Anna and the King

1999
6.7| 2h28m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 16 December 1999 Released
Producted By: Fox 2000 Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

The story of the romance between the King of Siam (now Thailand) and the widowed British school teacher Anna Leonowens during the 1860s. Anna teaches the children and becomes romanced by the King. She convinces him that a man can be loved by just one woman.

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Reviews

Wordiezett So much average
Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film
Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
priandoyo As people that born and lived in Southeast Asia, the depiction of modernization in Thailand is educating, while at the same time this movie is really entertaining. This movie is very important for student to learn geopolitical and culture development. I understand that this movie is banned in Thailand, which from my point of view I somewhat agree that as government is very difficult not to banned this movie.
James Hitchcock Anna Leonowens is best-known today as the character played by Deborah Kerr in "The King and I", but she was a real person, not a fictional one, and her story was also told in the film "Anna and the King of Siam" from 1946 (which I have never seen). "Anna and the King" is Hollywood's second non-musical version of her story. Anna was a widowed British schoolteacher who travelled to Siam, as Thailand was then known, to become tutor to the many children and wives of King Mongkut. In reality she seems to have had little contact with the King himself, but her diaries suggested otherwise, and Westerners have long been fascinated by the supposed friendship which grew up between them. Some of the elements of this film will be recognisable to anyone familiar with "The King and I". Both films mention Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and feature a doomed romance between Lady Tuptim, one of the King's concubines, and a commoner. There are, of course, lots of outrageously cute children running about everywhere. The fictitious subplot in which Anna helps the King foil a military coup by a treacherous general, however, appears to be an invention by the scriptwriters for this film. Like "The King and I" the film was banned in Thailand on account of its allegedly disrespectful portrayal of King Mongkut; it would appear that the country's lèse-majesté laws protect not only the current monarch but also his predecessors. This rather heavy-handed censorship seems strange in a country which claims (or did until the recent military coup) to be a democracy; imagine the storm of protest which would have been unleashed had the British government, for example, attempted to censor "Mrs Brown" because of the way it depicted Queen Victoria. The film could not, of course, be shot in Thailand itself, and filming took place in Malaysia. The casting of Chow Yun-fat rather than a European like Yul Brynner as Mongkut seems to have been an attempt by the film-makers to placate local concerns, but does not seem to have succeeded in this aim. Racial sensitivities in the Far East are not always the same as Western ones- the casting of three Chinese actresses as Japanese characters in "Memoirs of a Geisha" gave rise to protests in both China and Japan- and to Thais the casting of a Chinese actor as one of their country's most revered monarchs may have seemed just as insensitive as the casting of a Westerner. Chow's interpretation of the role is rather different from Brynner's- more sensitive and less autocratic and self-assured. One thing which may have offended the Thais is the depiction of the relationship between Anna and the King. With Kerr and Brynner, it was clear that their relationship was based upon friendship and mutual respect, but the question of whether they had actually fallen in love was left discreetly unanswered. With Chow and Jodie Foster it is all too clear that they are in love, if not lovers in the sexual sense, and the historical accuracy of this is (to say the least) doubtful. The emphasis of the story has shifted somewhat since the days of "The King and I". That film was made in the mid-fifties, a period when many regions of the globe were still under European colonial rule, something subtly reflected in the script. The Siam ruled by King Yul was a charmingly backward country which needed to be dragged kicking and screaming into the nineteenth century, a task which would have been undertaken by the colonial powers had its own ruler not resolved to do it himself. Here Anna arrives in Siam inwardly convinced of the superiority of Western culture and that her role will be to play a part in the enlightenment of a barbarian nation. As the story progresses, however, she realises that the real situation is far more complex and that the West has as much to learn from the East as vice versa. The teacher is taught. The film is visually attractive and beautifully photographed, and features an excellent performance from Foster, possibly the most accomplished Hollywood actress of the nineties. She also copes well with her character's British accent, something which cannot be said of all American actors called upon to play British characters. (Foster's gift for accents is one of a number of characteristics she shares with Meryl Streep, possibly the most accomplished Hollywood actress of the eighties). The film does, however, suffer at times from a lack of plausibility, particularly in the subplot involving the rebel general, something inserted to turn it into a standard thriller with an identifiable villain. Were Siamese soldiers of this period really so badly trained that they would have mistaken the sound of fireworks for that of gunfire? "Anna and the King" makes for enjoyable viewing, but it might have worked better with a different denouement. 7/10 Some goofs. The story takes place during the early 1860s when King Mongkut would have been in his sixties, far older than the character played by Chow Yun-Fat. Reference is made to the "King of France", even though at this period France was ruled by Emperor Napoleon III. Admittedly, the distinction might have seemed academic to the Siamese, but no French diplomat would have committed the solecism of referring to his monarch as "le Roi" rather than "l'Empereur". And the royal children sing the song "Daisy, Daisy", which was not written until the 1890s, possibly as a satirical comment on Daisy Countess of Warwick, mistress of the Prince of Wales.
Matt James Leaving aside the question of historical accuracy, whatever that may be. First-rate cinematography and soundtrack with sumptuous sets and costumes.Outstanding acting from all the players.Jodie Foster is stunning to behold and delectably demure behind her breathy, somewhat clipped, English accent. In probably her best performance after Nell she brought a vulnerability to the character that was at times charming and at times heart-breaking to see.Chow Yun-Fat was splendid in his role and, as Crouching Tiger subsequently showed, a consistently solid actor. Everyone involved with this film did a superb job.An utterly charming, deeply moving and beautiful film.
thandon_s-901-236180 Being Thai myself, I admit that the issue about Kings of Thailand are quite sensitive. But I say the movie itself is not bad in terms of the production and story telling. One thing about the production that bothers me is the bad-accent Thai. I understand that they needed the casts who spoke fluent English and they mustn't have gotten much cooperation from Thailand with the casting, so they put up with the Chinese casts who are Thai look-alikes with the weirdest Thai accent. I respect their effort but I can't understand what they say without subtitles. The script writer tried so hard to put as much respect for Thai culture as possible into the movie, which I appreciate that. But since they work on the book written by a very self-absorbed woman, it didn't help much on the unconvincing story elements though. The original material is very distorted and too fictionalized to be called a biography. According to many Thai and foreign historians, Anna just observed and then integrated herself into the important events occurred during her time in Thailand. For example, a Thai king in ancient times would never, ever, allow an English teacher on the same royal boat, no matter how he likes her. This is only the start. She even made stuff up about geographical facts.Anna was most likely lying about the king mentioning her in his will and that she didn't accept the legacy. Because, in 'fact', if a Thai king liked anyone so much, he would just award the official title and some money or properties to that person. And that's it, not the royal legacy.Best of all, the real King Mongkut did mention Anna in a written document,shortly, as 'a teacher who is quite nosy', not an inspiring friend who had led Siam into a new era like she imagined herself to be, or she would've been in Thai history along with other important women or foreigners. I bet the real Anna wasn't even as brave or outspoken as in the book. Because with our 'uncivilized' way, she'll be right back on the ship the minute she was so rudely barged into the palace hall. In conclusion: As a movie, the friendly teacher-and-student relationship, with a little touch of romance, between Anna and The King is portrayed quite beautifully. The film shows the respect for cultural differences and even the most brutal part of the movie (the execution) isn't come off so savage. The movie is pretty good in its own right.But as for Anna's story, I say her book isn't any more true than Forrest Gump or The Last Samurai. Only that Forrest Gump didn't flat out lie about being a true story. I bet she fantasized herself and The King as John Smith and Pocahontas.This movie was banned from being shown in Thailand. Though I do not agree with the over-protective policy of the Thai government, I do not think that it's right to honor the lying btch as a heroine who saved my country either. So, if you want to watch it, just don't take it seriously, at all.PS. Chow Yun Fat did an admirable job speaking Thai. His pronunciation is quite good.