An American musical drama; A story about an arrogant absolute monarch brought down a peg or two by an English governess recruited to tutor his wives and many children. A Hollywood studio version of the story of the rule of King Mongkut over 19th century Siam. Art direction is lavish, it is staged colourfully (though lacking Technicolor) with stunning costume design. The scenes featuring the children are heartwarming, even if the narrative is overtheatrical and questionable for modern day audiences. As a musical it is sequence driven which works well and it is told in set pieces of meaningful to-the-point drama, but it's overlong and a tad overproduced. The musical score is uplifting. Yul Brynner is in majestic form having practised the role on stage for years and Deborah Kerr is perfectly cast to charmingly subvert him.
Review of The King and I
