Anna and the King (1999)

Director:

Andy Tennant

Writers (WGA):

Anna Leonowens (diaries)
Steve Meerson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 December 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | History | Romance

Plot:

The story of the romance between the King of Siam and the widowed British schoolteacher Anna Leonowens during the 1860's.

Plot Keywords:

1860s | Schoolteacher | Concubine | Children | Music Box

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 nominations

Cast

Jodie Foster	...	Anna Leonowens
Yun-Fat Chow	...	King Mongkut (as Chow Yun-Fat)
Ling Bai	...	Tuptim
Tom Felton	...	Louis Leonowens
Syed Alwi	...	The Kralahome, Prime Minister
Randall Duk Kim	...	General Alak
Kay Siu Lim	...	Prince Chowfa, King Mongkut's Brother
Melissa Campbell	...	Princess Fa-Ying
Keith Chin	...	Prince Chulalongkorn
Mano Maniam	...	Moonshee, Leonowens' Indian Servant
Shanthini Venugopal	...	Beebe, Leonowens' Indian Servant
Deanna Yusoff	...	Lady Thiang, Head Wife
Geoffrey Palmer	...	Lord John Bradley
Ann Firbank	...	Lady Bradley
Bill Stewart	...	Mycroft Kincaid, East India Trading Co.

Also Known As:

Anna (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some intense violent sequences.

Runtime:

148 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Thai | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Hong Kong:IIA | Iceland:10 (original rating) | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Thailand:(Banned) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #37063) | Philippines:G

Filming Locations:

Coloma, California, USA

Company:

Fox 2000 Pictures

Trivia:

Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson both reportedly turned down the role of Anna. Shannen Doherty was offered the role of Anna but turned it down due to her commitment in the TV series "Charmed" (1998).

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: The violins in the orchestra at the anniversary celebration are obviously not in sync with the music they are "playing".

Quotes:

[first lines]
King Chulalongkorn: She was the first English woman I had ever met. And it seemed to me she knew more about the world than anyone. But it was a world Siam was afraid would consume them. The monsoon winds had whispered her arrival like a coming storm. Some welcomed the rain...

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: Anna and the King: A Modern Epic (#6.13)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Jade Cong

Awesome movie but remember it's just a movie

Yes this movies was certainly better than previous musicals and renditions of the Anna Leonowen's adventures in Thailand. It also is more historically accurate than those previous versions. Although this doesn't necessarily make it more culturally accurate as well, so conclusions shouldn't be made concerning how Thailand is today. Of the acting, it is true what everyone else has been saying that both Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat acted extremely well. I've always been a Chow Yun-Fat fan. He's certainly a versatile actor, this I know from his Asian movies, but this is his break-out performance in America. Basically, if you really like great acting, then you'll love this movie. Anna and the King is also a very heart-warming movie mixed with enough excitement to please most people.

This isn't entirely a romance movie either. A history lesson is trying to be told here. Although as documentaries go...well Anna and the King is not 100% correct. However history seems so much more drier if it was told by facts alone. No one would go pay money to see documentaries in movie theaters, but they will go to see a movie especially if it's a good movie. Anna and the King is a good movie. Some people have griped about the theme song, the one scene with explosion, and whether or not the title of the movie appeared in the credits. For those people, keep in mind that what makes a movie a good movie can be found in the story, acting, and directing of the movie, not in the theme song or any other locations in the credit.

Concerning the length of the movie, every movie these days seem to go past the two hour mark, which is some sort of current trend in movies. Personally, I don't mind this as it allows me to let myself go and be sympathetic for the characters as if they had meaning for two hours and nine minutes in my life. Besides the acting was so well done that you won't get bored at anytime during the movie. Anna and the King will be one of the best two hours nine minutes you will spend this year if you see it.