READ THIS FIRST: This is a 12-inch Diameter Laserdisc, which is NOT the same as DVD and cannot be played on a DVD player!

Laserdisc Title: "THE KING AND I (1956)"
Edition: Special Widescreen Edition (Double-Disc Set)
Directed By: Walter Lang
Starring: Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner, Rita Moreno, Martin Benson, Terry Saunders, Rex Thompson
Production / Year: 1956 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Renewed 1984
Running Time: 133 Minutes / Color
Audio Format: Digital Sound, Stereo, CX Encoded
Video Format: LTBX, NTSC, CLV (Extended Play)
Miscellaneous Features: Rated G
Distributed By: FoxVideo, Inc
Catalog / Spine Number: 1004-85

Cosmetic Condition
Disc (s): SEALED / UNOPENED
Jacket: SEALED / UNOPENED

Synopsis:

The third Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway hit to go before the cameras, The King and I boasts a career-making performance from Yul Brynner, repeating his stage triumph as the titular monarch and proving to moviegoers that bald can be beautiful. It's Brynner's proud king that provides the fulcrum to the plot, and it's Brynner himself, with his piercing gaze and graceful physicality, that demands our attention.

The story line, adapted from an earlier, nonmusical stage hit, follows widowed English teacher Anna Leonowens (Deborah Kerr) to her new posting as tutor to the Siamese king's formidable mob of children. The collision of East and West affords its winning mixture of drama and humor, and the warm friendship that grows between the king and the patrician teacher provides a poignant, unfulfilled romance between the two wary protagonists. Into this framework, the composers insert a superb score, echoing Asian motifs, as well as a bouquet of lovely songs including "Hello, Young Lovers," "Shall We Dance," and two ensemble pieces for Anna and the royal children ("Getting to Know You" and "I Whistle a Happy Tune") that suggest prototypes for Rodgers & Hammerstein's later hit, The Sound of Music.

"The King and I" is one of the greatest works of the American musical theater, a genre Rogers and Hammerstein changed by adding drama and complex characters along with their beautiful music and memorable lyrics. Based on Margaret Landon's classic "Anna and the King of Siam," this filmed adaptation of the Broadway show is exquisite, with a fabulous cast and extraordinary talent behind the camera as well, with the direction of Walter Lang, choreography by Jerome Robbins, and cinematography by Leon Shamroy. The costumes by Irene Sharaff are also a visual feast of lavish, sparkling jewels and silks.

Yul Brynner is magnificent as the King Mongut; his charisma and screen presence is riveting, and he well deserved his Best Actor Oscar. This was his signature role, and he played in on the stage over 4,000 times during his lifetime. Deborah Kerr (who was nominated for Best Actress) is also superb as Anna, the English widow who teaches the king's children. My favorite moment in the film is when Brynner first puts his arm around Kerr's waist, in the "Shall We Dance?" number, and their chemistry together sizzles more than many of the explicit love scenes we see on the screen today. The entire cast is fabulous, with the children captivating, and Rita Moreno a standout as Tuptim, the girl given to the king, but in love with another man.

THIS IS A 12" LASERDISC AND WILL NOT PLAY IN A DVD PLAYER

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