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The King and I | Year: 1956 Classification: Musical Directed: - Walter Lang Actors/Actresses: - Deborah Kerr - Yul Brynner King of the R&H Movie Musicals 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 the King and Deborah Kerr (although dubbed by the versatile Marni Nixon) was a fine substitute for the late Gertrude Lawrence as royal school-marm 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. Though well made, "Oklahoma!" didn't take root on film quite as well (especially in the Agnes de Mille ballet numbers, which looked so stage-bound on screen), and "Carousel" and especially the hugely popular "Sound of Music," though handsomely photographed on location, bogged down in sentiment. Sure, "The King and I" is a tad schmaltzy too, but fiery Brynner and feisty Kerr, 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 (mostly likely they were recorded and not unfilmed). But this remains one of the rock-solid screen adaptations of a beloved classic Broadway show. Happily, the color on the full CinemaScope 55 image DVD disc is excellent and the disc includes the Overture, Entr'acte and Exit Music that would have been heard in the original '50s first-run engagements. The sound isn't a crisp as the visuals, regrettably, but good considering the nature of magnetic recording in the mid 1950s. The other DVD bonuses include a grainy rendering of the 35mm theatrical trailer, quickie bios of the principal creators, some Fox newsreel highlights of the premiere and Oscar ceremonies (mostly blantant commercials for Fox performers and products) and three audio-only replays of tunes from the show billed as a "Sing Along" (Mitch Miller is nowhere in sight, thank goodness). One of the Greatest Musicals of All Time! Rodgers and Hammerstein's THE KING AND I (1956) is a wonderous movie musical, an incredible adaption of the Broadway musical that premiered on stage in 1951 (and has been performed tens of thousands of times since). It tells a timeless story about tradition vs. modernity, Eastern vs. Western culture and men vs. women. This story was first written as the first-hand account of Anna Leonowens' experiences in Siam in the mid-19th Century, where she had been hired by King Mongkut to teach his many children, in his hopes to push Siam into the modern age. This account was first adapted for the big screen as ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM (1946); unseen by me, it has been highly regarded in its own right, and starred Irene Dunne and Rex Harrison. THE KING AND I stars Deborah Kerr (last name pronounced "Carr") and Yul Brynner. Deborah Kerr completely embodies the strong-willed but emotionally fragile young widow Anna Leonowens; she makes Anna into a character with whom we identify and sympathize. We side with her in all disputes, from demanding that she be given her own house in which to stay as part of the original deal, to calling King Mongkut to task for enforcing double-standard sexual laws that were outdated and demeaning to women even at that time. As the equally strong-willed King Mongkut, Yul Brynner commands the screen in every scene he's in. You simply cannot look away. His King Mongkut is someone who wants to change Siam for the better, yet struggles to cling to many of the same traditions that he slowly begins to realize is partly responsible *for* holding Siam back. His heartbreak by film's end is emotionally gut-wrenching, and never fails to bring me to tears. The Russian-born, half-Mongolian Yul Brynner makes you believe he is a Siamese King; his performance is so brilliant that his transformation into this character appears to be almost effortless. And, of course, it won him a very well-deserved Oscar for Best Actor. Deborah Kerr gives a wide-ranged performance that spans all emotions throughout the course of this film. She was deservedly nominated for Best Actress, but unfortunately didn't win. This film would have given us enough meat to chew on just in the complex relationship between our two principals alone. However, it is not content with just doing that for us. It gives us two spellbinding subplots, one of the forbidden love between Tuptim (a virtually unrecognizable Rita Moreno, in a truly marvelous performance) one of King Mongkut's many wives, and Lun Tha (Carlos Rivas), and the visit by the British Ambassador Sir John Hay (Alan Mowbray) whom King Mongkut wants to impress with how civilized he, and the Kingdom of Siam, is. Also, the "play within the play"; namely, the hypnotic Siamese theater performance of Harriet Beecher Stowe's epic American tale of oppression and cruelty UNCLE TOM'S CABIN, is just so incredible that words fail me as how else to describe it. Anna's young son Louis (Rex Thompson) provides us with an effective Great Movie; DVD *not* Anamorphic I confess I only chapter-skipped through this DVD. After I put it on and discovered it is *not* anamorphically formatted (i.e. not specially formatted for wide screen tv's), then I "boycotted" this Fox release by not watching it. Come on, Fox. In 2004 more people own wide screen tvs than ever before. I *hate* popping in a disk that would look gorgeous on my wide screen, only to discover that I must watch it in "square" format with a letterbox. The gorgeous KING AND I deserves a good, anamorphic transfer to DVD. And while you're at it, please send a memo to Universal to release VERTIGO in anamorphic format as well. Yes, there is a large segment of the DVD population who don't care about anamorphic format. But there are also a lot of us who *do*. And I'll stop renting and buying your films until you release them that way. Buy The King And I at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  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