Like the stage musicals on which they are often based, many of the great Hollywood musicals provide superb viewing for those who enjoy this type of presentation. But their appeal is chiefly through the lyrics which often comprise a major part of the actual story; and in most cases the latter is no more than a very bland fictional romantic drama. Just a few major musicals are based on historic stories and perhaps a different standard needs to be applied in judging these. In a musical, whether originally written for the stage or the screen, the music has to come first and foremost, and it has to be recognised that no attempt will be made to provide historical accuracy - the most that can be expected is that the basic storyline is recognisable, and that as far as possible downright distortion of actual facts is avoided. "Miss Saigon" and "The Sound of Music" probably provide good examples of how far most creators of a stage or screen musical will go in this regard. But "The King and I" is probably unique, even among historical musicals, because it is based on an earlier 1946 film "Anna and the King of Siam" featuring Rex Harrison and Irene Dunn, which in turn was based on a novel of the same name by Margaret Langdon prepared from the actual diaries of Anna Leonowens, a feisty English widow who went out to Siam as governess for the children of King Mongkut during the 1860's. These diaries are themselves of questionable value as historical records when not backed up by other data. Anna herself appears to have had strong views about the importance of Victorian England in providing a role model for the development of backward civilizations, and to have had little recognition of the depth and longevity of the indigenous culture of the country where she was working. Siamese culture can be traced back for almost 2,500 years and it would be distasteful for anyone from western Europe to claim that it is less rich than that of Europe. Anna's diaries were almost certainly slanted to imply this, as well as to exaggerate her influence over the king, and her role in the "modernisation" of the country which ensured that it never fell under the control of any of the three colonial powers (British, Dutch and French) that were eying it enviously at the time. They would be of much more value as historical documents if they could be compared on a point for point basis with contemporary records compiled by a responsible indigenous Siamese court official, but so far I do not believe this has proved possible. The story that reached the screen in this film is the fourth generation dramatic reconstruction of these already questionable diaries, so it is imperative for viewers to recognise that its link to history is very tenuous. King Mongkut was a well educated and intelligent ruler who recognised the pressure which would be placed on his country by the vigorous colonisation of most of the countries around him and wisely decided to take steps to strengthen his position. It is interesting to think that when Queen Victoria sent him her greetings she probably knew nothing of his country, but had been advised that it was wealthy and provided a very valuable trading partner for Britain. If he could be persuaded to offer her his allegiance, so that his country could be incorporated into the Empire on which "the sun never sets", all this trade could be reserved for the benefit of Britain alone. Now, with hindsight, we see that almost all the classic European monarchies with which the nineteenth century British Royal Family might have considered union in marriage have disappeared. Those of Britain and Thailand are among the very few which have proved sufficiently adaptable to survive until today. In the latter case Anna certainly made a significant contribution, and her story is therefore of great historic interest. A later film, Anna and the King (1999), makes a real attempt to tell this story more accurately and is the one which should be watched by anyone interested in history. The earlier films have been banned in Thailand for their inaccuracies, reputedly at the 'request' of the king who was the grandson of King Mongkut.
This background is essential for understanding "The King and I", but for those who appreciates Hollywood musicals the inaccuracies in the film do not necessarily spoil the enjoyment of viewing it. It should be regarded as another fictional work and enjoyed simply for its music and lyrics which many viewers regard as among the best in any musical currently available today. The hint of the exotic east in the music has little to do with Thai musical culture but makes for very interesting listening. The list of the much loved songs from great musicals which originated in this Rogers and Hammerstein offering (or its stage equivalent) includes "I Whistle a Happy Tune"; "March of the Siamese Children"; "Getting to Know You";; Something Wonderful"; Hello Young Lovers"; "Is a Puzzlement"; "Shall we Dance?"; and several more. If you want to enjoy hearing these, delivered against a colourful and well choreographed Eastern (but often not Siamese) background you cannot go wrong watching this film. But if these are of no interest to you, there is nothing left - and in any case you must remember not to delay watching it until your forthcoming holiday in Bangkok!
This background is essential for understanding "The King and I", but for those who appreciates Hollywood musicals the inaccuracies in the film do not necessarily spoil the enjoyment of viewing it. It should be regarded as another fictional work and enjoyed simply for its music and lyrics which many viewers regard as among the best in any musical currently available today. The hint of the exotic east in the music has little to do with Thai musical culture but makes for very interesting listening. The list of the much loved songs from great musicals which originated in this Rogers and Hammerstein offering (or its stage equivalent) includes "I Whistle a Happy Tune"; "March of the Siamese Children"; "Getting to Know You";; Something Wonderful"; Hello Young Lovers"; "Is a Puzzlement"; "Shall we Dance?"; and several more. If you want to enjoy hearing these, delivered against a colourful and well choreographed Eastern (but often not Siamese) background you cannot go wrong watching this film. But if these are of no interest to you, there is nothing left - and in any case you must remember not to delay watching it until your forthcoming holiday in Bangkok!