Of Interest:

All the "King and I" movies and musicals make the claim that they're based on the true accounts of Anna Leonowens as written in her diaries however exactly how much truth exists in there is quite debatable. The names of the people were certainly real. Prince Chulalongkorn is considered one of the greatest kings to ever rule Siam (now known as Thailand). During his reign, Chulalongkorn abolished slavery and worked hard to educate his people. Today the most prestigious university in Thailand is named in his honour. You'd think for all this the Thais would be enthusiastic about the "King & I" story however the 1956 live-action movie was in fact banned from theatres in Thailand. Why? Mostly for the portrayl of Chulalongkorn's father, King Mongkut (the King in "The King and I"), who spent much of his life as a monk and is considered to be one of Thailand's wisest and most revered kings. The movie's portrayal of him as a singing bufoon greatly angered the Thai people and does to this day. Try to imagine being a patriotic American and seeing a movie about the Founding Fathers with them line-dancing in pink dresses--about that level of disgust. And the English school teacher, Anna Leonowens? She existed too and was indeed invited by King Mongkut to teach his children except, according to the Thais, she was never the King's trusted advisor. The records in Thailand show that Anna had a total of two audiences with the King: one when she arrived and another when she left. If that's correct, Anna's close relationship with the King that she describes in her diaries is pure fiction.