History Theatre / TheKingAndI

* UrbanLegend: Yul Brynner dancing with Deborah Kerr after having a lung surgically removed. Possibly connected to the fact that for two years after being diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer in the early 1980s, Brynner continued to perform in a revival of the stage play, dying only a few months after it closed. In 1956, however, he was perfectly healthy.
** Brynner played the role of the king non-stop continually from 1952 until his death in 1985, only taking breaks to make movies (such as the 1956 adaptation and the 1972 sitcom ''Series/AnnaAndTheKing''). In truth, except for the sitcom, after making the film, Brynner left the role behind for 20 years until he was brought back for a revival in 1976, at which point he stepped away from making movies and focused on playing the King on stage for the rest of his life.

* DidNotGetTheGirl: Edward, the English ambassador, asked Anna to marry him before she met her husband. She declined and it's implied he still carries a torch for her.

* TheMourningAfter: It's clear Anna still isn't quite over the death of her husband. She brings him up frequently and wears a locket with his picture in it.

* SheCleansUpNicely: While Anna is never ''ugly'', her clothes are extremely modest and her hoopskirt prevents any look at her actual figure. When she wears a much more revealing dress for the dinner with the English ambassador the king can't help but gape, and stumbling over his words, asking if this is what all English women wear, et cetera.

* DyingReconciliation: [[spoiler: Anna is about to leave Siam after her bitter argument with the King over Tuptim's fate, when Lady Thiang brings her the news that the King is dying, as well as he letter in which the King finally expresses gratitude for all Anna has done for him. Anna then goes to his side, where they spend his last moments on good terms again, and Anna decides to stay in Siam with the royal children after all.]]

** There's also the Kings {{Rule of Three}} tendency: "What-what-WHAT!"
* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The musical was based the non-fiction novel ''Anna and the King of Siam'' which was filmed in 1946. These in turn were based on two books by the real Anna Leonowens, ''[[http://www.archive.org/details/thesiamesecourt00leonrich The English Governess at the Siamese Court]]'' and ''[[http://www.archive.org/details/romanceharem00leongoog Romance of the Harem]]'', although these have been criticised due to a lack of objectivity.
** Not to mention outright lies. The story of Tuptim, which Anna admits was "based on palace gossip", never happened. In fact, Mongkut himself had instituted a law saying concubines who did not have children could apply for dismissal and marry whom they chose. Petitions were actually allowed even in the time of Mongkut's father. Neither beheading (as in the 1999 film) nor burning at the stake (which is what Anna says happened) were ''ever'' done in Siam[[note]]In the musical and its adaptations it's heavily implied Tuptim commits suicide, but that's beside the point[[/note]]. Anna herself was not all that she appeared to be. She took great pains to conceal from the world that she was half Indian, changing her name repeatedly and repudiating family members who could out her. Also, all the film and theatrical versions of her story are based on Margaret Landon's ''Anna and the King of Siam'', a novelized adaptation of Anna's books, and not even on Anna's own work.

* AdaptationalAlternateEnding: In the novel ''Anna and the King of Siam'', [[spoiler: Anna leaves Siam and the King dies a year later, as happened in real life.]] In the musical, [[spoiler: Anna is about to leave Siam when she gets the news that the King is dying, is with him at his deathbed, and resolves to stay in Siam with the young King Chulalongkorn and the other royal children.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: The King dies, he and Anna never act on their love, and she and his advisor are the only ones who notice his passing. But his son promises sweeping changes, including ending prostration before the king.]]

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

[[quoteright:345:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/King_and_I_resized_5714.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:345: Shall we dance?]]

* PrivateTutor: Anna is hired as a private tutor for the King of Siam's children .

* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: In ''Anna and the King of Siam'', Tuptim is burned at the stake. Here, she commits suicide offscreen.

* YourNormalIsOurTaboo: Is it EVER. To name a few: Anna sees the King's polygamy as this, being put off by his numerous wives, concubines, and dozens of children. She also finds the respect afforded the king by his subjects groveling and excessive (no head must be higher than his, etc.) Then there's the whole beating-of-Tuptim arc--definitely a European taboo. The way Siamese women dress would be considered a European taboo, as would the fact that they apparently don't normally wear undergarments.

* YourNormalIsOurTaboo: Is it EVER. Just to name a few examples, we have the King's promise to give Anna a house adjoining the palace, which he conveniently forgets; normal for a Siamese monarch, but apparently not for a British one. Anna also sees polygamy as this (perhaps erroneously, considering her own country's history of polygamous monarchs). Then there's the whole beating-of-Tuptim arc--definitely a European taboo. On the other side of the coin, the way Siamese women dress would be considered a European taboo, as would the fact that they apparently don't normally wear undergarments.

* BaldOfAwesome: The King's original Broadway actor, Yul Brynner, had his head shaved at the makeup artist's recommendation. Brynner carried this trope on into the movie, and several of his successors have tried to accomplish this in revivals.
** Additionally, Yul Brynner carried this trope into every other project he did for the rest of his life.

* OurNudityIsDifferent: During the meeting with the English ambassador, the king objects to Anna's dress, which is a full-length ballroom gown but with bare shoulders. When Anna points out that his own wives have worn far less, the king responds that Anna's dress covers her up completely ''except'' for her shoulders and cleavage, which draws ''more'' attention, compared to his wives who wear much less ''in general.''

* OurNudityIsDifferent: During the meeting with the English ambassador, the king objects to Anna's dress, which is a full-length ballroom gown but with bare shoulders. When Anna points out that his own wives have worn far less, the king responds that Anna's dress covers her up completely ''except'' for her shoulders and cleavage, which draws ''more'' attention, rather than his wives who wear much less ''in general.''

* OurNudityIsDifferent: During the meeting with the English ambassador, the king objects to Anna's dress, which is a full-length ballroom gown but with bare shoulders. When Anna points out that his own wives have worn far less, the king responds that Anna's dress covers her up completely ''except'' for her shoulders and cleavage which draws ''more'' attention, rather than his wives who wear much less ''in general.''

* WhiteMansBurden: Deconstructed. Historically during the reign of King Mongkut in the 1850s, Siam came into the crosshairs of European imperialism for the first time. King Mongkut was quick to realize what happened to nations who rejected or failed to come to an accommodation with the Europeans. For this reason King Mongkut himself actively promoted European culture and science in his kingdom, and indeed employing Anna Leonowens was just one part of his "westernization" campaign. The movie portrays this more or less accurately, and in the end his strategy proved successful. Siam came under pressure from Europeans but never fully lost its independence - one of only a few countries to do so. However the film also portrays this critically in the character of the King's Prime Minister, the Kralahome, who warns Anna that trying to change the King will only end badly. In the confrontation between Anna and the King at the climax of the film, the King declares that ultimately Thailand must be run ''his'' way. Neither side is portrayed as being entirely correct, and the idea of learning to understand something or someone different is the main theme of the whole story.