Margaret Landon's novel "Anna and the King of Siam" was successfully adapted to the screen in 1946. In 1951, it became a hit musical, featuring songs by Rogers and Hammerstein. Yul Brynner shaved his head for his role as the King (he would eventually give over 4,000 performances). He also starred in the film version of the musical, winning a Best Actor Oscar in the process.
Deborah Kerr, wearing hoopskirts wide enough to
function as parachutes, played the schoolteacher.
Her singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon, who would
later dub Natalie Wood in "West Side Story" and
Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady".
The story of "The King and I" remains largely
faithful to the 1946 film version, although it
has been made more gentle (the characters of
Louis and Tuptim survive in the musical
incarnation). The $6.5 million production also
boasts glorious widescreen color cinematography,
showcasing the costumes and sets better than the
original. Still, I prefer the 1946 version with
its more dense script, which has been simplified
in the musical version to accommodate the songs.
The story is well known. In 1862, the widowed
Anna (Kerr) arrives in Siam (modern-day Thailand)
to tutor the many children of the King (Brynner).
The King is a polygamist, and his many wives have
produced dozens of cute little kids, all of whom
apparently are under the age of twelve. The
King's latest acquisition, a gift from Burma, is
Tuptim (Rita Moreno). But Tuptim is in love with
Lun Tha (Carlos Rivas), with whom she plans to
elope.
Anna and the King have something in common: they
are both stubborn. Anna insists on having an
adjoining brick house built for her, while the
King wants her at his beck and call. As she wins
his respect, she becomes one of his chief
advisors, especially for impressing visiting
British dignitaries who have plans of making Siam
a 'protectorate'. In a coincidence that could
only occur in a movie, the British Ambassador
(Alan Mowbray) had once proposed to Anna.
My sympathies go to poor Louis (Rex Thompson),
Anna's pre-adolescent son. Perpetually dressed up
like Little Lord Fauntelroy, one can only hope
that Mother will spring for a new wardrobe by the
time he hits puberty. There is an interesting
play-within-a-play, Tuptim's Siamese adaptation
of "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Elsewhere, however, the
musical numbers, even when performed by Asians,
are completely Western in style. Sometimes they
can be lame as well: "Hello Young Lovers" and "We
Kiss in a Shadow" are better in reputation than
in practice.
Brynner, of course, makes an excellent King of
Siam. His character has more bark than bite, and
is often quite funny; sometimes he even gets the
best of Anna, which is no small task since her
character is more or less perfect. (61/100)
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