The King and I Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I is notorious for its historical inaccuracy, which possibly stemmed from the real Anna Leonowens' inaccuracy while writing her memoirs. Despite numerous remakes, this story about an English governess and a Thai monarch never seems to get the record right. King Rama IV, portrayed in the musical, could speak proper English, and was credited for bringing technological advancements into Siam. An understated romance takes place between the two leads. On the whole, the entire show panders to populist demands for the exotic, with hordes of unschooled concubines and a bizarre romantic subplot between an emissary and a concubine.
Some bits come across as being too unreal.
Still, some sequences in the movie are rather watchable. Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner became legends for their role in the movie. Shall We Dance is a lovely, understated song. Though in reality, the King was not allowed to touch Anna, much less dance with her and suggest the possibility of romance. Net site for the stage version.