I had looked forward to seeing this film again after a couple of decades, but it has not aged well.
One theme it hammers into the ground in every scene is that the Siamese are /quaint/ - most especially so in the "Small House of Uncle Thomas" ballet. The King's mannerisms - "scientific" for "rational", and "etcetera, etcetera" - are especially irritating. How good did Anna become at speaking Thai, I wonder - or writing it?
Not for a moment are we invited to look at the West through Siamese eyes. On the contrary, history is falsified by making Anna a 1950s feminist. The impracticality of her hoop skirts is hinted at when the wives kowtow in them, but that is immediately undermined by her reaction to their lack of underwear. (/Would/ she have worn any?) Couldn't Hammerstein find ONE way Thai culture is preferable to ours?
It does still have great songs, and "Something Wonderful" is a vastly better "Stand by your man" song than the appalling "What's the Use of Wond'rin'" in Carousel.
Edit: I've just learnt that the part of Anna was written for Gertrude Lawrence, who "couldn't sing, but who cares?" (Agnes de Mille). That explains "Getting to Know You" "Hello Young Lovers" and "Whistle a Happy Tune."
One theme it hammers into the ground in every scene is that the Siamese are /quaint/ - most especially so in the "Small House of Uncle Thomas" ballet. The King's mannerisms - "scientific" for "rational", and "etcetera, etcetera" - are especially irritating. How good did Anna become at speaking Thai, I wonder - or writing it?
Not for a moment are we invited to look at the West through Siamese eyes. On the contrary, history is falsified by making Anna a 1950s feminist. The impracticality of her hoop skirts is hinted at when the wives kowtow in them, but that is immediately undermined by her reaction to their lack of underwear. (/Would/ she have worn any?) Couldn't Hammerstein find ONE way Thai culture is preferable to ours?
It does still have great songs, and "Something Wonderful" is a vastly better "Stand by your man" song than the appalling "What's the Use of Wond'rin'" in Carousel.
Edit: I've just learnt that the part of Anna was written for Gertrude Lawrence, who "couldn't sing, but who cares?" (Agnes de Mille). That explains "Getting to Know You" "Hello Young Lovers" and "Whistle a Happy Tune."