Anna and the King is a
1999The year 1999 in film involved some significant events and was arguably the most successful year for films released in the 1990s. Several new feature films, including Star Wars Episode I, The Sixth Sense, The Green Mile, new sequel Toy Story 2, first of The Matrix, Disney's animated Tarzan,...
motion pictureFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
loosely based on
Anna and the King of SiamAnna and the King of Siam is a 1944 semi-fictionalized biographical novel by Margaret Landon.In the early 1860s, Anna Leonowens, a widow with two young children, was invited to Siam by King Mongkut, who wanted her to teach his children and wives the English language and introduce them to British...
, the story of
Anna LeonowensAnna Leonowens was a British travel writer, educator and social activist, known for teaching the wives and children of Mongkut, king of Siam, and for co-founding the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design...
, who was an English schoolteacher in Siam, now
ThailandThe Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.It is bordered to the north by Laos and Burma, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Burma...
, in the 19th century. The film is a
remakeA remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of
Anna and the King of SiamAnna and the King of Siam is a 1946 drama film directed by John Cromwell. An adaptation of the 1944 book by Margaret Landon, it was based on the diaries of Anna Leonowens, a British governess in the Royal Court of Siam during the 1860s...
, but differs in many respects from that picture and also from the related musical,
The King and IThe King and I is a musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II based on the book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. The plot comes from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became school teacher to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s...
.
The film was directed by
Andy TennantAndy Tennant is an American screenwriter, film and television director, and dancer.-Biography:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Tennant was raised in Flossmoor, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. His father was Don Tennant, a legendary creative advertising talent with Leo Burnett Agency in Chicago...
and stars
Jodie FosterAlicia Christian Foster, better known as Jodie Foster , is an American actor, film director and producer.Foster began acting in commercials at 3 years old, and her first significant role came in the 1976 film Taxi Driver as the preteen prostitute, Iris, for which she received a nomination for the...
and
Chow Yun-FatChow Yun-Fat SBS is a Hong Kong Film Award-winning actor. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard-Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
. It was mostly shot in
MalaysiaMalaysia is a country in Southeast Asia that consists of thirteen states and three Federal Territories, with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population stands at over 28 million inhabitants...
, particularly in the
PenangPenang is a state in Malaysia, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. Penang is the second smallest state in Malaysia after Perlis, and the eighth most populous...
and
IpohIpoh is a city in Malaysia and is the capital of the state of Perak. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur via the North-South Expressway....
region.
I was only a boy, but the image of my father holding the woman he loved for the last time has remained with me throughout the years.
It is always surprising how small a part of life is taken up by meaningful moments. Most often they're over before they start even though they cast a light on the future and make the person who originated them unforgettable.
When a woman who has much to say says nothing, her silence can be deafening.
Mother, what's a concubine?
Life is precious, especially when you're a Christian and only allowed one.
Everyone should have legends. It allowes us to dream.
Anna and the King is a
1999The year 1999 in film involved some significant events and was arguably the most successful year for films released in the 1990s. Several new feature films, including Star Wars Episode I, The Sixth Sense, The Green Mile, new sequel Toy Story 2, first of The Matrix, Disney's animated Tarzan,...
motion pictureFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
loosely based on
Anna and the King of SiamAnna and the King of Siam is a 1944 semi-fictionalized biographical novel by Margaret Landon.In the early 1860s, Anna Leonowens, a widow with two young children, was invited to Siam by King Mongkut, who wanted her to teach his children and wives the English language and introduce them to British...
, the story of
Anna LeonowensAnna Leonowens was a British travel writer, educator and social activist, known for teaching the wives and children of Mongkut, king of Siam, and for co-founding the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design...
, who was an English schoolteacher in Siam, now
ThailandThe Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.It is bordered to the north by Laos and Burma, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Burma...
, in the 19th century. The film is a
remakeA remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of
Anna and the King of SiamAnna and the King of Siam is a 1946 drama film directed by John Cromwell. An adaptation of the 1944 book by Margaret Landon, it was based on the diaries of Anna Leonowens, a British governess in the Royal Court of Siam during the 1860s...
, but differs in many respects from that picture and also from the related musical,
The King and IThe King and I is a musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II based on the book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. The plot comes from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became school teacher to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s...
.
The film was directed by
Andy TennantAndy Tennant is an American screenwriter, film and television director, and dancer.-Biography:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Tennant was raised in Flossmoor, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. His father was Don Tennant, a legendary creative advertising talent with Leo Burnett Agency in Chicago...
and stars
Jodie FosterAlicia Christian Foster, better known as Jodie Foster , is an American actor, film director and producer.Foster began acting in commercials at 3 years old, and her first significant role came in the 1976 film Taxi Driver as the preteen prostitute, Iris, for which she received a nomination for the...
and
Chow Yun-FatChow Yun-Fat SBS is a Hong Kong Film Award-winning actor. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard-Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
. It was mostly shot in
MalaysiaMalaysia is a country in Southeast Asia that consists of thirteen states and three Federal Territories, with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population stands at over 28 million inhabitants...
, particularly in the
PenangPenang is a state in Malaysia, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. Penang is the second smallest state in Malaysia after Perlis, and the eighth most populous...
and
IpohIpoh is a city in Malaysia and is the capital of the state of Perak. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur via the North-South Expressway....
region. It was an Academy Award nominee in 2000 for
Best Art DirectionThe Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
and Best Costume Design.
Plot
The film begins by following the story of
Anna LeonowensAnna Leonowens was a British travel writer, educator and social activist, known for teaching the wives and children of Mongkut, king of Siam, and for co-founding the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design...
and
Rama IVPhra Bat Somdet Phra Poramenthramaha Mongkut Phra Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama IV, known in foreign countries as King Mongkut was the fourth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1851-1868...
as it is usually told; Anna is a widow who has come to Siam with her son Louis to teach English to the 58 royal children. She is a strong-willed, intelligent woman and this pleases the King, who wants to modernize his country to keep it safe from the threat of colonialism, while protecting many of the ancient traditions that give Siam its unique identity.
Anna is enchanted by the royal children, particularly Princess Fa-ying (Melissa Campbell). The little girl identifies with the spirit of the playful monkeys who live in the trees of the royal garden. When she suddenly takes ill of cholera, Anna is summoned to her chambers to say goodbye. She gets there just as Fa-ying dies in Mongkut's hands, and the two mourn together. Sometime later, when the King finds that one of the monkeys has "borrowed" his glasses, as his daughter used to do, he is comforted by his belief in
reincarnationReincarnation, literally "to be made flesh again", is a doctrine or metaphysical belief that some essential part of a living being survives death to be reborn in a new body. This essential part is often referred to as the spirit or soul, the "higher" or "true" self, "divine spark", or "I"...
and the idea that Fa-ying may be reborn as one of her beloved animals.
In order to win the favors of Britain, the King orders a sumptuous reception, and delegates Anna to organize it. During the reception, the King verbally spars graciously and wittily with Sir Kincaid (
Bill StewartBill Stewart was an English actor best known for his role as Denton Evening News reporter Sandy Longford in the British television program A Touch of Frost. He also made appearances on Z Cars and MacGyver and had roles in such films as 101 Dalmatians and Anna and the King....
), of East India Company, who accuses Siam of being a superstitious nation. At the end of the reception, the King dances with Anna.
Lady Tuptim (
Bai LingBai Ling is a Chinese-born American actress.-Early life:Bai was born in Chengdu, People's Republic of China; "Bai", her family name, literally means "white". Ling, a common Chinese given name, means clever. Her father, Bai Yuxiang , was a musician in the People's Liberation Army, and later a music...
), the King's new favorite concubine, was already engaged when brought to the court. The King is kind to her, but she's too unhappy and at last runs away, disguising herself as a young man and joining the monastery where her former fiancé, Khun Phra Balat, lives. She is tracked down and brought back to the palace, imprisoned, and initially caned along with her Balat. Although the King intended to mitigate the severity of the final charges, Anna, in front of the entire court, insists that the King be merciful, severely limiting the King's ability to sanction a lesser punishment out of political and cultural concern that it would appear as though he had been lenient because of Anna's insistence; Tuptim and Balat are beheaded in front of the entire court, despite the well held belief that the sentence is monstrously unfair.
The political aspects of the story are completely fictional: Siam is under siege from what appears to be a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
-funded
coup d'étatA coup d'état , or coup for short, is the sudden unconstitutional deposition of a legitimate government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another, either civil or military...
against King Mongkut, using Burmese soldiers. Mongkut sends out his brother
Prince ChaofaPhrabat Somdet Phra Pinklao Chaoyuhua was a younger brother and the vice-king of Mongkut of Siam, who crowned him as a monarch with equal honor with Mongkut himself.-Early Life:...
and his military advisor General Alak to investigate.
However, it turns out that Alak is the man behind the coup and he turns on and kills Chaofa. He then flees Siam into Burma where he summons and readies his troops to invade Siam and kill the King and his children.
With Anna's help, the king manages to hide his children and his wives in a safe place. Then he goes with the few soldiers he has to face Alak. Siamese soldiers place high explosives on a wooden bridge high above a canyon floor, as Alak and his army approaches. The King orders his "army" to stay back and rides to the bridge with only two soldiers. Alak, in front of his army, confronts the King on the bridge.
Anna and Louis then orchestrate a brilliant deception from their hiding spot in the forest: Louis uses his
hornA horn is a tapered sound guide designed to provide an acoustic impedance match between a sound source and free air. This has the effect of maximising the efficiency with which sound waves from the particular source are transferred to the air...
to replicate the sound of a bugle charge, as Anna "attacks" the area with harmless fireworks. The ploy works as the Burmese, believing the King has brought British soldiers, retreat in a panic. Alak attempts to recall them, but his efforts prove to be futile. Alak stands alone, but the King refuses to kill him, saying that Alak should have to live with his shame. As the King turns to ride back to Siam, Alak picks up a gun and aims at the King, but the explosives are detonated, blowing the bridge to pieces, and Alak along with it.
At the end of the movie, the King has one last dance with Anna, and realizes that it is conceivable for one man to be pleased by only one woman. Anna returns to England with Louis. The King's son takes over, and abolishes slavery.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|
Jodie FosterAlicia Christian Foster, better known as Jodie Foster , is an American actor, film director and producer.Foster began acting in commercials at 3 years old, and her first significant role came in the 1976 film Taxi Driver as the preteen prostitute, Iris, for which she received a nomination for the...
|
Anna LeonowensAnna Leonowens was a British travel writer, educator and social activist, known for teaching the wives and children of Mongkut, king of Siam, and for co-founding the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design...
|
| Yun-Fat Chow |
King MongkutPhra Bat Somdet Phra Poramenthramaha Mongkut Phra Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama IV, known in foreign countries as King Mongkut was the fourth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1851-1868...
|
Bai LingBai Ling is a Chinese-born American actress.-Early life:Bai was born in Chengdu, People's Republic of China; "Bai", her family name, literally means "white". Ling, a common Chinese given name, means clever. Her father, Bai Yuxiang , was a musician in the People's Liberation Army, and later a music...
|
Tuptim |
| Tom Felton Thomas Andrew "Tom" Felton is an English actor and musician. He is best known for playing the role of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series, the movie adaptations of the best-selling Harry Potter fantasy novels by author J. K. Rowling, for which he auditioned at age twelve...
|
Louis Leonowens Louis Thomas Gunnis Leonowens was a Briton who served as an officer with the Siamese royal cavalry and founded the trading company that bears his name.-Early life:...
|
| Syed Alwi |
The Kralahome, Prime Minister |
Randall Duk KimRandall Duk Kim is a Korean-American actor who has played a wide variety of roles in his career, best known for his role as The Keymaker in The Matrix Reloaded. He has spent most of his career in theatre, and was a co-founder of the American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin...
|
General Alak |
| Kay Siu Lim |
Prince ChaofaPhrabat Somdet Phra Pinklao Chaoyuhua was a younger brother and the vice-king of Mongkut of Siam, who crowned him as a monarch with equal honor with Mongkut himself.-Early Life:...
, King Mongkut's Brother |
| Melissa Campbell |
Princess Fa-Ying |
| Keith Chin |
Prince ChulalongkornPhra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Chulalongkorn Phra Chunla Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama V was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri. He was known to the Siamese of his time as Phra Phuttha Chao Luang . He is considered one of the greatest kings of Siam...
|
| Mano Maniam |
Moonshee, Leonowens' Indian Servant |
| Shanthini Venugopal |
Beebe, Leonowens' Indian Servant |
| Deanna Yusoff |
Queen Thiang, Head Wife |
| Geoffrey Palmer Geoffrey Dyson Palmer, OBE is an English actor, best known for his roles in sitcoms such as Butterflies and As Time Goes By.-Career:...
|
Lord John Bradley |
| Anne Firbank |
Lady Bradley |
| Alif Silpachai |
Chulalongkorn's brother |
| Bill Stewart Bill Stewart was an English actor best known for his role as Denton Evening News reporter Sandy Longford in the British television program A Touch of Frost. He also made appearances on Z Cars and MacGyver and had roles in such films as 101 Dalmatians and Anna and the King....
|
Mycroft Kincaid, East India Trading Co. |
| Sean Ghazi Sean William Ghazi is a Malaysian actor, singer and dancer.Ghazi is best known for appearing in the 1999 movie Anna and the King , alongside Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat. He has appeared on stage in London's West End and in Europe, in productions such as Miss Saigon, Rent and The King and I...
|
Khun Phra Balat |
| Ramli Hassan |
King Chulalongkorn |
Supporting cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|
| Dharma Al-Rasyid |
Noi |
| Afdlin Shauki Afdlin Shauki, also known as Chief Kodok to his fans, is a Malaysian writer, director, stage and screen actor, comedian, singer, songwriter and presenter.- Music career :...
|
Interpreter |
| Yusof Kassim |
Pitak |
| Harith Iskander |
Nikorn |
| Patrick Teoh Patrick Teoh is a well-known actor and radio personality in Malaysia. A distinguished career in radio, TV, stage and movies spanning more than 3 decades has earned Patrick the nickname of "Voice Of Malaysia", bestowed by his fans and the Malaysian mass media.-Early life:Patrick Teoh was born in...
|
Judge No 3 |
| Mohamed Samir bin Abdul Rahim |
Arab Merchant |
| Faisol bin Jawahar Hassan |
Arab Merchant |
| Syed Abu Thahir bin Basheer Ahamed |
Arab Merchant |
| Fariza Azlina |
La-Ore |
Controversy
The Thai government did not allow the film makers to film in Thailand. After completion of the film, the Thai authorities did not permit the film to be distributed in Thailand due to scenes that could be construed as disrespectful towards the King. The film makers resubmitted the movie to Thai censors. The Thai authorities maintained the ban;
The NationThe Nation is a broadsheet, English-language daily newspaper founded in 1971 and published in Bangkok, Thailand, and is owned by the Nation Multimedia Group...
s opinion piece opined that some Thai questioned the state of the democracy due to the film ban; the paper also reported that Americans enjoyed watching the film.