{"id":42240,"date":"2019-01-27T21:49:13","date_gmt":"2019-01-28T04:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42240"},"modified":"2020-11-22T22:59:28","modified_gmt":"2020-11-23T05:59:28","slug":"king-and-i-the-1956","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42240","title":{"rendered":"King and I, The (1956)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;There is no barbarian worse than a weak king.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Poster-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-42242\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Poster-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Poster.jpg 656w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nIn the mid-1800s, a widow (Deborah Kerr) moves to Siam to become a schoolteacher in the palace of the king (Yul Brynner), who has dozens of young children and many wives. While she struggles to adapt and help the king learn &#8220;scientific ways&#8221;, the king&#8217;s newest young wife (Rita Moreno) &#8212; stolen from Burma &#8212; hopes to escape with her lover (Carlos Rivas).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Deborah Kerr Films<\/li>\n<li>Musicals<\/li>\n<li>Rita Moreno Films<\/li>\n<li>Royalty and Nobility<\/li>\n<li>Strong Females<\/li>\n<li>Teachers<\/li>\n<li>Yul Brynner Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary doesn&#8217;t review this adaptation of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_King_and_I\">Rodgers and Hammerstein&#8217;s 1944 Broadway musical<\/a> in his <em>GFTFF<\/em>, but he does mention it in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>, where he notes that &#8220;Yul Brynner was drafted from Broadway to re-create his <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mongkut\">stubborn Siam despot<\/a> in 20th Century-Fox&#8217;s excellent musical version of <em>The King and I<\/em>.&#8221; He adds, &#8220;Just as Deborah Kerr found the king, audiences thought this bald, handsome, slightly scary newcomer to be magnetic, amusing, powerful, sexy, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.&#8221; Peary goes on to award Laurence Olivier Best Actor for his role in <em>Richard III<\/em>, but does nominate Brynner, so clearly he&#8217;s in agreement with audiences&#8217; sentiments. <\/p>\n<p>Indeed, the title characters are at the core of this film, and they richly embody their roles. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Leading-Actors.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Leading-Actors-1024x401.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"251\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-54009\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Leading-Actors-1024x401.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Leading-Actors-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Leading-Actors-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Leading-Actors-768x301.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Leading-Actors-1536x602.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Leading-Actors-604x237.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Leading-Actors.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As Bosley Crowther wrote in his laudatory review for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1956\/06\/29\/archives\/screen-the-kind-and-i.html\"><em>The New York Times<\/em><\/a>, &#8220;The king is the heart of this story, and Mr. Brynner makes him vigorous and big. But Miss Kerr matches him boldly.&#8221; The colorful cinematography, sets, and costumes are a huge plus, too; the movie is sumptuous to look at, and of course the score is an absolute winner. The &#8220;Shall We Dance&#8221; sequence still delights instantly, thanks to a confluence of all these factors. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Shall-We-Dance-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Shall-We-Dance-1-1024x401.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"251\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-54008\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Shall-We-Dance-1-1024x401.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Shall-We-Dance-1-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Shall-We-Dance-1-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Shall-We-Dance-1-768x301.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Shall-We-Dance-1-1536x602.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Shall-We-Dance-1-604x237.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Shall-We-Dance-1.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Much more problematic is the storyline itself, with its explicitly Orientalist and infantilizing (i.e., &#8220;I&#8217;ll help fix you and your culture&#8221;) approach to Anna&#8217;s visit. The recent Tony-winning revival of the musical <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/christian-lewis\/the-king-and-i-message_b_8940460.html\">apparently worked hard to overcome these inherent challenges, and succeeded<\/a> &#8212; but modern-day viewers of this older adaptation will want to prepare themselves for numerous uncomfortable tensions. On the one hand, it tells a staunchly feminist tale of an independent woman boldly succeeding in a sexist patriarchy; on the other hand, Siamese culture is presented as deeply &#8220;Othered&#8221; and inherently problematic, and it&#8217;s difficult to see Anna as anything other than a &#8220;White savior&#8221; coming in to rescue this nation and its people single-handedly. With that said, should this version of <em>The King and I<\/em> still be seen? Yes, I believe so &#8212; there&#8217;s enough merit in the production itself to warrant a viewing, and modern film fanatics will hopefully be able to put its <em>orientation<\/em> (pun intended) into historical context. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Yul Brynner as King Mongkut of Siam<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Brynner.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Brynner-1024x401.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"251\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-42248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Brynner-1024x401.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Brynner-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Brynner-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Brynner-768x301.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Brynner.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Deborah Kerr as Anna<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Kerr.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Kerr-1024x401.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"251\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-42245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Kerr-1024x401.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Kerr-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Kerr-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Kerr-768x301.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Kerr.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Vibrant sets, costumes, and cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Technicolor.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Technicolor-1024x401.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"251\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-42244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Technicolor-1024x401.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Technicolor-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Technicolor-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Technicolor-768x301.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Technicolor.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Sets.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Sets-1024x401.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"251\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-42246\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Sets-1024x401.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Sets-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Sets-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Sets-768x301.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Sets.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Sets2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Sets2-1024x401.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"251\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-42247\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Sets2-1024x401.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Sets2-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Sets2-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Sets2-768x301.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/King-and-I-Sets2.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Rodgers and Hammerstein&#8217;s infectious score <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its fine songs and lead performances. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1784#historical\">Historically Relevant<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0049408\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1956\/06\/29\/archives\/screen-the-kind-and-i.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tcm.com\/this-month\/article\/121565%7C0\/The-King-and-I.html\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/kingi.html\">FilmSite Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;There is no barbarian worse than a weak king.&#8221; Synopsis: In the mid-1800s, a widow (Deborah Kerr) moves to Siam to become a schoolteacher in the palace of the king (Yul Brynner), who has dozens of young children and many wives. While she struggles to adapt and help the king learn &#8220;scientific ways&#8221;, the king&#8217;s newest young wife (Rita Moreno) &#8212; stolen from Burma &#8212; hopes to escape with her lover (Carlos Rivas). Genres: Deborah Kerr Films Musicals Rita Moreno&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42240\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42240"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54010,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42240\/revisions\/54010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}