Title: Anna and the King

Director: Andy Tennant

Synopsis:
Anna Leonowens (Jodie Foster is a British widow who has come to Siam with her son Louis
(Tom Felton) to teach English to the dozens of children of King Mongkut (Chow Yun-fat). She is a
strong-willed, intelligent woman, and this pleases the King, who wants to modernize his country to
keep it safe from the threat of colonialism, while protecting many of the ancient traditions that give
Siam its unique identity. The King and Anna discuss the differences between Eastern and Western
love, and the King dismisses the notion that a man can be happy with only one wife. In order to win
the favors of Britain, the King orders a sumptuous reception and delegates Anna to organize it.
During the reception, the King verbally spars graciously and wittily with Sir Kincaid (Bill Stewart),
of the East India Company, who accuses Siam of being a superstitious nation. At the end of the
reception, the King dances with Anna.
Anna is enchanted by the royal children, particularly Princess Fa-Ying (Melissa Campbell).
The little girl identifies with the spirit of the playful monkeys who live in the trees of the royal
garden. When she suddenly takes ill of cholera, Anna is summoned to her chambers to say goodbye.
She gets there just as Fa-ying dies in Mongkut's hands, and the two mourn together. Sometime later,
when the King finds that one of the monkeys has "borrowed" his glasses, as his daughter used to do,
he is comforted by his belief in reincarnation and the idea that Fa-ying may be reborn as one of her
beloved animals. Lady Tuptim (Bai Ling), the King's new favorite concubine, was already engaged
to marry another man, Khun Phra Balat (Sean Ghazi), when brought to the court. The King is kind
to her, but she is unhappy and at last runs away, disguising herself as a young man and joining the
monastery where her former fianc lives. She is tracked down and brought back to the palace,
imprisoned, and initially caned along with her Balat. However, because of Anna's outburst during
this incident, Tuptim and Balat are beheaded in front of the entire court, in order to save face.
The political aspects of the story are completely fictional: Siam is under siege from what
appears to be a British-funded coup d'tat against King Mongkut, using Burmese soldiers. Mongkut
sends out his brother Prince Chaofa (Kay Siu Lim) and his military advisor General Alak (Randall
Duk Kim) to investigate. However, it turns out that Alak is the man behind the coup and he turns on
and kills Chaofa. He then flees Siam into Burma where he summons and readies his troops to invade
Siam and kill the King and his children. With Anna's help, the King manages to hide his children
and his wives in a safe place, then he goes with the few soldiers he has to face Alak. The King and
soldiers place high explosives on a wooden bridge high above a canyon floor, as Alak and his army
approaches. The King orders his "army" to stay back and rides to the bridge with only two soldiers.
Alak, in front of his army, confronts the King on the bridge.
Anna and Louis then orchestrate a brilliant deception from their hiding spot in the forest:
Louis uses his horn to replicate the sound of a bugle charge, as Anna "attacks" the area with
harmless fireworks. The ploy works as the Burmese, believing the King has brought British soldiers,
retreat in a panic. Alak attempts to recall them, but his efforts prove to be futile. Alak stands alone,
but the King refuses to kill him, saying that Alak shall have to live with his shame. As the King

turns to ride back to Siam, Alak picks up a gun and aims at the King, but the explosives are
detonated, blowing the bridge to pieces, and Alak along with it.
At the end of the film, the King has one last dance with Anna and realizes that it is conceivable for
one man to be pleased by only one woman. Anna returns to England with Louis. The King's son
takes over, and abolishes slavery.
Review:
It was a great movie! You will want to see it again and again, to re-live the happy feelings you
experienced walking out of this movie. It is a pure movie with a great cast. If you can handle the
scene where it is implied that two lovers get beheaded. Anna and the King transcend being a
predictable, traditional love story by avoiding mawkishness. It shows a seduction of intelligence.
Ever mindful of each other's positions, Anna and King Mongkut negotiate a maze of social customs,
conflicting world views and lost loved ones to connect on a level that ultimately proves deeply
satisfying, if not achingly bittersweet.
In the end you feel like you've been taken on a pleasing, professionally run tourist trip that
let you enjoy the sights without ever really inhabiting the land