Rating: 
Summary: A winner for the heart.
Review: This movie is spectacular in every way. At the theater I was blown away with the lavishness and constant eye-candy of the sets and scenery. I can hardly wait for the DVD, to help re-create some of the magic of the big screen. I am a lifetime fan of the original musical "The King and I" and once even saw Yul Brenner do the stage play in person. A magical experience -- so I went into the theater thinking it might be a poor imitation, but it wasn't! A completely different kind of movie, with a wonderful, believable performance by Chow Yun-Fat, speaking of eye-candy. Jodie Foster brought the passion and bravery of Anna to life -- and though it only contains elements of truth; it is a charming, sometimes breathtaking fantasy worthy of some of the most lavish productions of Hollywood days gone by. If you love beauty, passion, and a rollercoaster ride of laughter to tears and back again -- you'll love this movie!
Rating: 
Summary: The Sound of Music, without the songs
Review: It's a mistake to think of this film as a remake of "The King and I" better to remember that both films are based loosely on the same original source. This film does not attempt to stick slavishly to the truth which is not necessarily a bad thing as this is supposed to be entertainment and not documentary. The film is set in late 19th century Thailand and tells the tale of Anna (Foster) and King Mongkut (Chow). The King employs Anna to act as a tutor to the younger members of his vast family. The films centres around people coming to terms with new things. Anna is confronted by Thailand and the King's court and family. The members of those two groups have to find a way to deal with Anna and finally of course Anna and the King must come to terms with each other. All of this coming to terms takes place amidst the gorgeous setting of 19th century Thailand and is intertwined with many palace intrigues. The setting makes the film great to watch and the majority of the movie is well paced and slickly put together. Watching the film, I got the idea that the director must have been a big fan of the film "The Sound of Music" it has much the same feel. The acting is good especially considering the difficulty of portraying characters in costume dramas. The biggest problem that this film has is that, somehow, it must reach a conclusion. The closing section deteriorates into something approaching slapstick. It will fail to convince any but the most unsophisticated audiences and was a most unsatisfactory way to end the film. The film is OK but it is not destined to become a classic.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie to collect
Review: This movie though did not made a hit in the US box office, but in February 2000, it already broke US100 millions in world wide box office, it was well received by the rest of the world. I had a reveiw written earlier at this section. Now I would like to add that after I went to see the actual film location in ClearWater Santuarty in Ipoh, Malaysia. That was the location which the filming went on for 2 months in the world largest single movie set. It was great to see that actual set with so much effort put into the set. Even with some of the thing is falling apart but the set gave you breath-taking impression, it was so great, just like the movie itself. I went to the set 3 times with my students, friends and relatives and they all love it, luckily the set now is on the process of restoration. Yet the palace temple set was gone due to technical problem, so we could only see it from the movie. I had bought the original VCD of this movie, it was so excellent! You get to see the detail to the sets and gestures of all the actors and actresses. From the VCD collection, you can clearly see the chemistry between Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat, you have to watch carefully because they acted so naturally that you might missed the small gestures they made. They and all the supporting actors and actresses from Malaysia looked great together. Last Dec., the current Thai Queen had officially made statesment that she had no objection to this movie only two parts needed minor editing, a contrast to the Thai government officers. The King newphew was surprised that this movie even bowed down to made the King Mongkut as a hero, he knew that no Thai officers dare to step forward to clarigy this. I had the original production script which shown that after the 5th editing in Thailand, they further edited at least 3 times of this script which clearly giving more depth to this movie. As a Malaysian with a grandmother from Thailand, I found this movie had a good social and cultural content. I am looking forward to collect the DVD version.
Rating:
Summary: National Geographic would be proud.
Review: People have told me that nothing happens in the first 3/4 of Anna and the King. However, they are missing the point. A whole lot happens, however, it is not about guns, wars or sex. What happens is that you are whisked away into another world, another era and you are given an opportunity to see the Regal Siam before it became Seedy Thailand. The point of view of this movie is taken from the main female lead, Anna Leonowens, whose novel the movie is based upon. She is a typically portrayed Englishwoman in the 1800's (read: repressed, stiff upper lipped etc) who has left India with her son, Louis and her two Indian servants. She accepts a job offer from the King of Siam to teach his future heir the ways of the western world, as well as his 57 other children and a few of his wives and concubines as well. Along the way, not only does she teach the children, but also teaches the king about civilized life (which does not include 26 wives or slavery). This conflict leads to the start of a underlying romance. That is one of the two main plots. The other main plot revolves around skirmishes between Siam and mysterious Burmese forces who are backed by the British. The kingdom is in potential peril and things start getting more intense as the movie draws to it's conclusion. There is also a subplot. Tuptin, the Kings newest concubine (he has like 58 of them), has been purchased from her father, who is a Tea Merchant. However, Tuptin has already been in love with another man who is her soulmate. She is torn between service to her King and being with the man whom she really cares for. The first major plotline works well. While teaching the children, we see through Anna's eye's the majesty and tranquility of the Siamese landscape and their rich customs. I was intrigued and felt like I was whisked away to another place and time. The Subplot also works very well in its tragedy. We begin feeling for the hopelessness that Tuptin (played beautifully by Bai Ling of Wild Wild West fame) feels when she realizes that the king will never let her go and the desperate move she makes to resolve her inner turmoil. The war plot does not work well. The outcome of the nature of the conflict is disappointing to say the least and becomes burdonsome to the plot of the movie. Andy Tennant, who is a Romantic Director at heart (his other 2 movies Ever After and Fools Rush In are wildly romantic GenX affairs) is poor at handling complex war plotlines. Jodie Foster does a good job (she is a completely reliable actress) as the repressed teacher and she has this underlying sexual tension (never realized) with the King who, under his maschoistic society culturalism, secretly admires Anna. And it is Chow-Yun Fat who steals the show (with Bai Ling). He is so very regal and I wouldn't be suprised if he ever becomes King of a small South Asian Monarchy. He has that much charisma. So, I recommend renting Anna and the King before you purchase it. You will like the first 3/4 (where nothing supposidly happens), but will probably be disappointing at the end, when this war thing is thrown into the plot to liven things up....Rating: B-
Rating:
Summary: Original!
Review: I love this movie! This is a movie rich in the Thai culture. It also portrays the olden Asian culture really well, with men always the better of women and men could have more than one wife. The King had hired an English woman to be the governess of his many children. Anna went to Siam with her young son, but not forgetting to bring her western ideas along. The King, an autocratic figure respected by all, of course, could not accept the different ideas brought in by Anna. There was really a clash of cultures between the two parties but somehow they could compromise with each other. Chow Yun Fat has played the role of the King very well! This movie hooked me to the television screen for the whole length of it. It will make you feel all kinds of emotions like sadness, happiness, anger and you will certainly be touched in certain parts. Overall, a brillant movie for all!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Attention To Detail
Review: My wife and I thought the film was very well done. The scenery transports the viewer into an exotic time and place. Details left out of the musical are filled in. Ms. Foster does an admirable job, and seems to enjoy her part. It made me curious about Siam and the circumstances that caused Anna to want to come there.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating story of history, societal change, love.
Review: As a younger person who's missed many of the "older" movies (like "The King and I") I can only see movies for the works they are -- I do not have older works in my repertoire through which to compare, contrast and filter my viewing experience. Having just viewed Anna & the King both in letterbox and cropped views (I prefer letterbox, though smaller on a screen, the camera work and screenplay are absolutely stunning, and missing these outer details does detract from the mood of the picture), I greatly enjoyed the storyline, the actors, and the cinematography. Admittedly Jodie Foster's English accent is a bit forced, but I commend her ability to retain it consistently throughout the picture (as opposed to some actors who've been unable to do so, regardless, they did receive outstanding reviews for their performance, nonnative accent notwithstanding). I felt Jodie's portrayal as being prim and well-educated was very accurate given the time period -- what is considered acceptable today would have been considered absolutely abhorrent in Anna's time. We seem to forget that so many things considered perfectly fine today, simply weren't done in the mid-1800's, particularly in the ultra-traditionalized societies like those of England and Siam (to name two). American attitudes have been long considered far fringe by non-Western societies around the world, both then and today. I found the choice of actors for Siam characters to be appropriate and believable. The character portrayals were deep and true. I felt as though I was watching people, getting to know them, not watching actors playing roles. The transitions of time and space were effective and I didn't find myself yearning for "missed pieces." The love story caught me by surprise. I found it deeply moving and the tension between Anna, and the King, and the careful play of the King's other wives, to be wonderful. I strained to hear every word and catch every expression. I appreciated the dialog and found the scenes well-written, appropriately succinct and yet adequately played to offer a "newcomer" like me an appreciation of the many issues which underlay the story. This movie tugged at my heartstrings, as I watched these people and families grow and come to love together, and I was moved to tears repeatedly. Watching a deep love grow between Anna and the King, a love borne of respect and intelligence and attraction, watching them balance their societal dictates with the concerns of country, politics and their feelings for one another -- and of course all those beautiful children -- was like watching a gentle dance of butterflies on a summer's breeze. I felt it was beautifully written and beautifully played. I give it a "thumbs up" for the actors, directorship, costuming and cinematography. Definitely a movie worth seeing!
Rating:
Summary: wonderful
Review: When I got this I really wasn't expecting much. I have seen the King and I so many times I thought Anna and the King would be just like that without music. Let me tell you it is so much better. Chow Yun-Fat's preformace is really outstanding and Jodie Foster is great. What really makes the movie is the chemisty between them. It is just such a romantic movie. The cinamotography was really exceptional as well. This movie is well worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: A vapid remake of The King and I
Review: Jodie Foster seems like an intelligent woman. That's why I can't understand why she agreed to star in this vapid remake of The King and I. The producers tried hard to give it a modern twist. They even cast Hong Kong star Chow Yun-Fat as the King in an effort to be politically correct and give this role to an Asian. Alas, though, the ghosts of Yul Brenner and Deborah Kerr haunt this production. The King and I is just too ingrained in the public consciousness. Most of all, I missed the songs, and found their melodies playing in my mind throughout. We all know the story. Anna, a proper Englishwoman, comes to Siam to tutor the King's children in 1862. Supposedly this is based on fact, but I understand that the Thai government has never permitted any of the versions of this story to be shown in Thailand and, especially in this version, the history seems too far-fetched to be true. As all movies tend to reflect the times in which they are made, this version introduces the concept of colonial oppression, and in several scenes portray the British as pompous colonialists. There are also atrocities by the Burmese and a war that is generated by a traitor general who wants to depose the King. However, although there are some spectacular scenes of the palace, we never really gain any real insights into the culture of the Siamese people from their own point of view. Basically, though, the story is a romance. And it fails here too. Jodie Foster plays Anna a bit too prim, and her British accent seems forced. Chow Yun-Fat is handsome, but lacks the energy of Yul Brenner, and the sexual tension between Anna and the King just doesn't sizzle. Some of the conversations between the characters are much too long and I found myself either looking at the clock or actually dozing off. This video just doesn't make it. My advice is to save your money, and buy The King and I instead.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, touching movie
Review: I thought that this movie was absolutely magnificent...The ending made me cry, and I enjoyed watching how a powerful love affair develops between two very different people. I saw the movie three times and I will definitely see it again. The movie displays beautiful scenery, architecture, and costume design. The acting in the movie is powerful and moving. I have never seen a more touching film. It captivated me the entire 147 minutes.
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