Brynner - on the other hand - is absolutely wonderful. Deserving every inch of the OSCAR he won, he steals the show here. Every scene he's in is better for it. And the fact that he actually has some Asian stock in him, and was raised there, helps a lot . . . as Hollywood hadn't really acknowledged the existence of acting Asians at that time . . .

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A magnificent, emotionally packed unusual love story.
I originally saw THE KING AND I at the Roxy Theatre in New York City when I was ten years old. My grandmother took me after a day trip to the Statue of Liberty, and I was expecting to see one of my favorites, Jan Clayton, the star of " LASSIE, " in the starring role.
When the movie unfolded I was enraptured by yhe beautiful redhead playing the lead and realized it wasn't Miss Clayton (whom I later learned had played in the road version of the show, and kids that age don't really know the difference). I went out into the theatre lobby and looked at the ornate program, which listed Mrs. ANNA as Deborah Kerr.
What an impression this woman has had on my life over the years from the retelling of the classic tale of the British woman who comes to Siam to teach the king's children. It is superb, not only musically, but from a story standpoint holds up as the best of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals. It is essentially a women's lib story, which makes it as relevant today as it was fifty years ago when it premiered on Broadway.
My only regret is that Deborah Kerr (si times nominated for an Oscar) was not gifted with an Academy Award along with her co-star Yul Brynnner.
It is a film that should be seen for generations to come.

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One of the most opulent musicals ever made, The King and I is a film that grabs you with the impressive art direction and lavish costumes and holds you until the exit music plays. The film gives us the ever hummable Rodgers & Hammerstein tunes with the powerful voice of Yul Brynner and Marni Nixon, who doubled on the singing for Deborah Kerr.
The color is balanced so you see the red in Deborah Kerr's hair and the King's outfits. One of the other joys of watching this movie is the relationship between Anna and the King. He's a blowhard, and she,s rather demure and steadfast. They're both equally stubborn, but at the same time, they respect each other. A charming film that will remain in the hearts of viewers for a long time.

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Deborah Kerr is the perfectly proper English school teacher who comes to Siam. Yul Brynner was never more attractive than he is here as the pompous yet loveable King. The songs are so beautiful, and who could ever forget that dance scene with Anna in that incredible silk gown! A must-see musical classic!
One of the grandest, most entertaining musicals ever committed to the silver screen, "The King and I" is one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's greatest achievements. From the film's excellent performances by two beloved screen icons, to the splendid score, to the breathtakingly beautiful cinematography and set direction and elegant costuming . . . all come together to create an indelible movie masterpiece.
The film is also full of many golden scenes: the King's wives giggling at the sight of Deborah in a billowy petticoated gown (believing that is how she is shaped), Deborah teaching the inquisitive Siamese youngsters about falling lace from the sky called "snow," and one scene in particular, a royal banquet given for an English embassador, with a performance by the King's dancers of an interpretive version of Uncle Tom's Cabin, reworked as "Small House of Uncle Thomas", which is very entertaining. And the film's final, memorable scene will not be forgotten quickly.
Rodgers and Hammerstein work their incredible magic and Hollywood works its own magic in this beloved movie musical, which has delighted and entertained audiences for years, and lives on in this celebrated film classic

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Of the four major screen adaptations of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway classics, I think this is the finest, and probably the truest to its roots, yet adds Hollywood's special gloss. Luckily, Oscar-winner Yul Brynner was allowed to re-create his role as King and Deborah Kerr (although dubbed by the versatile Marni Nixon) was a fine substitute for the late Gertrude Lawrence as royal schoolmarm Anna Leonowens. In an unusual move, Jerome Robbins was allowed to re-create his original stage choreography (most notably in the "Small House of Uncle Thomas" ballet) and Jo Mielziner's opulent stage sets were topped by John DeCuir's sumptuously designed sound stages.
Sure, "The King and I" is a tad schmaltzy too, but fiery Brynner and feisty Deborah, ably directed by Walter Lang, bring tears that don't taste of treacle. Alfred Newman's Fox orchestra and chorus were in peak form too. It's too bad the songs cut from the film version couldn't have been restored here (most likely they were recorded and not filmed). But this remains one of the rock-solid screen adaptations of a beloved classic Broadway show.
A word of advice - if you want to see this movie as it's meant to be, buy the widescreen edition - it's filled with huge shots with tons of people in them, wide panoramas of the court, the Uncle Tom's Cabin scene, etc., etc. Especially to get the full dramatic effect of the movie's final scene, there's no substituting for widescreen.

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