Off The Bookshelf UK - VHS The King And I [1956] The King And I [1956] New & Used The King And I [1956]

Search VHS - select a category

Buy The King And I [1956] online at Discounted New and Used prices. Delivered to your door with Off-The-Bookshelf.

The King And I [1956]
starring: Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, Rita Moreno, Martin Benson, Terry Saunders
directed by: Walter Lang

List Price: £5.99

Price: £1.00

You Save: £4.99 (83%)
Prices subject to change.

Used Price: £0.01
Collectible Price: £1.74
Third Party New Price: £1.00

Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days Audience Rating: Universal, suitable for all
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 5039036005555
Format: Dolby, PAL, Surround Sound
Label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Number Of Discs: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: April 09, 2001
Running Time: 128 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: June 29, 1956
Sales Rank: 197

Related Items:

My Fair Lady (40th Anniversary 2-Disc Special Edition) [1965]

Editorial Review:

Amazon.co.uk Review:
In 1955 this lavish production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway hit The King and I, starring Yul Brynner as the King of Siam and Deborah Kerr as the governess sent to look after his children, was the most expensive film ever mounted by 20th Century Fox. The 40 sets in ripe decors by Walter M Scott and Paul S Fox included a ballroom of black marble with jade and silk tapestries and a banqueting scene with a table that gives the impression of stretching to infinity. The costumes by Irene Sharaff, notably the hoop ballroom gown for Deborah Kerr and those for the ballet "The Small House of Uncle Thomas", dazzle the eye in their delineation of Western manners and Oriental splendour. Brynner remains impressive as the King but his pidgin dialogue, inherited from Hammerstein's book, with the dropping of the definite article takes some adjustment. Alfred Newman put his unique stamp on the music: the Overture offers an example of his luminous divided string sound, the climactic ballroom scene a full bodied orchestral reprise of "Shall We Dance?" as the camera pulls away to a high angle producing an exultant visual finish to this celebrated polka.

On the DVD: To view The King and I in its original format (thanks to this DVD release) is a revelation. Over the years the production values of the film have been compromised through inadequate presentation on television and video. Now the eye can appreciate once more the novelty of the wide-screen process CinemaScope 55 which offers in-depth vision, breathtaking employment of Eastman colour and an enhanced sound system that ensures a well-upholstered backdrop for the sumptuous musical arrangements under conductor Alfred Newman. DVD supplements here include the original theatrical trailer, a Movietone news of the Oscar ceremony of 56-57 and three songs lifted from the movie itself. Marni Nixon overdubbed Deborah Kerr's vocals on screen--those moments where one voice takes over from another are more clearly delineated on the DVD with the result that there is some discrepancy between Kerr's spirited playing and Nixon's over careful (rather) twee enunciation of the lyrics. --Adrian Edwards

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- The King & I.
What can i say brilliant film, fantastic singing & the children they are fantastic. What a great film. In my view a must have in anyones dvd collection.

Rating:

- based on Margaret Landon�s novel Anna and the King of Siam
It is the early 1800's and King Mongkut of Siam (Yul Brynner) realizes that a good education is necessary to survive and also paramount for the survival of Siam. So he sends off for a teacher for his many offspring.

His choice a widow Anna Leonowens (Deborah Kerr) and her son Louis Leonowens (Rex Thompson).

King Mongkut does not keep a promise of a separate living quarter for Anna and her son. He also is smug and overbearing. This will lead to several things he did not plan on including a Siam's play version of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" With little Lisa on the ice flows.

Mean while The King's son Prince Chulalongkorn (Patrick Adiarte) seems to be more amenable to leaning the ways of the western world.

Can ... Read More:

Rating:

- A Musical Masterpiece
"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 ... Read More:

Rating:

- Siamese culture in the movie
In Siamese collectivistic culture, especially at that time of period (1862), I suppose one of the biggest damaging cultural stereotypes is about Thais having conservative views. The movie artistically uses its scenes to show us this cultural stereotype. The scene in which King's children are being taught geography is a good example for this damaging stereotype of Thai culture at that time. Ethnocentrism, parochialism, and the lack of scientific knowledge of Siamese people are all shown with the map and the lecture of the Siamese lady (an unscientific map and the comparison between the King of Siam and the King of Burma): "Siam is the biggest and richest country in the world". However, it doesn't mean that Siamese people can't be scientific or they ... Read More:

Rating:

- Siamese culture in the movie
In Siamese collectivistic culture, especially at that time of period (1862), I suppose one of the biggest damaging cultural stereotypes is about Thais having conservative views. The movie artistically uses its scenes to show us this cultural stereotype. The scene in which King's children are being taught geography is a good example for this damaging stereotype of Thai culture at that time. Ethnocentrism, parochialism, and the lack of scientific knowledge of Siamese people are all shown with the map and the lecture of the Siamese lady (an unscientific map and the comparison between the King of Siam and the King of Burma): "Siam is the biggest and richest country in the world". However, it doesn't mean that Siamese people can't be scientific or they ... Read More:

VHS : The King And I [1956]