The King and I-1956

Director Walter Lang

Starring Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr

Scott’s Review #26

Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: B

The King and I is another countless Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that dominated the 1950s and 1960s film era.

Having seen the stage version, the film contained two gigantic stars of the period (Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr), Brynner having made this role his legacy.

The story is similar to The Sound of Music as the teacher takes on children of the King, but not quite as gripping, and the chemistry among the leads is there, but not quite completely there.

The Bangkok palace set and the costumes are stylish and fantastic in design.

As a whole, the songs are not as memorable as some other similar musicals, but that is compared to magnificence.

Interesting how much of the cast is not Asian, a characteristic of the stage version too, that is often overlooked and accepted. This is not a criticism, merely a notice.

It’s a nice musical, but not as enjoyable as others, but is still worth watching.

Oscar Nominations: 5 wins-Best Motion Picture, Best Director-Walter Lang, Best Actor-Yul Brynner (won), Best Actress-Deborah Kerr, Best Scoring of a Musical Picture (won), Best Sound Recording (won), Best Art Direction-Color (won), Best Cinematography, Color, Best Costume Design, Color (won)