Movie Journal: The King And I

I had seen this movie many, many times as a really young kid, and as I revisited it recently I began to wonder something. Sure, the movie was funny. It was bright, and colorful; not just visually but in terms of the characters and the events taking place. But at the same time I wondered: is this movie really considered a classic?

I wondered this for several reasons. Anna's(the main character) son is a total stereotype, and though he is supposed to be really close to Anna, he is onscreen only a handful of times; and he actually talks even less. While colorful, vivid characters like the King more than made up for this, I also found that for a musical, few of the songs were actually memorable.

Until it came to that one scene, the only scene I had remembered and had somehow grasped the significance of, even as a small boy. The scene featuring the song, "Shall We Dance?". It's when this movie's romantic elements kick in that it becomes so powerful. In fact, it is one of the most powerful scenes I've had the good fortune to experience, and even if the rest of the movie were but cliched trash, this one scene would make it all worth it.

8 out of 10