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Anna and the King (Full-Screen Edition)

Anna and the King (Full-Screen Edition)

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This movie was SUPERB!!!
Review: "Anna and The King" is a wonderful movie filled with heart and soul. Especially if you have watched, "The King and I" and have fallen in love with the way the king says "etc, etc, etc...", you will definitely fall in love with this movie as well.
Jodie Foster looks beautiful in her English gown and Chow-Yun Fat and the rest of the crew looks absolutely brilliant in the Siamese outfits.
The scenes shot in Malaysia are breath-taking and it makes you want to visit the country, itself.
The search for the white elephant at the end of the movie with the kids of the king is very inspiring.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Absolutely wonderful!
Review: Unbelievable that this film did not receive the glory due. The story is presented beautifully touching on many aspects that I was not previously aware of. The costumes, cinematography, the lavish & tropical sets, the cast -- all extraordinary. I definitely thought this to be one of the all-time feel-good movies. It was also surprising to find that Thailand banned the film. I thought the director presented it in the most respective of manners showing great strength and strength of character in its king. It is uncanny to dismiss the fact that a woman may have had influence on a man, king or not. Ultimately, the king made his own choices as clearly seen in the film. Does it show lack of strength that a man, already with so many wives, could find love in another? This movie will be watched time and again at our home.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: See the Original...
Review: Although the romantic star power of this version of the film has it merits, the original is so much better. I am not a big "old movie" buff and generally tend to like modern movies better than the classics, but this is one exception. The older version lacks the extreme sexual chemistry that was found between Chow Yun Fat (who oozes sensuality) and Jodie Foster, but there are so many more details and interactions that show the relationship and draw you into it. You grow with the relationship in a slow natural way as opposed to the new version which seems to start the "relationship" from day one. Anna's influential roll in the politics of Siam and the day to day life of the women and children is much more evident in the older version. Anyway, see them both, but definately see the older version. You will appreciate the story even more.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not authentic
Review: An excellent story, well told but there were almost no Thai/Siamese people in the cast. Another example of arrogant producers assuming that an audience can not tell the difference between races of people or that they do not care. A scan of the cast list, reveals that most of the cast were in fact Chinese. Does it matter? Yes, to me it does, when I watch a movie about Thailand, I expect to see Thai people, little wonder that the movie was not a hit in Thailand, I imagine that they are insulted by it. I was surprised by Jodie Foster in this role, I have always liked her but never imagined her as an English woman, she was most convincing.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Anna And The King
Review: I am a big movie buff, I have seen a lot of films and i enjoy sharing my thoughts about them with other internet users.Some of my favourite movies include, Bridget Jones's Diary with Rennee Zellwegger, Happy Texas, Erin Brokoviche, The Silence of the lambs (with Hannibal Lecter portrayed masterfully by British actor Sir Anthony Hopkins) and Anna and the King. This is also the film that i am writing this review about. Jodie Foster takes the lead role in this true story about a British women employed by the King of Siam (now Thialand) to tutor his children (of which he has over 100!)in the process, they fall in love but do not realise it.The film, set in around about 1860, is acted wonderfully by Foster (Anna Leonowens) and Chow Yun Fat (King of Siam)and it really makes you feel like you are there in-amoungst the people of Siam. The story of Anna has benn acted out many times before (The King and I, Anna and the king of Siam...) But in my opinion none of them match up to Foster's and Fat's breathtaking performance. I would rate this film 5/5. If you have'nt seen then i would strongly recomend it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: fine costume drama
Review: Jodie Foster plays prim English schoolteacher Anna Leonowens in this new version of ANNA AND THE KING, gamely directed by Andy Tennant.

Foster handles the English accent as best she can, although other actresses, perhaps Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham-Carter, Kate Winslet and even Jennifer Ehle could have taken on the role marvellously. But, all misgivings aside, Foster gives a highly emotional and touching performance.

Chow Yun-Fat is marvellous as King Mongkut. Though a little too soft in his portrayal, he is far more likable than Rex Harrison in the 1946 version.

Bai Ling is also heart-wrenching, as the tragic Tuptim, she at first seems distant and cold, but then does a complete 360 and gives us a clear, emotive performance.

The huge, grand-scale sets and costumes serve the production well. In the tradition of the old-time classic epics, ANNA AND THE KING is a sumptuous feast for the ear and eye.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: a "box-office failure" indeed
Review: What can one say about this pretty but slushy, mushy film. Hmmm..it's boring, Jodie Foster was miscast, people reacted to this film when it was released in the theatres just like Superman reacts to Kryptonite.

I watched this film with an open mind; I realised that it was not the usaual action-packed Chow Yun Fat flick but this was beyond painful..

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Romancing the King Only Work for Anna
Review: Chow Yun-fat's performance is good. Judi Foster is OK. But the best I like Anna and the King is the cinematography. Most of the film was shot in Malaysia, especially in Penang. The locations are stunning.

The story is well-known and as such lost much of its power. It fails to be an epic (perhaps Thailand is never a big country and as such is not suitable background for an epic). It is more serious film that its forerunner - The King and I. But by pretending to be more realistic, it only turns out again as another westerner's look of an Asian country and its people to satisfy his ego.

I gave it half a star on top of three, mainly because the film is a product of many people's hard work and it is a big-budget film which serves as an entertaining Hollywood product with adequate excitement and romance for both sexes.

I hope Hollywood can give a less stereotype role for Chow. For Judie, her acting as an English lady is hardly believable. But I must admit that she did put a lot of work and sincerity in the role. This gives her lots of credit. But I prefer she acting as American FBI agent like Silence of the Lamb or a streetgirl in Martin Scorceses's Taxi Driver. These are her most memorable roles.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: Until the climax of the film I thought this was one of the best movies to come out in a long time. Unfortunately, the corny plot ruins the movie from becoming a great one. Jodie Foster is incredibly boring as Anna though Chow Yun Fat is amazing as King Mongkut. Beautiful cinematography and intense score.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent DVD to collect
Review: I have just watched this Region 1 DVD two days ago, it had so much extra things that you can't enjoy in the normal cinema. The view is superb! The Director Commentary was excellent, he told you how exactly the whole movie was made in each scenes, very interesting to hear him tell you how he filmed it, and the honost review of some historical facts of this movie, and some funny incidents too, such as Jodie slipped down in one part. He also mentioned a lot of Jodie Foster's contribution to this movie.

Get to see the interviews of Jodie and Chow Yun-Fat, the two amasing stars of this movie. The special introduction to production and custome design, where the Oscar Nominated actually did justified on the two most important extra element of this movie.

The deleted scenes were wonderful to watch, anyway, I think Jodie Fans would be interested to watch for the first time Jodie acted an old age lady. Chow Yun-Fat fans would love to watch more of the charming king.

For those who do not want to listen to the Thai, only in this DVD Region 1 collection, you have a choice to select only English to view the movie. Watch out on the DVD you get, in other regions DVD of this movie did not have all the extra features that I had mention, nor any of the pirated DVD would have that extra features too. Get the Region 1 "Anna and the King" DVD for your collection.


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