The King and I

Based on the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, The King and I is the somewhat true story of her years as the British schoolmistress to the children of Mongut, King of Siam (now Thailand) in the 1860s.

The King is trying to keep Siam independent, and one of his strategies is to have his court learn Western ways. ‘Proper’ Englishwoman, Anna (Deborah Kerr) is appalled by the practices of polygamy and slavery but captivated by the royal children. Anna and the King have a clash of personalities as she works to teach the royal family about the English language, customs and etiquette, and rushes to prepare a party for a group of European diplomats who must change their opinions about the King. She eventually falls in love with the King, although the only physical realization of this is daring to hold each other for a waltz, the dazzling “Shall We Dance.”

Yul Brynner reprised his Tony-winning Broadway portrayal of the King, while the gracious Hollywood star Deborah Kerr was cast as Anne, her singing dubbed by the ubiquitous Marni Nixon (who also voiced Natalie Woods’ Maria in West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn’s Eliza in My Fair Lady). The film earned five Academy Awards, including one for Brynner as Best Actor and another for Irene Sharaff (retained from Broadway) for costumes.

Film website: media3.criterionpic.com/htbin/wwform/014?T=F00084