Anna and the King [WS] [Special Edition]

Director: Andy Tennant Andy Tennant

Overview

The true story of Anna Leonowens' experiences as a governess to the children of an eccentric Asian king has been adapted into a book of memoirs, a biography, a stage play called Anna and the King of Siam -- which was adapted into a 1946 film, a stage musical called +The King and I -- made into both the live-action The King and I (1956)) and the animated The King and I (1999) feature films, and a short-lived 1972 TV series. Now the story is brought to the screen yet again, as Jodie Foster stars as Leonowens, hired by the king of Thailand (Chow Yun-Fat) in the 19th century to help care for his children. The king wants the best for his children, but Anna soon discovers that he is a strong-willed but quixotic leader, and her stay in Thailand becomes a struggle for power with romantic overtones, as they decide who will have authority over the royal youngsters. Anna and the King was directed by Andy Tennant, best known for his 1998 variation on the Cinderella story, Ever After.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/04/2003
UPC:	0024543002604
Original Release:	1999
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	BUENA VISTA HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:27:00

Special Features

Commentary by Andy Tennant; Five Featurettes; Television special; Six deleted scenes; Theatrical trailer; Music video "How Can I Not Love You" by Joy Enriquez

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jodie Foster	Anna Leonowens
Chow Yun-Fat	King Mongkut
Bai Ling	Tuptim,Lady of Court No. 4,Shipping Dock Woman
Tom Felton	Louis
Syed Alwi	The Kralahome
Randall Duk Kim	General Alak
Melissa Campbell	Princess Fa-Ying
Keith Chin	Prince Chulalongkorn
Mano Maniam	Moonshee
Shanthini Venugopal	Beebe
Deanna Yusoff	Lady Thiang
Geoffrey Palmer	Lord John Bradley
Anne Firbank	Lady Bradley,Lady Bradley
Bill Stewart	Mycroft Kincaid
Sean Ghazi	Khun Phra Balat
K.K. Moggie	Phim
Dharma Harun Al-Rashid	Noi
Harith Iskander	Nikorn
Yusof B. Mohd Kassim	Pitak
Afdlin Shauki	Interpreter
Swee-Lin	Lady Jao Jom Manda Ung
Robert Hands	Captain Blake
Lim Yu-Beng	Scarfaced Leader
Kenneth Tsang	Justice Phya Phrom
Kee Thuan Chye	Second Judge
Patrick Teoh	Third Judge
Aimi Aziz	Lady of Court No. 1
Ellie Suriatry Omar	Lady of Court No. 2
Tina Lee Siew Ting	Lady of Court No. 3
Zaridah Abdul Malik	Lady of Court No. 5
Fariza Azlina	La-Ore
Ahmad Mazlan	Scout No. 1
Mohd Razib Saliman	Scout No. 2
Zaibo	Siamese Trader
Mahmud Ali Basah	Mercenary
Zulhaila Siregar	Distraught Villager
Kay Siu Lim	Prince Chowfa, King Mongkut's Brother,Scarfaced leader
Swee Lin Neo	Lady Jao Jom Manda Ung
Ellie Suriaty Omar	Lady of Court No.2
Ramli Hassan	King Chulalongkorn
George Fenton	Composer

Technical Credits

Steve Meerson

Peter Krikes

Anna Leonowens

Andy Tennant	Director,Director
Lawrence Bender	Producer
Terence Chang	Executive Producer,Producer
Terence Clegg	Executive Producer
Steve Courtley	Special Effects
Edward Elbert	Producer,Producer
Martin Grace	Stunts
Priscilla John	Casting
Steve Meerson	Screenwriter
Peter Krikes	Screenwriter
Anna Leonowens	Screenwriter
Eric Angelson	Producer
Kenneth Au	Special Effects
Cosmas Paul Bolger Jr.	Special Effects
Scott Dwyer	Special Effects
Anna Behlmer	Sound Effects
Craig Berkey	Sound Effects
David Betancourt	Sound Effects
James Bolt	Sound Effects
Ted Caplan	Sound Effects
John Larsen	Sound Editor
Brian Simmons	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Nominated for Oscars for its costume design and art direction, this non-musical adaptation of the life of Anna Leonowens is a lavish, solid mix of romance and drama that never quite inflames itself to the level of passion for which it strives. Always accomplished in the role of a stoic, Jodie Foster does a typically proficient job with her role of a stiff-upper-lipped widow whose reserve melts only slightly. Although he'll probably suffer by comparison to the magnetic Yul Brynner, actor Chow Yun-Fat is fine as King Mongkut, playing the royal head of a country with square-shouldered sobriety. But in their scenes together, Foster, Yun-Fat, and director Andy Tennant strive for a kind of standoffish quality meant to imply the characters' mutual mix of antagonism and passion, but which comes off at times like a lack of onscreen chemistry. The story's muddled historical perspective is also something of a burden, but it's doubtful that fans of sweeping romantic melodramas will be much interested in the mishmash that the film makes of real-life events. Regarded as nothing more than a well-mounted movie version of a paperback romance novel, Anna and the King is mostly satisfying within such a realm.