Customer Reviews

The King and I (Widescreen)

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I recall seeing the original road show engagement of this in the mid-1950's and recall vividly seeing the "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You" (with Anna combing her hair as she sings it) and "My Lord and Master" in that showing and being disappointed that the subsequent theatre, television, and video showings did not have those performances included. I was hoping the DVD would include all of the original material and am disappointed that it evidently does not. Still and all, I love the film and still love watching it.

Yul Brynner's performance in "The King And I" must stand out as one of a handful of truly memorable film performances. Rodgers and Hammerstein's sweeping musical/drama has been the subject of much critical debate. The Siamese continue to feel that both the play and the film present their monarch as a simple thug converted by colonialism as represented, at least here, by the stunning person of Deborah Kerr. As a musical this is definitely one of the all time greats. It's just such a shame that Fox, the company responsible for this DVD, hasn't realized this. The non-anamorphic DVD is loaded with digital imperfections, aliasing, shimmering, grain and dirt that make for a pretty dismal visual presentation. Also, extras are zero, not even a featurette or interviews. What a disappointment. This is definitely a title that needs to be revisited and soon.

This DVD has been edited. The scenes where Anna tells the King that he is spoiled and suggests that he "give me a kick if it pleases your majesty" has been taken out of the movie.
I am sure some 'bleeding heart liberal' had at some time insisted this scene be removed but I feel it takes an important part of the relationship between Anna and the King out of the play.

I confess I only chapter-skipped through this DVD. After I put it on and discovered it is *not* anamorphically formatted (i.e. not specially formatted for wide screen tv's), then I "boycotted" this Fox release by not watching it.

Come on, Fox. In 2004 more people own wide screen tvs than ever before. I *hate* popping in a disk that would look gorgeous on my wide screen, only to discover that I must watch it in "square" format with a letterbox.

The gorgeous KING AND I deserves a good, anamorphic transfer to DVD. And while you're at it, please send a memo to Universal to release VERTIGO in anamorphic format as well.

Yes, there is a large segment of the DVD population who don't care about anamorphic format. But there are also a lot of us who *do*. And I'll stop renting and buying your films until you release them that way.

DVD arrived on time and in excellent condition. i found "the intermissions" dated, but the movie was shown in 1956. i love this movie and Yul Brenner.

The King And I, Is a fantastic film. A great adaption from stage to film. The peformances by Brynner and Kerr are simply amazing, and the beautiful Rita Moreno does a spectacular job as playing the slave Tuptim. I'm sure you know the story, so I won't go on about that. I am most dissapointed with the cut of so many great songs, I understand the film was very long, but cutting many great songs makes the movie less enjoyable for me.

The songs cut for the film are Tuptim's beautiful "My Lord And Master", "The Royal Bangkok Academy", "A Puzzlement REPRISE", "Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You?", "Western People Funny", and Tuptim's and Lun Tha's "I Have Dreamed". In my opinion the two most drastic cuts are the beautiful "My Lord And Master", and "I have Dreamed", which are considered two of the most beautiful and powerful songs in the whole score. LUCKILY! Those two songs were recorded along with "Shall I Tell you..." So its great we get to hear Rita Moreno on Tuptim's other songs, even though Rita had slight augmenting done with her high notes by another woman, for most part it was Rita's voice, and her voice was beautiful indeed. Sadly, songs like Lady Thiang's and Wive's hilarious "Western People Funny" was not recorded, And I think the song is fantastic.

Otherwise, the cut of those wonderful songs, are the only dissapointment for me. So this movie is amazing. I highly recommend this masterpiece. The DVD is great, with great bonus features, and being remastered..the picture quality is great.

Get this DVD, and enjoy a classic musical!

I've felt for many years that this was the best of Rogers and Hammerstein's musicals and the original film was nothing short of magnificent. But the DVD is a terrible disappointment. The video is fine, but the sound is sorry indeed. (Perhaps they weren't able to recover the original tracks). But the real tragedy is the loss of two of the show's beautiful songs: "My Lord and Master" and "I Have Dreamed." The origianl film was very long by today's standards, but leaving out these two numbers left a big hole for me. Darn!

The color in the dvd is just outstanding. Picture perfect quality. The movie is a spectacle. The costumes, the acting, etc. etc. etc. The choreography has an oriental quality. I loved the play the Siamese put on for the British. It was wonderful. I highly reccommend seeing this classic. The ending was a bit over the top yet it made sense in a film like this. Almost like seeing a production on stage.

Lisa Nary

BEAUTY, MAJESTY AND SPLENDOR, February 2, 2004 Reviewer: mr5012u@aol.com, Beverly Hills IN United States
One of the grandest, most entertaining musicals ever committed to the silver screen, "The King And I" is one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's greatest achievements. From the film's excellent performances by two beloved screen icons, Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr, to the splendid score, to the breathtakingly beautiful cinematography and set direction and elegant costuming... all come together to create an indelible movie masterpiece.
Loosely based on the real-life story of British schoolteacher Anna Leonowens, the film begins in the year 1860, when Leonowens (Kerr, at her most beautiful and most charming) comes to Siam with her young son to educate the many children of His Majesty the King of Siam (Yul Brynner, in an oustanding Academy-Award winning performance). Although Anna enjoys very friendly relationships with her charges, she has many conflicts with the stubborn King, at first refusing to live in the palace, in the King's "harem". He questions her culture and customs, but many of which he readily adopts, including the phrase: "Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera," (which becomes an oft-repeated line in the film). Although wary of the proper Englishwoman, he is intrigued by her teaching methods and her sly sense of humor and her pronounced propriety. Anna soon finds herself developing a deeper relationship with her employer... and the unspoken feeling is mutual.

Another romantic drama is also unfolding behind the scenes: Tuptim, the King's favorite courtesan, has fallen in love with Lun Tha, a young slave. They wish to run away together, but to forever seal their love, they would have to defy the King... or be separated forever.

With underlined with unspoken emotions, vain pride, and biting humor, "The King And I" is glorious entertainment, not only for its fine performances and glamorous spectacle, but for its legendary music: Kerr and the children perform a delightful rendition of the classic "Getting To Know You", Kerr sings the praises of young love in "Hello, Young Lovers", Brynner shines with his pronounced staccato "Confusion", and the film's most memorable scene has Kerr and Brynner waltzing and singing to the film's masterpiece, "Shall We Dance?".

The film is also full of many golden scenes: the King's wives giggling at the sight of Kerr in a billowy petticoated gown (believing that is how she is shaped!), Kerr teaching the inquisitive Siamese youngsters about falling lace from the sky called snow, and one scene in particular, a royal banquet given for an English ambassador, with a performance by the King's dancers of an interpretive version of "Uncle Tom's Cabin", reworked as "Small House of Uncle Thomas", which is very entertaining. And the film's final, memorable scene will not be forgotten quickly.

Rodgers and Hammerstein work their incredible magic and Hollywood works its own magic in this beloved movie musical, which has delighted and entertained audiences for years, and lives on in this celebrated film classic. -- David Harrison Levi --

This is probably one of the first movies I ever saw. It is absolutely great. It grabs your attention and won't let you not care. Very clean and good for kids. Its a good example of the Broadway to film transition. Great acting,singing,and dancing!
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