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Anna and the King (Full-Screen Edition)

Anna and the King (Full-Screen Edition)

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $13.48
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good.
Review: I don't like the way this movie ends. It changes its point of view. At first we follow Anna's moves. And in the end, it was the Prince's 1st person monologue. I don't like it. I felt uncomfortable. It's the way of story telling is unnatural.

Chow Yun-Fat's Thai is too slow. Everyone around him speaks slow Thai. I guess many of the cast are not Thai actually. A native Thai told me he couldn't comprehend what they were talking.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fit For A King!
Review: Anna & The King is such a wonderful movie. The details are authentic and the acting superb. Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat have wonderful chemistry. The story is true, and I found that the movie was very accurate to historical details. The story was extremely touching and I recommend this video to anyone!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Romantic and Sad.
Review: I can't really compare and contrast with the other two orthreemovies with almost the same title and same story as I have never seen them. All I can tell you is that this movie is a love story that we've all been craving ever since scary movies came into play. It's the story of a young English woman who is sent to Siam to teach the King's children. At once she is considered controversal and disobedient, stirring everything up every place she goes. But the King, amazingly, allows her to keep her ideas and even agrees with her. (Imagine that!) ...

A really nice story.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Beautiful and Timeless
Review: This is a wonderful love story, no...a gorgeously photographed historical epic, no...a timeless tale of honor and bravery and the fight for freedom amidst turmoil and social pressures.

I was drawn into the story slowly, rooting for the spunky British widow as she faces new challenges, relating to the king as he attempts to work change in an ancient culture. Both, on the surface, seem headed for disappointment--and, indeed, they do go through their own crucibles of faith--but their inner resolve and growing attraction to eachother spur them forward, spur them to eventual realization of their dreams, in part.

Chow Yun-Fat blew me away with his soft-handed portrayal of a king trying to make the turn into a new era. He continually struggles with his duties, his expectations, and his genuine desire to bring peace and change. He portrays the necessary strength of a king while drawing us in with his heartwarming character. A subtly superb job of acting.

Jodie Foster, a favorite of mine from childhood, also pulls off her role as British school marm and widow. At times, I found myself so aware of her intense acting ability that I was momentarily reminded that this was all an act. She's that good--and for that reason, I felt she stylized a shade too much at points. But what can I say? She's amazing.

The photography alone could make this film worth seeing, but it beats with a human heart and it speaks of values and lessons that are as timeless as...well, as ancient Siam. Without pulling punches, without taming the tragedies, Tennant directs this movie straight at your heart and mind. And he connects.

This movie is worth every one of its 127 minutes.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: When will they learn .....
Review: OK widescreen lovers, time to jump all over this review. This was a passable movie and I probably would have bought the DVD. However I have learned that the aspect ratio is 2.35:1 widescreen. I can tolerate the 1.85:1 but I have to like a movie a lot before buying something which wastes half my TV screen.

When are they going to stop forcing this ridiculous format down our throats and give us a choice of ratios? You know darn well they are producing a 1.33:1 version for VHS so it's out there. I don't quibble with those who want to see the movie "as the director intended" and there was some beautiful scenery which would suffer in a pan-and-scan format. However I don't think any director intended us to have to watch their production at the size offered by most TV's (under 54" projections) anyway.

Give us a choice! The producers are jumping the gun on the available TV technology. By the time the 16x9 TV's are out in any numbers, the DVD as we know it may be obsolete!

I don't know about you, but for any "good" movie, the aspect ratio(s) offered are a deciding factor for me - scratch this one off my list.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Boring spectacle/dull romance.
Review: This is the fifth incarnation of this story (three have been produced within the last few years - the first two being truly dreadful animated films) and for the life of me I can't understand why film makers think this story so fascinating they have to cram endless versions into our gullets. Of the three live action versions this is the least satisfying. There is no tension between our protagonists - they get along famously from the start. We are subjected to two and a half hours of boredom amid lush photography and deservedly Academy Award nominated Art Direction and Costume Design. This is one where you go out humming the sets. Stick with the original Dunne/Harrison version of the classic R&H version with Kerr/Brynner.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Loved It! Loves stories don't get much better than this.
Review: Ignore the critics and see for yourself what a wonderful, truly lovely story and movie this really was. Set against the backdrop of what is now Thailand, this beautiful story unfolds of star-crossed lovers whose sheer passion, respect, and admiration for each and their inability to display it makes this story all the more compelling. A must see for any true romantic!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Anna & the King
Review: How typical. Hollywood, or rather, the public has never embraced a film with a cohesive plot, and it doesn't surprise me that Anna & the King, a film version of the popular musical, was a box office failure. Despite the fact that it was overlooked in the big screen, Anna & the King is one of the best films I have seen in a while.

Jodie Foster's portrayal of Anna is admirable -- I couldn't have chosen a better leading actress for the role. Also, I enjoyed Chow Yon-Fat's performance as the king; he is very gifted and charming. Foster and Yon-Fat have very strong chemistry, although some people have said that they don't. I like the nineteenth century backdrop of the film; it is done beautifully. I also like the political and cultural issue -- I enjoy films with an intelligent dialogue. I have never seen the musical, which means that I cannot make a comparison.

As I've already mentioned, the public has never embraced an intelligent film, which saddens me. If you're into artsy films, rent Anna & the King.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: So-So
Review: Very grand, very beautiful. Historically inaccurate. Thai-language skills are horrible. Chow Yun Fat doesn't even look Thai.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Anna and King
Review: Brilliant. The plots and pictures are close to perfect except the fact that the real palace looks better than in the movie, and the ship looks better than the ship in the movie. As a Thai citizen, it should be better if people in the movie could speak Thai better since there are some words which I still do not understand even it is my language. I would have to say that Chow Yun Fat is very successful in this movie. The costume is great( almost close to the real costume during that time period). Jodie Foster is doing fine. However, I thought the movie is exaggerating the realities about the love between King and Anna just because during that time a few British came to my country. British people look strange to Thai people, so I do not believe that much in love plot which probably makes the movie a bit more interesting. This is the best movie I have seen in this year!....and it should be considered the best movie. Another good movie is Broken Palace. The movie is also about Thailand. Both of them are in the same rating.


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