Music composed by Richard Rodgers. Lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II.
Principal cast includes: Yul Brynner (The King) Deborah Kerr/Marni Nixon (Anna Leonowens); Rita Moreno/Leona Gordon (Tuptim); Terry Saunders (Lady Thiang); Carlos Rivas/Reuben Fuentes (Lun Tha).
Producer: Carl Faulkner.
Reissue producers: Didier C. Deutsch, Charles L. Grananta.
Recorded at 20th Century Fox Studios, Hollywood, California from September 1955 to April 1956. Originally released on Capitol (740). Includes liner notes by Charles L. Granata.
Digitally remastered by Darcy M. Proper, Jen Wyler (Sony Music Studios, New York, New York).
Personnel: Rubn Fuentes (vocals).
Audio Remixers: Jen Wyler; Darcy Proper.
Liner Note Author: Charles Granata.
Recording information: 20th Century-Fox Studios, Hollywood, CA (1956).
Editor: John Palladino.
Considered by many to be an improvement on the original cast album that followed the show's 1951 Broadway production, this record features the unmistakable tones of the definitive "King," Yul Brynner, but his co-star Deborah Kerr's singing voice is skillfully dubbed by one of the undisputed mistresses of that art, Marni Nixon. It is difficult to spot the point at which Kerr stops speaking and Nixon begins singing on lovely songs such as "Shall We Dance?" and "Getting To Know You," but after listening to the score again on the 1993 CD reissue, it is easy to understand the album's long tenure in the UK (103 weeks) and US (178 weeks) bestsellers lists.
Professional Reviews
Entertainment Weekly (10/12/01, p.38) - Ranked #58 in EW's "100 Best Movie Soundtracks" - "...A culture-clash classic..."
