Parents need to know that this film characterizes the ancient Asian culture of Siam (now Thailand) as somewhat backwards and sexist. The king has dozens of wives and hundreds of children, which may bewilder kids. Also confusing, the roles of the main Thai characters are played by white and Latino Americans. But the story's music and enchanting characters are perfect for kids, who are likely to see the king's poor grasp of English as endearing and fun. But older children and adults may find the portrayal of the king rather racist.
Positive messages:There's a lot of fun made of the king for his poor grasp of English; he's made into a fool. While the film is set in what is modern-day Thailand, none of the primary characters are Asian. The king is also sexist, thinking women more "lowly" than men in general, and certainly much lower than him. Many of the songs teach life lessons, like how to deal with fear and how to learn about a new culture.
Violence & scariness:The king threatens to whip a slave girl who tries to escape to be with her lover. Talk of someone drowning.
Sexy stuff:Some close dancing, but no kissing or sexual behavior. There's a lot of talk, however, about women being "made to please men" and the king has multiple wives. When the Thai ladies are dressed up in European gowns, they "wear practically no undergarments," prompting them, in a moment of shock, to hike their dresses and flash English men. But nothing is seen on screen.
This movie is very good for everyone! Children that are used to watching family guy will find that this is much more amusing! One of my favorite movies of all time!
Shall We Dance? A movie that the times have caught up with.
Having recently rewatched "The King and I", which I saw as a youngster, I greatly enjoyed the film. Adults will enjoy the chemistry between Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner (which his then-wife Doris characterized as "trusting each other like brother and sister off screen"). Kids will love the upbeat songs about whistling to overcome fear of a new situation, and getting to know a new culture. The secondary plot of an unhappy slave girl will, I think bore the kids and go right over their heads, which is ok. This plot has the only concern I have, that the King brandishes a whip and threatens to whip her. This is scary, but is made into a positive role message when Anna tells him that if he does, "He is truly a barbarian!" At which point the King throws down the whip and storms from the room.
The role of the King is much richer than I remember. His song "Puzzlement" is a poignant reminder about how we all have to do our best day by day as adults, just as the king does. The play deals with human rights, as shown in the "Small Cabin of Uncle Tom" scene, which is magical; and feminism in the feisty nature of Anna and her assertiveness in the face of the sexist King. None of this gets into the way of the film being great family fun, and I agree with the reviewer above that it is a great movie to spur family discussion about getting to know more about others -- and to do your best day by day.
Hi,
I'm ten years old, I think the king and I is a great Enjoyable film! It's about a Proper Lady from Europe comes to teach the King of Siam's children. She teaches him and them how to be kind and fair. In the beginning a young women is given as a present, but she really wants to be with her true love,she sneaks out and meets him but then they get caught he dies and she gets threated. At the end the king dies.
THE KING AND I isn't as grand as I remembered it. In fact, some parts make you want to fast forward very quickly. Some parts are rude (casting whites in Thai roles) and some parts are corny (the song between Tup-Tim and the slave guy), but it's impossible to give such a good-natured movie a bad rating. Some of the music is very good, like "Getting to Know You", "Shall We Dance" and "Hello Young Lovers". I wasn't impressed by Yul Brynner, but Gertrude Lawrence is very good.
There is really no objectionable material at all. Kids may be saddened at (SPOILER) the king's death at the end of the film. The movie raises moral questions about slavery and the like, and the King is poised to whip a slave girl (he doesn't).