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This is the fourth movie version of the ever popular story
based on the diaries of Anna Leonowens, the English woman who
travelled to Siam (now Thailand) to tutor the children of the
King. The previous versions were 1946's Anna and the King of
Siam (starring Irene Dunne and Rex Harrison), 1956's The King
and I (Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner), and 1998's animated The
King and I.
This version features Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat in the
title roles, but this time there are no Rodgers and Hammerstein
musical numbers. Foster is in good form, as usual, playing the
headstrong English widow, still missing her husband, who stands
up for her beliefs and traditions while being open minded enough
to embrace the culture of her new home. Chow Yun-Fat does a
capable job as the king who wants what is best for his family
and his country but is not used to having anybody question his
authority, let alone a foreigner, let alone a woman.
The scenery is stunning (even though it was filmed in Malaysia,
not Thailand), and the musical score is sufficiently epic sounding
to complement the rest of the on screen action. The palace is
well detailed, as are the costumes (the story is set in the
1860s).
Where I found this film to be lacking was in the flow of the
narrative and the development of the characters. Apart from
the political background and the antics of the royal children,
this story is about the culture clash between the two title
characters and the way this is resolved with the respect and
love that develops between them. In this film it all seemed
a little easy and the impact of the culture clash was diluted
right from the start when Anna boldly marched into what looked
like a highly important diplomatic meeting and demanded that
she be given a nicer house outside the palace walls (it is difficult
to believe that any head of state even today would put up with
such insolence). Other than a few outbursts, the King tolerates
Anna's brassiness too easily, reducing the potential for any
dramatic tension to develop. The fact that he calls her 'the
equal of a king' within the first 45 minutes makes you wonder
what more she could possibly achieve.
This is all a shame because it makes the 2 hours and 20 minutes
seem very long and it spoils the good impressions we get from
the actors and the setting.
A beautiful looking movie that unfortunately lacks substance.
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