Widowed Welsh mother Anna Leonowens becomes a governess and English tutor to the wives and many children of the stubborn King Mongkut of Siam. Anna and the King have a clash of personalities as she works to teach the royal family about the English language, customs and etiquette, and rushes to prepare a party for a group of European diplomats who must change their opinions about the King.
Directed by Walter Lang
temple
widow
prime minister
letter
bangkok, thailand
palace
musical
polygamy
buddha
based on play or musical
misunderstanding
single mother
twins
tutor
chopsticks
chakri dynasty
school teacher
barge
sailing ship
pagoda
consort
dowry
malaria
siam
inspirational
factual
dramatic
admiring
adoring
authoritarian
cheerful
conceited
hopeful
cinemascope 55
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Letterboxd
3.5 / 5
Where to Watch
Cast
Deborah Kerr
Anna Leonowens
Yul Brynner
King Mongkut of Siam
Rita Moreno
Tuptim
Martin Benson
Kralahome
Terry Saunders
Lady Thiang
Rex Thompson
Louis Leonowens
Patrick Adiarte
Prince Chulalongkorn
Alan Mowbray
Sir John Hay
Carlos Rivas
Lun Tha
Geoffrey Toone
Sir Edward Ramsay
Marni Nixon
Anna Leonowens (singing voice) (uncredited)
Evelyn Rudie
Royal Child (uncredited)
Crew
Walter Lang
Director
Ernest Lehman
Screenplay
Alfred Newman
Original Music Composer
Richard Rodgers
Original Music Composer
Leon Shamroy
Director of Photography
Charles Brackett
Producer
Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical
John DeCuir
Art Direction
Irene Sharaff
Costume Design
Richard Rodgers
Songs
Oscar Hammerstein II
Lyricist
Oscar Hammerstein II
Book
Popular Reviews
89 reviews
Ren CrawfordPRO
9.0★ · 02/21/26
Better than I remembered. Tragic and beautiful.
Better than I remembered. Tragic and beautiful.
saira
8.0★ · 02/08/26
i really liked this et cetera et cetera et cetera
i really liked this et cetera et cetera et cetera
brunettegsundae
7.0★ · 01/07/26
–You will say no more!
–I will say no more, because there is no more to say!
I could do things for Anna’s wardrobe. I put on my list of things to do dancing in a BIG, shiny dress Anne has a kind of grace that I wish I had, a kind of kindness that spreads across her face even without speaking, etc, etc, etc I tend to believe that Louis was just a special appearance, only in the first scene and in the last one
–You will say no more!
–I will say no more, because there is no more to say!
I could do things for Anna’s wardrobe. I put on my list of things to do dancing in a BIG, shiny dress Anne has a kind of grace that I wish I had, a kind of kindness that spreads across her face even without speaking, etc, etc, etc I tend to believe that Louis was just a special appearance, only in the first scene and in the last one
Bronnie2k
5.0★ · 11/13/25
Lowkey very entertaining watch but its hard to truly appreciate movies this old that are so overboard in the way they mysticize non-Eurocentric cultures
Lowkey very entertaining watch but its hard to truly appreciate movies this old that are so overboard in the way they mysticize non-Eurocentric cultures
Devin Esser
6.0★ · 01/19/25
LTEA 138 Japanese Film Lecture 2 Film 3
Just a musical dance add on to the second sequence of my film class and it really did not add anything special to the mix. I thought the story was very linear in nature and what I like in musicals is the complexity that the genre can add to the narrative which I think this film misses.
62.6/100
My Lists that include The King and I:LTEA 138 - Japanese Film RankedEvery Film I watched in January 2024 Ranked
LTEA 138 Japanese Film Lecture 2 Film 3
Just a musical dance add on to the second sequence of my film class and it really did not add anything special to the mix. I thought the story was very linear in nature and what I like in musicals is the complexity that the genre can add to the narrative which I think this film misses.
62.6/100
My Lists that include The King and I:LTEA 138 - Japanese Film RankedEvery Film I watched in January 2024 Ranked
