The King and I Page #3

Synopsis: Mrs. Anna Leonowens and her son Louis arrive in Bangkok, where she has been contracted to teach English to the children of the royal household. She threatens to leave when the house she had been promised is not available, but falls in love with the children. A new slave, a gift of a vassal king, translates "Uncle Tom's Cabin" into a Siamese ballet. After expressing her unhappiness at being with the King, the slave decides to make an attempt to escape with her lover. Anna and the King start to fall in love, but her headstrong upbringing inhibits her from joining his harem. She is just about to leave Siam but something important she finds out makes her think about changing her mind.
Director(s): Walter Lang
Production: 20th Century Fox
  Won 5 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 11 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.5
Rotten Tomatoes:
96%
G
Year:
1956
133 min
4,035 Views


Be father to my children

And husband to each wife

Et cetera, et cetera

And so forth

If my lord in heaven

Buddha show the way

Every day I try to live

Another day

If my lord in heaven

Buddha show the way

Every day I do my best

For one more day

But...

...is a puzzlement!

Come along now, children.

Take your places, please.

Quickly now...

...and quietly.

Lady Thiang, will you

start the lesson, please?

Blue...

...is ocean.

Red...

...Siam.

Here is king of Siam.

In right hand is weapon.

Show how he destroy...

...all who fight him.

Green...

...Burma.

Here is king of Burma.

No clothes mean...

...how poor is king of Burma.

Thank you, Lady Thiang.

I'll continue.

The map you have been looking at

is 25 years old...

...and today

we have a surprise for you.

A new map just arrived from England.

I do not see Siam.

The white is Siam.

Siam not so small.

Well, wait. Let me show you England.

See? It is even smaller than Siam.

Before I came here, Siam was just

that little white spot to me.

Now that I've been here many months

it has become far more than that...

...because I've met the people of Siam,

and I'm learning to understand them.

You like us, Mrs. Anna?

Yes, I like you very much.

Very much, indeed.

It's a very ancient saying

But a true and honest thought

That if you become a teacher

By your pupils you'll be taught

As a teacher I've been learning

You'll forgive me if I boast

And I've now become an expert

On the subject I like most

Getting to know you.

Getting to know you

Getting to know all about you

Getting to like you

Getting to hope you like me

Getting to know you

Putting it my way

But nicely

You are precisely

My cup of tea

Getting to know you

Getting to feel free and easy

When I am with you

Getting to know what to say

Haven't you noticed

Suddenly I'm bright and breezy

Because of all the...

...beautiful and new things...

...I'm learning about you

Day by...

...day

Getting to know you

Getting to know all about you

Getting to like you

Getting to hope you like me

Getting to know you

Putting it my way

But nicely

You are precisely

My cup of tea

Getting to know you

Getting to feel free and easy

When I am with you

Getting to know what to say

Haven't you noticed

Suddenly I'm bright and breezy

Because of all the...

...beautiful and new things...

...I'm learning about you

Day by...

...day

Getting to know you

Getting to feel free and easy

When I am with you

Getting to know what to say

Haven't you noticed

Suddenly I'm bright and breezy

Because of all the...

...beautiful and new things...

...I'm learning about you

Day by...

...day

Getting to know you

Getting to feel free and easy

When I am with you

Getting to know what to say

Haven't you noticed

Suddenly I'm bright and breezy

Because of all the...

...beautiful and new things...

...I'm learning about you

Day...

...by...

...day

Goodness, this started out

to be a geography lesson.

Quickly, let's get back to work.

- Now-

- What is that green up there?

That is Norway.

Nor... way.

Nor... way.

Norway is a very cold place.

Sometimes it is so cold...

...that the lakes and rivers freeze...

...and the water becomes so hard

that you can walk on it.

Walk on water?

Yes, walk on water.

How is it possible?

Hard water?

Not only that, but the raindrops

change into small white spots...

...that look like lace.

And this is called "snow. "

Snow.

Spots of lace!

Yes, Your Highness. The water freezes

on its way down from the sky.

I do not believe such thing as snow.

And I do not believe

such thing as snow.

And I do not believe Siam is this big.

And other country so big.

- Siam is biggest country in world!

- Siam!

What, what, what?

How can schoolroom be so unscientific?

Well, Your Majesty, we had

a little misunderstanding.

I was trying to describe snow...

...and they refused to believe

there is such a thing.

Snow?

Snow.

From mountaintop.

From sky, Your Majesty.

From sky to mountaintop.

That's right, Your Majesty.

I remember. I see pictures

of Switzerland.

Land all white with snow.

Who does not believe this?

Well, after all,

they've never seen it.

Never seen?

If they believe only what they see,

why do we have schoolroom? Rise!

Never let me hear

of not believing schoolteacher...

...whom I have bring here

at high expense.

Twenty pounds each month.

Twenty English pounds.

Sterling!

Rise!

I command all of you...

...to make most of this opportunity

for expensive education.

For sake of selves...

...and country.

Furthermore, it is-

What, what, what? This is not

study book I have provide.

No, Your Majesty, it's one of mine.

- I gave it to Tuptim.

- The name! You tell me!

Is called

The Small House of Uncle Thomas.

Is by American lady,

Harriet Beecher Stowe.

A woman has written a book?

Uncle Tom's Cabin.

A wonderful book, Your Majesty.

All about the evils

of slavery in America.

President Lincoln of America

against slavery, no?

Very definitely, Your Majesty.

Me too.

Slavery very bad thing.

Mr. Lincoln is fighting a war,

even now, to set the slaves free.

You admire him for this?

Very much, Your Majesty.

He seems to be a fine man

who has studied hard...

...and educated himself.

In that, he is not unlike yourself.

Shall Mr. Lincoln be winning this war

he is fighting at present?

No one knows, really.

Does he have enough guns and

elephants for transporting same?

I don't think they have elephants

in America, Your Majesty.

- No elephants?

- No.

No wonder he's not winning war.

All right, children,

you may be seated now.

- Mrs. Anna?

- Yes, Your Highness?

I do not understand...

...how slaves can be set free

if their masters wish to keep them.

It's done by the passing of a law...

...and by the enforcing of that law,

if necessary.

But my slaves...

...and the slaves of my father...

Suppose there was such a law in Siam

and we did not want it so?

Sometimes things can't be just a

question of what we want, Highness...

...but of what is right.

I think perhaps we had better call

recess until after luncheon.

You may be excused.

Young prince has healthy respect...

...for ways of his own people.

Sometimes more than king.

Prince Chulalongkorn is a fine boy

with a keen and probing mind.

But he still has much to learn,

Your Excellency.

What is important for him to learn...

...I do not think he'll find

in this classroom.

I'm fully aware that you do not

approve of my coming to Siam.

Why are you so blind?

Have you no eyes to see?

King tries impossible task...

...wishing to be scientific man

who learn all modern things.

I think it a fine ambition.

Inside him is strong king like

his father, who cannot change.

He will only tear himself in two,

trying to be something he can never be.

Of course he can never be...

...if those closest to him

are unwilling to help him.

You do not know king

as well as you think you do.

You believe you have

Rate this script:3.0 / 2 votes

Ernest Lehman

Ernest Paul Lehman was an American screenwriter. He received six Academy Award nominations during his career, without a single win. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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