I have always loved this movie and movies that are similar. I was very pleased that you offered it to be purchased. Deborah Kerr and Yul Brunner cannot be outdone in this. Henry Winkler: we knew him as "The Fonz." Kids today know him as the creator of the delightful and dyslexic Hank Zipzer.(pop quiz)(Interview): An article from: Instructor (1990)

One of the most wonderful movies made. Yul Brennen is a dashing actor and Debra Kerr was wonderful. I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves romance.

I was a bit uneasy watching this version as the editing for the square screen makes the film oddly unfamiliar. the peculiar view reminds you how much the medium of wide screen filmmaking was intelligently used.
That quibble aside, this is loaded with pageantry-Aida without the elephants-and some musical turns that have passed into the American repertoire as classics: Shall We Dance, Whistle A Happy Tune and Hello, Young Lovers.
Yul Brenner will be remembered forever for his physical mastery of the role and for virtually inventing the now universally accepted idea that bald is handsomer than hairy. Deborah Kerr struck the right balance between bereaved and confident.
Still, it's much better to get the wide-screen version and play it on the biggest monitor you can find.

Great movie, should have won the Best Picture award in 1956. Great acting by Brynner, Kerr, and Moreno. Yul won the Best Actor award in 1956. Great sets, costumes, et cetera, et cetera. A "Must-See" movie for all.

My family and I LOVE this movie. I personally think this is one of Yule Brenner's best. The kids even get into the singing and dancing.

In my opinion the role of The King in "The King and I" was best played by Yul Brenner. Debra Kerr was an excellant choice for the counter-part of Anna. Together they gave the movie class and enchantment. I have loved this movie since my childhood days, and had to add the aniversary issue to my collection.

The King and I (50th Anniversary Edition)

One of Yul Brynners best films, and one that I have seen over and over again for several years running. The dancing might keep the attention of the younger children for a minute or two, but essentially it is a movie made for the older viewer.

I thoroughly enjoyed this DVD. I am a mature adult who was a child when this movie was made, and I never got to see it. I could see it over and over again now, and enjoy it very much each time. I am very glad that I acquired it to add to my personal collection of DVD's

Film and music buffs will enjoy this classic musical with Brenner. The digital quality of the CD made this sit at home film experience the best.

A favorite of mine. The detailing of the time period is everything I thought it would be. I love Yule Brenner & Deborah Kerr. I love the music the costumes are unbelieveable. I find myself wanting to get up and dance. If I could rate it more then 5 stars I would.

This movie's set is stunning and magnificent! Deborah Kerr is perfect as Anna Leonowens, an English schoolteacher, who comes to Siam with her son, Louis, to be the schoolteacher to the royal princes and princessess. Her dresses are extremely lavish! I don't know how she gets around with those huge hoop skirts! Yul Brynner is also perfect as the King of Siam who wants to be "scientifically modern" "Etc.,etc.,etc..." Anna and the King have two totally different points of view and he has a hard time understanding her wish to have the small brick residence outside of the palace that she was promised.
Like most Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers musicals it deals with two stories in one: Anna and the King; and a servant Tuptim and the man she loves.
The absolutely best scene in the whole movie is the incredible "Shall We Dance?" number Anna does with the King in his gold ballroom! It also has some world-famous songs "Getting To Know You" and "I Whistle a Happy Tune."
This is a great family movie!

This is one of my favorite muscials of all time. The music and the singing is specatular. The history of what was going on is a little fuzzy, but if you've seen Anna and the King it clears it right up. It's worth it just to see the sexy Yul Brynner.

The movie itself--which I remember from childhood--is a masterpiece. However, sadly it was not viewable on this edition. TWO DVD packets from Amazon (a replacement was sent to me after the first one did not work, but that, too, didn't work), didn't work on multiple DVD players which had no problem playing plenty of other films before or after.
No explanation for compatibility (or lack thereof) was found.
In the first packet, niether DVD worked (the feature film, and the extras). In the second packet, the feature film still did not work (it wasn't even recognized by the DVD player) but the extras did. Not that it helped much.
I would beware of this particular edition and stick with older ones, if you can find them. At least they work.

This is not my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Oh, there is a great deal to recommend the movie--Yul Brynner's performance, the lush setting, etc. My quarrel with it is that the songs don't always fit the story and the story behind the songs isn't all that good.

For example, the first song appears when Anna, the governess, arrives at the dock in Siam with her son: "Whistle a Happy Tune." It feels completely out of place, even though it reprises in an attempt to show how Anna faces a frightening situation. The same comment applies to "Hello Young Lovers." It's not that the music is bad; it's that it feels as if the songs were written and then the authors looked around for a place to put them.

The only real love story is between the Burmese girl, a gift to the king, and the young man who brought her to the king. And that forbidden love story is--well--sickly, treacly--one I'll fast forward past if I ever watch this again.

Perhaps the best part of the movie, for me, was the play within a play, "The Small House of Uncle Thomas." It works well within the plot and is fun to watch.

There are some nice songs, of course, and there is Yul Brynner. But it's still not "South Pacific" or "Oklahoma." The comparisons just can't be avoided.

This is a classical commedy for the entire family to watch. Very interesting I saw this when i was only 4 years and after 25 years I still wanted to watch it. I never get tired of it.

Sharon

What a treat!! After watching the VHS for so many years, I finally broke down and bought the DVD. WOW!! Just the opening shot of the boat at anchor made my eyes go wide. I actually saw the whole port and not just the ship! It's so nice to see the whole scene and not just the "center."
I don't really go crazy about all the extras. I just love seeing the movie as I probably saw it in the movie theater as a child and forgot how wide a wide screen is. It was great!!

It arrived in a timely manner. I like the thin case. If only it matched the other 300 DVDs in my collection or I could change those to thin cases. It would save room. Anyways, this is a childhood favorite. Thanks for that.

I have always enjoyed watching The Kind and I. My mom got me hooked on this movie was I was younger. I bought this movie for my mom for Christmas. She was surprised and was happy to have received it. This is one of her favorite movies as well. This is a must see movie for everyone.

Yul Brynner stars -in a role he was born to play and that he made his own on stage and screen -as the King of Siam(now Thailand)who engages Anna Leonowens (Deborah Kerr)a young English woman to teach his children ,oF which there are several ,the ways of the West.She arrives in Thailand with her own son Louis(Rex Thompson)ans proceeds to discharge her duties with style and grace.Unfortunately there are clashes between her and the King.He is an autocratic monarch who brooks no opposition and a chauvinist of the first magnitude unused to assertive women.she is no timid shrinking violet being a strong determined woman .with her own road to hoe .A widow with a young child in a foreign nation she does not merely kowtow but stands her ground .
We see her at work ,becoming a tutor and counsellor -solving the problems of the household including an especially knotty one involving Tuptim(Rita Morenmo) a "gift" to the King from another monarch. She loves another man and is desperate to leave
As the governess and the monarch clash the verbal sparring transforms into something else -a deep affection and mutual admiration ,even love.
The movie is one of the few musicals that would work without the music -the theme itself is so strong and and the script, by Ernest Lehmann is outstanding and for my money improves on the original stage version.However we do have music and glorious music it is too.-Rodgers and Hammerstein at their best with wonderful standards like Getting To Know You ,amd Hello Young Lovers to the fore .
Brynner is exceptional and Kerr radiant.Her singing voice was dubbed by Marni Nixon -who deserves kudos-but even allowing for this she is touching and displays star quality in abundance

It is an immensely enjoyable movie -nothing more needs to be said

I am dockimng it a star for the slighly muddy colour -Fox used their own DeLuxe process and Technicolor would have been richer ,warmer and more suited to the subject

I live in Siam. Have seen this movie in US theatres.


It is banned in Siam as being insulting to King Mongkut(The king Rama IV). Historically inaccuate, It portrays Anna as having an influence on the king which is simply not true! She was nothing more than a tutor for Mongkut's son(Chulalongkorn Rama V) who succeeded his father as King and is generally regarded here as a combination George Washingon, Abraham Lincoln. Anna upon leaving the Royal Court here exagerated her importance for self agrandizment Also the movies portrayal of the Kings devotions to Lord Buddha is insulting to Buddhism. In Thailand all the kings are highly regarded and can easily earn jail time for Less majesty for anything derogatory about the monarchy or Buddhism. I've ordered it to show my Thai friends for their oppinion. Hopping it will make it through customs.

I guess historical accuracy is not important as long as it sells tickets!!

This I have loved forever. The colors and costumes and the music are wonderful!

I forgot how exciting this movie was when I originally saw it. It
brought back wonderful memories. It showed what a showman Yul
Bynner was and how he made this part his. He was always known for
his role as the King and seeing this movie again, showed why. If you
like classic musical movies, I would recommend this movie.

The King and I has been praised deservedly so for many years, both the Broadway run and this wonderful fim. There is too, the non-musical vbersion, Anna and the King of Siam with Irene Dunne and Rex Harrison as the King..very good, and interesting in watching the British Empire stuff recede into the background, as Mrs. Anna begins to need the Siamese more than they need he, and here, the king especially. It's on DVD and well worth the purchase.

This 1956 musical version has the great Rogers and Hammerstein score and the fabulous Yul Brynner and radiant Deborah Kerr to put it all together. She is outstanding anyway in any thing, and Yul Brynner and Ms Kerr are dynamite as a couple in this, as they are later on in the very inetersting film, The Journey.

I think here it is their collective belief in the material and their respective exhuberance to show us they love this musical, plus their talents, that make the film such a must see.

Also, this film was shot in Cinemascope 55(I believe) that greatly enhances all of it, if you habe Big Screen TV. I remember it when it came out, the curved screen and the stereophonicsound, so unbelievable and rich!

See this and Carousel, also great.

First off, I must point out that I never liked musicals when I was growing up. I have been fortunate in my life to have many jobs in the entertainment business and one of those jobs was in theater. I found a new appreciation for musicals at this point. I bought the Rodgers and Hammerstein collection a while back and decided I would start with "The King And I". All the musicals featured in this set are anniversay 2 disc editions. Now back to the "King"....The film looks beautiful and I was very entertained by the story. I think this film could have been trimmed slightly, but it wasn't too drawn out. Yul is hilarious as the King(no wonder he is remembered so much for this role)and Kerr is great as the english school teacher. The children are adorable and the songs are mostly good, but not that many stand out. For my first in the series, I'm impressed! I hope the others are as good........if not better! 4 stars for the film, but an extra star for the fantastic DVD treatment.

Can a progressive, but barbaric, King learn the ways of a teacher from a proper upbringing in England? The King has hired her to teach his many wives and children at his palace in Siam. Tempers flare when ideals are questioned and freedom doesn't mean the same thing for the two. Songs abound in this lively musical. You'll leave this movie humming and singing the songs that have become so familiar today. This is one you mustn't miss.

I hadn't seen this movie in years and thoroughly enjoyed it. The style is a little dated but not enough to hurt. That's one big palace the king lives in and the floors are VERY shiney. Lot of Mop N'Glo in the kingdom.
The story is very similar to "The Sound of Music" when you think about it.
Single woman comes to the home of a very highly placed man to take care of his kids. The forbidden romance: in S of M it's the daughter and the little Nazi protege. In K&I it's the new young wife and her lover. There are even some song parallels. "DoReMe" is "Getting To Know You".
"Something Wonderful" is similar to "Climb Every Mountain". The wife who sings "Something..." is similar to the Reverand Mother. The whole thing is "Romeo and Juliet" becomes "West Side Story".

My only (and great) disappointment was that they cut "I Have Dreamed" from the movie. For my money, that's one of R&H's finest songs. Too bad, too bad.

It's been decades since I was in high school, but I still remember being taken aback by the fact that the script for THE KING AND I was included in my junior year English Lit Anthology. As it happens, it was never actually assigned, but I remember being utterly baffled by its inclusion (could a Broadway musical merit inclusion among more serious works of literature?) and at least skimmed through it at the time. Somehow the notion of members of the Siamese court staging a stylized production of UNCLE TOM'S CABIN just seemed too weird--or maybe just not weird enough-- for my adolescent brain. Looking back, I'm not sure why I didn't find that kind of cross-cultural meld more interesting. But it WAS 1968, and ANY Broadway musical (with the possible exception of the then-current HAIR) would have been way too ESTABLISHMENT for my emerging, uh, countercultural tastes.

But giving it the once over, I had to admit that the text embraced at least it one or two serious IDEAS. So maybe it was worthy of inclusion in the anthology. (And, hey, the rest of the book's selections weren't all literary masterpieces either.) Of course, a few years later--or maybe several years later--I would prove to be much more receptive to a work like THE KING AND I. In fact, oddly enough, a few years BEFORE I probably would have embraced it more eagerly too. In my late childhood, early adolescent stage I was just precocious enough that almost ANYTHING that seemed to smack of grown up sophistication would have appealed to me.

So maybe age 16 was just the wrong age to encounter THE KING AND I--especially in 1968. It probably would come as no surprise to anyone reading this that I have seen the film several times as an adult and appreciate it more each time that I do. It does succeed as sheer entertainment and spectacle of course. The "Shall We Dance?" sequence alone is worth the price of admission (or the price of rental or purchase for home view). Visually, that scene--like so much else in the movie--is just gorgeous.

And it's really only been in the past few years that I have come to appreciate the "Little House of Uncle Thomas" production for the masterpiece of interpretive dance that it is.

It may also come as something of a surprise to viewers my age (and younger) just how many of the Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes from the show were musical staples on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW or were radio hits of the day. Aside from the above mentioned "Shall We Dance?" the show also gave rise to such classics as "Whistle A Happy Tune" and "Hello Young Lovers" and the perhaps somewhat lesser known "Something Wonderful." And musically, they really are something wonderful at that. (And yes, I know that that would have been the last thing I would have owned up to at 16.)

Of course, with all that nourishment for the eye and the ear, did it really need much intellectual heft--or even enough of a message to warrant being included in a high school anthology. Well, there are those who would argue that even the most escapist genres in the popular arts still have a social or cultural subtext. And Broadway musicals are certainly no exception to the rule, even in the B.S. era (that is to say, "Before Sondheim"). While no one would look to even the most sophisticated musical for genuine insight into the human condition, they can address important themes as well as or better than other popular arts.

THE KING AND I at least touches upon such important themes as: justice; classism; imperialism; feudalism; cross-cultural influence; the relation of the sexes; the nature of true nobility; intellectual striving...the list goes on and on. Had I been open to it as a teenager, it certainly could have provided me with ideas enough to chew over--certainly as many as most of the other selections in that literary anthology. And had the soundtrack been available to me as well, it would have certainly provided me with a more than a few moments of musical (guilty?) pleasure even then.

Certainly, I appreciate it now!

THE KING AND I was one of my earlier introductions to the great body of work, from the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. This film showcases Deborah Kerr, as Anna Leonowens (with the singing voice of Marni Nixon--the "ghost singer" for many Hollywood starlets) and Yul Brynner, as the King of Siam, at his bald-headed best. This is the musical remake of ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM, made in 1946, starring Irene Dunne (as Anna Leonowens) and Yul Brynner (as The King of Siam).

THE KING AND I brings important social issues, as relevant in 1862 (the year that the story is set) as they are today. Though, dated in nature, this wonderfully engrossing tale examines racism, sexism and misogyny, as experienced through the eyes of British governess Anna Leonowens, who arrives in Siam (now Thailand) to teach the king's brood of children about history and valuable life lessons. One of the most well-known songs from this film is "Getting To Know You," a sweet, upbeat song, where Anna teaches the children to be more open-minded toward people outside of what is comfortable and familiar to them. I think that best illustrates Leonowens' view of the world, and how it vastly contrasts from the views more commonly voiced in the castle of the king. For starters, The King has many, many, many wives. This includes a beautiful new wife, the young Tuptim (Rita Moreno), who is secretly in love with another man--a forbidden romance. The king keeps wives like he would livestock, and Anna is appalled by this common custom. She sets out to break down the kings' machisimo. But, will she succeed?

Some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard from Rodgers and Hammerstein. The songs include "We Kiss In the Shadow," "Shall We Dance" (made famous by the wonderful dancing sequence, involving Deborah Kerr in a beautiful purple gown, shasaying with an enthusiastic king), and "I Have Dreamed." This film is beautifully acted, marvelously directed, and greatly engaging.

This movie is not only a classic but will haunt your memory with it's music and characters. Shall We Dance rings not in only your ears but your heart as you watch this sophisticated English teacher become beguiled with the awsome persona of a real live pagan king, bare feet and all. I normally do not like sad endings but this one I tollerated because of the enormous empact the story line had on me. Your service in bringing the best movies to the public is very much appreciated by this buyer.Thank you again, Patricia A. Adams

this was a gift to a person that 'The King & I' is their most favorite of all times. They enjoyed this immensely, especially the 'extra' scenes that were included

What more can I say about this gem from 1956. The music from this classic still makes you want to hum after you watch it! I am amazed each time I watch the dance scene with Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr! Excellent entertainment for everyone!

The excellent visual and audio quality of the DVD enable the audience to fully enjoy what this great musical has to offer - lovely music score, personable characters, extravagant sets, costumes, props ...

The grand music intro fittingly depicts the grandness of the King. "I whistle a Happy tune", "Getting to know you", "Shall we dance" are catchy, easy-to-hum tunes, of course. Yet the second viewing of the movie allowed me to discover other great Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes as well.

Yul Brynner (who won an Oscar for Best Actor) portrayed the King perfectly. He was proud but not arrogant, eager to learn and be respected. Were he less sensitive to the atmosphere that changed around him, he might have a smaller burden to bear. When the King invited Deborah Kerr to dance for the first and only time in the Palace, the two waltzed and stumped fervently across the big ballroom and Deborah Kerr's lovely flowing dress floated in the air under the "Shall we Dance" tune - what a classic scene!

Excellent story plot aside, it was awesome to see Deborah Kerr (who won a golden globe for Best Actress) in a different dress in every scene. Designed by Irene Sharaff, each dress weighed between 30 and 40 pounds, due to all the pleats, hoops and petticoats. The design, fabric, colour and cutting were chosen down to the finest detail. She was also given the sweet voice of Marni Nixon at the age of 21, who also dubbed for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, Natalie Wood in West Side Story and Deborah Kerr in An Affair to Remember. Among the many wives of the King, the Queen and young Rita Moreno were a delight to watch. For the music, superb casting and sets, this is a wonderfully warm movie for the whole family.

A classic, we liked some of the dance numbers.

The quality of the picture and sound were excellent. It was almost like being there or like seeing it for the
first time. I am in my third viewing I like it so well.

A classic masterpiece in all respects--no one could do "The King and I" better! I love it!