As an avid collector of Broadway Cast Recordings and Original Soundtracks I have dreamed for years for complete recordings (including underscoring) of soundtracks to film versions of Broadway musicals. The one advantage to soundtrack recordings of film versions of Broadway musicals is access to large studio orchestras and Hollywood's best arrangers and orchestrators. The most satisfying result of this for me is the sound of each production number. What the large studio orchestra does is mirror the visual action of the large (or small) production number. The original LP versions of these soundtracks rarely included the orchestral tracks due to space limitations. I cite one example to illustrate this point though there are many others. That example is the dance preceding the barn raising in the soundtrack to "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers" included on the wonderful Rhino disc. This CD of "The King & I", along with other Angel releases, "Carousel" and "Oklahoma!" also feature generous portions of orchestral tracks. For this reason alone (though there are others)this CD is a must for any R & H fan.

This is the sound track of "The King and I" (1956), a musical retelling of "Anna and the King of Siam" and the third Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway hit. Naturally a movie sound track can not hold a candle to the play if you have seen it. However this is the version I grew up with. And this is the version I bought. Many of the Songs were written for this story and have no meaning outside of the context of the film. Yet many people can relate to where they were when they saw the film or have been in similar situations and the songs match their life. Everyone has a favorite my two are "Getting to Know You" and "Hello, Young Lovers"

This is one of my favorite musicals and it is a delight to have this recording. The sound quality is lacking, however. They could have done a better job with the remastering.