The King And I (1956)

An English woman by the name of Anna Leonowens (Deborah Kerr) arrives in 1860s Siam, along with her son (Rex Thompson) to teach the children of the royal household. She finds herself in constant conflict with the domineering King (Yul Brynner) of Siam. Based on the novel by Margaret Landon (which also served as the basis of the 1946 ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM as well as the 1999 ANNA AND THE KING) and directed by Walter Lang. Unlike many of its Broadway brethren, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical made a smooth transition from the stage to the screen. There actually was an Anna Leonowens though her accounts of her life in Siam and in the palace of the the King were highly fictionalized. The film makers were wise to have Yul Brynner recreate his stage role. It's almost unfathomable to imagine the film without him. Though her singing is dubbed (by Marni Nixon), Kerr makes a formidable Anna. The superb Oscar winning art and set direction is eyepopping in its richness and color. The real star of the film is Alfred Newman who supervised the musical adaptation (and expertly weaves the R&H songs into a lovely underscore) as well as conducting the score. Jerome Robbins did the choreography, the highlight of which is the stunning Small House Of Uncle Thomas ballet. With Rita Moreno as Tuptim, Martin Benson, Carlos Rivas, Alan Mowbray and Terry Saunders.