Anna and the King

A movie by Andy Tennant

With Chow Yun-Fat, Jodie Foster, Ling Bai, Tom Felton

Christina says:

In 1862 Anna Leonowens (Jodie Foster) travels from India to Siam with her son Louis (Tom Felton). She is to be the English teacher of King Mongkut's (Chow Yun-Fat) numerous wives and children. She is surprised and impressed when she meets the charismatic and well-educated monarch, and he feels the same way about the energetic and uncompromising Englishwoman. Between them develops respect, friendship and more. But their differing views provide much food for conflict.

When I hear "King and I" the first thing that comes to my mind are Yul Brynner and his "Et cetera" from the TV show. Even if there is a little echo of that famous phrase toward the end of the movie, Chow Yun-Fat has a very different way of playing King Mongkut. Brynner always gave the character a slightly ridiculous twist as if the monarch absorbed his vast knowledge of the western civilization but never quite understood what it was really about, giving Samantha Eggar an opportunity to shine and teach not just the children but also the almighty monarch.

Chow Yun-Fat's King Mongkut is more dignified. Where Brynner was choleric he is vivacious and shows a great sense of humor. He doesn't need to be lectured by his children's governess and he examines closely which western (read: English) ideas suit him and which don't. Hopefully Chow Yun-Fat will have more opportunities to shine in character parts.

Jodie Foster plays the English teacher with appropriate coolness and reserve and therefore can't really leave a lasting impression by the side of her charismatic co-star. Her Anna doesn't come to Siam simply to make a living, but also to spread English ways with missionary zeal ("The ways of England are the ways of the world", she explains). Her imperialistic attitude softens somewhat with time, but she can never quite shed it.

ANNA AND THE KING is as splendid as you would expect a far-eastern fairy tale to be, without forgetting the dark sides of paradise. But the important story lines – Anna's re-embracing life after her husband's death and Mongkut's efforts to lead his country into the modern times without robbing it off its identity – are drowned out by magnificent settings, palace intrigues and attempted overthrows of the king. That could have been explored further and maybe put in the center of the movie so that the kitschy and unbelievable musical love story could have been disposed of.

The beautiful and exotic landscape, the costumes and the cute kids are other reasons to watch the movie. Even if the historians picked the diaries of Anna Leonowens, that are the basis of the story, to pieces and refuted them, the movie still is advertised as "true story". True or false, ANNA AND THE KING works as a movie. Would it have hurt to admit that it is a Hollywood fantasy that has a lot more to do with the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical than the historical events?

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Christina Gross

Last changes: 01/04/03