THE KING AND I vs THE QUIET MAN

Hi. I know, I know, I haven't done this in a while. To be honest, I just didn't care. I have lived in Las Vegas for a year now and one doesn't really do movies here. Too expensive. When in the "Entertainment Capitol of the WORLD!!!" (tourist board emphasis) one can find many more things to do than catch a $10 matinee.

However, the library still has stuff for free. =)

So, I watched the King and I with my friend Jill. She found it at the library and picked it up as a "kid friendly" viewing option. It was interesting to watch the film as an adult. I must have seen it at least ten times as a kid. It was a film that my mother rented at least twice a month during my formative years. She would alternate it with The Quiet Man. (From this I believe one can deduce that the Two Sexiest Men In The World, according to my mother, are John Wayne and Yul Brynner. Actually, I think John Wayne was first and good ol' Yul was the exotic "option".)

For those who haven't had the chance to watch these films, I will provide a brief synopsis:

THE KING AND I (1956)

Widow lady from Victorian England travels to Siam to become a schoolteacher for a few dozen of the king's children. Since it's a Rogers and Hammerstein musical, there are adorable children, some pretty ballads, sexual tension, and a King who ends up dying because he's conflicted over traditional ideals vs western concepts. Though it could also have something to do with his relationship to the crazy white lady who didn't want him to whip a runaway slave. He totally showed her! Take that, controlling schoolteacher! HA! Now I'm DEAD!

THE QUIET MAN (1952)

John Wayne is a retired boxer who, after having accidentally killed his opponent in the ring, devotes himself to a life of peace and moves to Ireland. (Which OBVIOUSLY is the place to live a quiet non-violent life.) He meets a strapping redhead, marries her, and then, for some reason, has to drag his wife around and beat up his brother-in-law before everyone is happy. Honestly, I have never understood the movie and I still don't. No doubt it has quite a bit to do with establishing some male hierarchic standing or something. But, even when trying to understand it using Discovery Channel analogys ("the two silver backs roar at each other over the sullen female... ") I still don't really get it. However the background music is really catchy!



Examining these two films, one can't help but see the similarities. They both were made in the 1950's, are set in exotic locales (Ireland, Thailand), center around an emotionally constipated relationship, and showcase culture clash between liberal western ideals and "old world" tradition. Oh, and the leading men are very attractive. So, looking at that, I'm wondering what I absorbed from these movies as a child.

If I'm lucky I just learned that hot men will like you even if you're crazy. =)