The King and I (1956 Film Soundtrack)
List Price:
Our Price: $6.10
You Save: $2.84 (32%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.74 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more new music releases
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Music CD Cover
Edition: Music CDAudio: English (Original Language); Thai (Original Language)
Format: Original recording remastered, Soundtrack
CD Release Date: 2001-03-13
Music Label: Angel Records
Soundtracks:
- Main Title - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
- I Whistle A Happy Tune - Marni Nixon/Rex Thompson
- My Lord And Master - Rita Moreno
- The March Of The Siamese Children - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
- Anna And The Royal Wives - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
- Hello, Young Lovers - Marni Nixon
- A Puzzlement - Yul Brynner
- Getting To Know You - Deborah Kerr/Marni Nixon
- Garden Rendezvous - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
- We Kiss In A Shadow - Leona Gordon/Reuben Fuentes
- I Have Dreamed - Leona Gordon/Reuben Fuentes
- Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You? - Deborah Kerr/Marni Nixon
- Something Wonderful - Terry Saunders
- Prayer To Buddha - Yul Brynner
- Waltz Of Anna And Sir Edward - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
- The Small House Of Uncle Thomas - Rita Moreno
- Song Of The King - Yul Brynner/Marni Nixon
- Shall We Dance? - Deborah Kerr/Marni Nixon/Yul Brynner
- The Letter - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
- Something Wonderful (Finale) - Chorus/Alfred Newman
- Overture (LP Version) - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
Free Music Notes for The King and I (1956 Film Soundtrack)
Free Music Review: The King and I--a distinguished, beautiful score laced with tenderness and sorrow
Hit: 5 Stars
The King And I soundtrack is presented magnificently on this excellent 76 minute CD. This CD offers us much music and vocals that were cut from the film as well as material that never made it to the record album release of the soundtrack back in 1956. We get stunning performances by giants including Yul Brynner, Terry Saunders and Marni Nixon. This CD is so complete and generous with it's treatment of the soundtrack that it must be considered as the definitive soundtrack edition of the music from The King And I.
The CD starts off with the music for the "main title" of the film; and this also serves as an appetizer to whet out appetites for what's to come. "I Whistle A Happy Tune" gives us Marni Nixon singing the vocals for Deborah Kerr; the melody is infectiously catchy; this song is one of the highlights of the CD. "My Lord And Master," performed by Leona Gordon who sang the vocals for Rita Moreno, is another masterpiece with a softness to it that belies the pain Rita's character Tuptim feels because she is separated from her one true love. "The March Of The Siamese Children" is performed by the 20th Century Fox Orchestra to perfection without a single superfluous note; the melody infuses this number with an Asian flavor as well.
Other gems on this CD--and that would, quite honestly, include every single track--include "Hello, Young Lovers" sung by Marni Nixon as Deborah Kerr's character Anna Leonowens laments a love gone awry back in England; the touching and heartrending "We Kiss In A Shadow;" Terry Saunders as Lady Thiang performing "Something Wonderful" with exceptional sensitivity and "Shall We Dance?" which is performed by Deborah Kerr, Marni Nixon and Yul Brynner. As you listen to numbers like "Shall We Dance?" that calls for Anna, played by Deborah Kerr, to speak and then sing, you will have a hard time discerning where Deborah Kerr leaves off speaking and Marni Nixon starts singing. It's THAT good.
As long as I include the words "Something Wonderful" when writing this review I must add that the extras you get are stupendous. As I stated above, the CD boasts much that the record album soundtrack never included. Indeed, we get music that didn't even make it to the final cut of the movie! I loved the beautiful and sensitive rendition of "The Small House Of Uncle Thomas" which was previously unreleased and "Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You" is a marvelous song--cut from the final edited edition of the film--that highlights Anna's contempt for the King's backward ways.
The CD package offers more still. Along with the CD comes a generous 32 page booklet with an extensive essay by Charles L. Granata that tells the history of both the stage play and the making of the stage play into a major motion picture at Fox. In addition, you get the song credits and there are rarely seen photographs as well.
The quality of the sound shines like solid gold. These performances reflect great sensitivity to the emotions each character felt. It is a special treat to listen to Yul Brynner's songs; he infuses each song and even every word with just the right emotions so that the listener experiences exactly what his character feels at every turn.
This CD is one of the very few that truly remind me of the old MGM logo which boasted of having "more stars than there are in the heavens." Indeed, five stars are nowhere near enough for this treasure. I highly recommend this CD for people who truly loved and appreciated The King And I both in its several onstage productions as well as on the big screen; and fans of show tunes will delight in this CD soundtrack with its' diamonds scattered broadly in all directions.
The King and I (1956 Film Soundtrack) Poster
Compared with the Broadway cast recording, the 1956 soundtrack to the film version of The King and I wins hands down. Yul Brynner is the king (literally and figuratively) in both formats (how could anyone else own such a role?), but the movie's score has better sonics, Brynner's voice is stronger, and the tunes are more memorable (thanks to Alfred Newman's conducting and Ken Darby's scoring) than on any of the various cast recordings. Marni Nixon sings the role of Anna (played onscreen by Deborah Kerr), Brynner delivers his hallmark performance, and the best-loved tunes--"Hello, Young Lovers," "Getting to Know You," and "I Whistle a Happy Tune" are the versions we'll always remember. A classic. --James HendricksonBroadway & Vocalists Music CDs
Music Genres
Top music charts in Broadway & Vocalists Music CDs
George Shearing, Mel Torme - Elegant EveningSHEARING,G/TORME,M; Release date: 1990-10-25; Music CD
Best price: $7.01
Price in other shops:
Stan Getz - Spring Is HereRelease date: 1993-01-11; Music CD
Price in other shops:
Rosemary Clooney - Girl SingerRelease date: 1999-04-01; Music CD
Best price: $8.97
Price in other shops:
The Blenders - NogRelease date: 1998-10-20; Music CD
Best price: $9.53
Price in other shops:
Brave Combo, Tiny Tim - GirlTIM,TINY/BRAVE COMB; Release date: 1996-03-19; Music CD
Best price: $10.88
Price in other shops:
Belleville a Cappella Choir - Southern Journey, Vol. 11: Honor The Lamb - The Belleville A Cappella ChoirRelease date: 1998-02-10; Music CD
Best price: $83.93
Diane Schuur - Love SongsRelease date: 1993-05-11; Music CD
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops:
![Love Is the Thing [Vinyl] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
Nat King Cole - Love Is the Thing [Vinyl]Release date: 1996-11-19; Music CD
Best price: $169.99
Linda Ronstadt - Linda Ronstadt: Greatest HitsRelease date: 1998-01-13; Music CD
Price in other shops:
Buddy Rich, Sammy Davis Jr - Sounds of 66Release date: 1996-09-17; Music CD
Price in other shops:
Top Rated Albums
Various - The Sound of Music - 45th Anniversary EditionRelease date: 2010-11-02; Music CD
Best price: $7.33
Price in other shops:
![Fiddler on the Roof [30th Anniversary Edition] [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] Image](/images/Fiddler-on-the-Roof-30th-Anniversary-Edition-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack-B00005OB07-X.jpg)
Fiddler on the Roof [30th Anniversary Edition] [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]Release date: 2001-10-09; Music CD
Best price: $5.25
Price in other shops:
Original 1956 Broadway Cast Recording - My Fair LadyRelease date: 2009-05-05; Music CD
Best price: $6.83
Price in other shops:
Carousel (1956 Film Soundtrack)Release date: 2001-03-13; Music CD
Best price: $8.90
Price in other shops:
![Camelot [Original Broadway Cast Recording] Image](/images/Camelot-Original-Broadway-Cast-Recording-B002M2Z3O2-X.jpg)
Camelot [Original Broadway Cast Recording]Release date: 2009-10-06; Music CD
Best price: $6.57
Price in other shops:
Alan Jay Lerner - My Fair Lady (1964 Film Soundtrack)Release date: 1994-10-18; Music CD
Best price: $8.57
Price in other shops:
Oklahoma! (1955 Film Soundtrack)Release date: 2001-03-13; Music CD
Best price: $8.48
Price in other shops:
The Music Man (1962 Film Soundtrack)Release date: 1990-10-25; Music CD
Best price: $4.88
Price in other shops:
Stephen Sondheim - West Side Story (Original Soundtrack Recording)Release date: 2004-05-18; Music CD
Best price: $7.22
Price in other shops:
South Pacific (1958 Film Soundtrack)Release date: 2000-10-24; Music CD
Best price: $5.91
Price in other shops: