…there was Anna and the King of Siam.
Starring Irene Dunne who was paired with Rex Harrison, this film is a stunning black white drama that bears little resemblance to the popular 50’s musical adaption The King and I. The King and I was a sumptuous Technicolor musical version that sanitized much of the original content of the story based partially on fact and fiction. Based on novel of the same name by American writer Margaret Landon, Landon’s inspiration came from the 1870 memoir of Anna Leonowens. Leonowens book was titled The English Governess at the Siamese Court. Leonowens was the woman who was hired to educate the Mongkut, king of Siam.
Plotine:
Young widow, Anna Owens, takes a position tutoring the Royal children of Siam. Upon arriving in Bangkok she realizes how vastly different the culture is very different from England. She vehemently disagrees with many of the policies of the King and is quite outspoken in her opinions. The King respects her opinions and eventually holds her in close confidence, despite the admonishment of his court. She ultimately becomes a diplomatic adviser to a King whose sole mission is to protect his country from being colonized by other foreign entities, including the British and the French.
This film is hardly the lighthearted musical that the Rodgers and Hammerstein version presents. It offers enormous substance and a glimpse into the governmental struggle, and the cultural turmoil of Victorian-era Thailand. Women were not held with the same regard as men in 19th century Siam and while Dunne’s character is hardly that of a Victorian feminist, however, the esteemed relationship with the King certainly casts her character in a light not often seen during this time period.
In 1947, this film garnered many awards, making it a likely candidate for further remakes, first into a play in 1951, and then to the lavish 1956 musical starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr.