Shall We?

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One of the stories I love best- or shall I say one of the musicals I love best is The King & I.
It fulfills all my fantasies. 

I am intrepid. 

I sing. 

I dance. 

I speak beautifully. 

 I conquer.

I win the hearts and minds of a country.

  I bring a King to his knees.

I wear hoop skirts.

Yohji Yamamoto hoop dress

I have watched time and again- enough is never enough with this movie, As you shall see. I have been equally intrigued by the story of Gertrude Lawrence's performance in the Broadway musical and her love affair with co-star, Yul Brenner. Lawrence collapsed after a performance and within a month had died of liver cancer. Lawrence was buried in the champagne-colored gown worn for the "Shall We Dance?" number in the second act of The King and I. She had made Yul Brenner a star and he would always credit her with his celebrity.

Rex Harrison and Irene Dunne starred in the 1946 movie Anna and the King of Siam-sans music- with much critical acclaim. Though Anna does not sing in this version her intrepid nature and great style captured the imagination of this little Anna-wanna-be.

Stories of the real Anna Leonowens are intriguing too- and still somewhat a mystery. She wrote about her experiences in three collections.The English Governess at the Siamese Court: Being Recollections of Six Years in the Royal Palace at Bangkok,The Romance of Siamese Harem Life and Life and Travel in India: Being Recollections of a Journey Before the Days of Railroads. The 1946 drama and the subsequent Broadway musical and movies were based on the 1946 book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. Her book expands on Anna Leonowens' own embellished accounts of her experiences.

You cannot shut the world out forever. Believe me, I've tried. 

-from the Anna Leonowens diaries 

How much do I love the movie? I have wondered about a sequel- Life after the King? Something betwixt fact and fiction-Shall We Say? 

She was a stranger when she came to live in Siam-Now returning to England- she would be a stranger there too. Anna Leonowens and her son Louis had lived in Bangkok, where she was contracted to teach English to the children of the royal household. She threatens to leave when the house she had been promised is not available, but fell in love with the children-and their father. After the King's death, she embarks on a return voyage to England. Her return to England, bringing with her- an exotic household, servants and furnishings- would create a sensation. Anna had changed. She no longer embraced the traditional dress of the Victorians and was determined not to return to corsets and billowing skirts. Her life would be different this time. Her school would be different. One thing she was sure of, her heart would remain in Siam forever.

Tatler magazine, from Hannah Teare fashion stylist here, Kyoto Bolofo photographer

there are 9 posts about Anna- unfortunately blogger has no way of publishing them any way but from last to first- be sure to read them all.

Books about Anna Leonowens, Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon, Anna Leonowens: A Life Beyond 'the King and I' by Leslie Smith Dow, Katya & the Prince of Siam by Eileen Hunter

shown throughout this post are photographs of the movie Anna and the King of Siam, Broadway Musical starring Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brenner and the subsequent movie The King & I.

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