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 (1956) is another of the many Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals that dominated the 1950s and 1960s film era.

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

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

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

As a whole, the songs are not as memorable as those in some other similar musicals, but that is to be expected given the magnificence.

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

It’s a lovely musical, but not as enjoyable as others, and it’s 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)

Golden Globe Nominations: 3 wins-Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy (won), Best Actor in a Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy-Yul Brynner (won), Best Actress in a Leading Role-Musical or Comedy-Deborah Kerr (won), Promoting International Understanding