Anna and the King . Tucson Weekly . 12-20-99

Anna and the King

DIRECTED BY: Andy Tennant

REVIEWED: 12-20-99

For decades, the true story of the English governess Anna Leonowens, a widow hired to teach the 58 children of Siam's King Mongkut, captured the American imagination. The first Anna and the King of Siam appeared on the screen in 1946, starring Rex Harrison, followed in 1956 with the musical version The King and I, starring Yul Brynner. It was Brynner who made the role famous, both in a television series called Anna and the King in 1972, and a reprisal in 1982 of the Broadway role he practically created. In fact, it seemed when Brynner died of lung cancer in 1985, the visionary king died with him. Enter Chow Yun-Fat and Jodie Foster, who with relative newcomer Andy Tennant, return to the tradition begun in 1944 by novelist Margaret Landon. Like the book, this new interpretation of the public events and private relationship between Anna and King Mongut in the 1860s extrapolates from Leonowens' own writings. The result is no less a fiction than any of its predecessors, but it's an inspired telling lavishly set in a Malaysia transformed to look like a world untouched by time. Unburdened by technical limitations or rigid social conventions, this modern tale may shock those who recall a gentler plot. But it may also win new converts to a story so controversial in its day, the government of Siam tried to purchase every edition of Leonowens' books (The English Governess at the Siamese Court and The Romance of the Harem) to prevent their distribution.

--Mari Wadsworth

Full Length Reviews
Anna and the King

Capsule Reviews
Anna and the King

Other Films by Andy Tennant
Ever After: A Cinderella Story

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A Walk in the Clouds
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Hideous Kinky

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