Call me uncultured, call me unrefined, call me what you will, I have not seen The King and I, and thus you will find no comparisons to that movie or any of the other three previous versions of this particular film. Below you will find my opinion of this 2 1/2 hour version of the memoirs of Anna Leonowens and her son Louis as they travel to Siam to tutor the king's sons and daughters along with bringing their own unique outlook on life to the king and surrounding people.

Starring Jodie Foster as Anna Leonowens, an English tutor summoned by King Mongkut (Chow Yun-Fat) to teach his eldest son the ways of the world, Anna and the King is both visually stunning and captivating. Anna learns that she must not only be the equal of men in Siam, but be the equal of the king to get what she wants. Upon arrival in Siam, she learns that not all of the arrangements have been made for her and she must do what she has been given, and instead of tutoring the king's eldest son, she must now teach all sixty plus of his kids in the way of the West. She must also learn the ways of Siam and the customs of the king. Anna and the King is more about Anna and the King's personal realizations of the world around them and their past, than it is on Anna's tutoring of his children and the King's leadership of his country.

Anna and the King is actually a pretty strong movie, that would be more appealing for an older, more refined audience featuring drama and romance in one. The one glaring problem with this film is that it tries to be more than it is. They tried to throw in some palace intrigue and action sequences and they just didn't fit in (and added considerably to the running time which was a bit long). The ending sequence with the bridge was drawn out and unnecessary - they could have ended the film in a few places which would have rounded out the film nicely.

Overall, Anna and the King was a decent film with spectacular views of Siam, almost making you want to go travel immediately (as did the preview for The Beach preceding this film). If the filmmakers had the foresight to cut the whole bit with the palace intrigue and ensuing battle, the movie would have been much better. Jodie Foster turns in a great performance and the role of the king seems to have been made for Chow Yun-Fat. The movie features an enjoyable tale of love and tribulations in Siam and presents it very elegantly. Had it been a bit shorter, it would have been that much better.

Genres: Romance, Drama
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 147 minutes
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