CYF, lookin' regal.
Left: August 17th Pacific Edition cover of Newsweek, which featured CYF.
Right: CYF as King Mongkut. Pix by Andrew Cooper, for Newsweek. Many thanks to Judy for the scans!
CYF, lookin' regal.
Left: August 17th Pacific Edition cover of Newsweek, which featured CYF.
Right: CYF as King Mongkut. Pix by Andrew Cooper, for Newsweek. Many thanks to Judy for the scans!
 CYF with Malaysian cutie Melissa Campbell. Pic from an article in the Malaysian Star, via the repost at The King and I. |
Sections below:
In addition, selected articles concerning AATK may be online at my CYF media site, The World is Read. Additional information concerning Chow Yun-Fat may be found at my main Chow Yun-Fat site, God of Actors. |
AATK is a drama based on the autobiography of Anna Leonowens, a tutor to the 19th century king of Thailand. The story has hit the big screen three times to date: in the 1956 Yul Brynner / Deborah Kerr musical The King and I; in John Cromwell's 1943 classic dramatic version, Anna and the King of Siam; and in the animated Disney feature The King and I, released this year. The original movie, which starred Irene Dunne and Rex Harrison, won two Oscars in 1947, for best black-and-white Cinematography and Art Direction.
Filmed March-June 1999, mostly in Malaysia, AATK stars CYF as Mongkut, King of Siam. Andy Tennant is the director and Jodie Foster plays the female lead. The film is a big budget epic, with US$75m apparently being tossed around for the filming.
The dates: Malaysia (Dec 6th, Premiere); USA (Dec 15th, Premiere); Argentina, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore (Dec 16th); Canada, the US, Brazil, Finland, and the UK (Dec 17th); Hong Kong (Dec 23); Taiwan (Dec 24); Norway (January); Germany (Jan 27); the Netherlands (3 February); Denmark (4 February). (And thanks to the IMDb AATK site for most of the info!)
Release Notes
| The plot? In the 1860s, a young English widow arrives in Siam (now Thailand) to tutor the king's children. A clash of cultures and personalities ensues, as she slowly earns the king's respect and comes to understand and appreciate the country in which she lives. |
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The Real-World Clash of Cultures? The 1956 musical version of the story was deemed so offensive to King Mongkut (a revered historical figure, in Thailand) that the movie was banned -- and still *is banned -- in that country. Even this latest version irritated the Thais to the extent that after months of negotiation they refused to let AATK film in that country (Malaysia was the stand-in). Inaccurate depictions of the king's relationship with women, for example, were seen as lése-majesté (as when scenes were staged of the king dancing with Anna), and in general they seem to feel the Western versions grossly exaggerate the influence of Ms. Leonowens on the king, and underplay the dignity and intelligence of the monarch himself. The Thai concerns are reviewed in detail here, and info on the real historical figure Chulalongkorn (reign name: Rama V) is available from this online Asiaweek article and at this biographical site from the King Mongkut Institute of Technology of North Bangkok. In addition, there is the Thai commentary AATK page, maintained by students. I esp liked their page Anna Leonowens: Fact or Fiction?, which contrasts the historical and autobiographical versions of Anna's life. (And thanks to Dan Helmick for posting the URLs in a.a-m.!). However, some of the Thai concerns seem more reasonable than others -- one annoying comment from the director of the Thai Film Board was that even Fox's decision to cast CYF as the king "showed a lack of sensitivity to the royal family," because CYF is best known (in the west) for his gangster personas. Donnez moi un break, as we Quebecers say.
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Anna and the King (Action/Adventure) (Start February 28, 1999; completed June, 1999) Shot in Malaysia, London, England; Farang Films Ltd., No. 219 Jalan Gopeng, 31350 Ipoh, Perak; Fox 2000 Pictures, 10201 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035 - 310-369-1000; Cast: Jodie Foster, Chow Yun-Fat, Bai Ling, Randall Duk Kim; ExPrd., Terry Clegg, Terence Chang; Prd., Lawrence Bender, Ed Elbert; CoPrd., Jon Jashni; Dir., Andy Tennant; Scr., Steve Meerson, Peter Krikes, Andy Tennant, Rick Parks; Ed., Roger Bondelli; UPM, John G. Phelan, Leila Kirkpatrick; AD, Scott Printz, Mahathir Tahir; PrdDsgn., Luciana Arrighi; Art, John Ralph; Set, Ian Whittaker; Cstm., Jenny Beavan; PrdCoord., Elaine Burt; SFX, Steve Courtley; Publ., Claire S. Raskind; Dstrb, 20th Century Fox (And many thanks to Jeff and the Hollywood Reporter for the info!) |
 CYF and Jodie, smouldering at the official site. |
ReviewsCritical reviews so far have been mixed, I'm sorry to say. Several critics have derogated the glacial pacing of the film, while mostly commenting positively on CYF & Foster. You can read several of the reviews at CYF In Depth. On the other hand, fans have loved it, as I did! The AATK Fan Reviews page is on the whole HUGELY positive.I'm no longer accepting ratings in the old format, but if you're interested, please do Add a CYF Fan Film Review! |
 CYF with elephant. Pic from the Official AATK Site. |
 CYF and Jodie Foster in AATK. |
The rumours? Having made the move to Malaysia, the lavish sets and fabulous costumes of ANNA AND THE KING drew a flood of media attention throughout the filming in 1999. Excerpts from Ain't-It-Cool News and Dark Horizons, along with articles from the Asian press, may be browsed at my CYF media archive (esp. check the articles for March-May 99). |
 Pic of CYF from the Official AATK Site. Whoohoo! |
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