Anna and the King

Pros: If Chow Yun-Fat made an instructional video about flossing, I'd watch it!
Cons: Jody Foster as "The Wood Princess"

After seeing 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', I want to know where the line forms to wash Chow Yun-Fat's socks. Seriously. In fact, I kept up such a running commentary about his acting ability after seeing it that a friend took pity on me, and told me...

Pros: subtle romance, beautiful setting and costume design
Cons: the romance does not develop

Jodie Foster is one of my favorite actresses, so I am quite surprised that it has taken me this long to actually watch Anna and the King. Usually I will immediately go and see the movies, starring my favorite actors, when they come out in...

Pros: lush photography, more realism, good performances
Cons: emasculated fairy tale, muddy plot, factual errors galore

Anna and the King is a beautifully shot $117 million boat anchor that grossed $39 million domestically. It did better overseas, but still fell $4 million shy of the border between red ink and black. That, by itself, doesn't mean it was a dud. But it ...

Pros: Captivating scenery,strong performances,well developed plot
Cons: Movie was a bit longer than necessary

The tendency upon viewing this movie is to compare it to the classic musical "The King and I." Both versions are based on the stories of Anna Leonowens, "The English Governess at the Court of Siam" and "The Romance of the Harem", both of which were...

Pros: see below
Cons: see below

Before I say anything else, I want to tell you one important thing about this movie. Anna and the King ranks right up there with Titanic. In my book, that is a great honor for a movie to be there.

The movie opens with Anna sitting...

Pros: Chow Yun-Fat=Yowza!
Cons: Creaky, bloated, self-important--you know, just another Hollywood epic

To paraphrase Yul Brynner, there’s a lot of et cetera, et cetera in Anna and the King, the lavish epic that tells the same story as Brynner’s 1956 musical The King and I…which, in turn, was a remake of the 1946 Anna and the King with...

Pros: It is a well done remake of an old favorite with a different twist.
Cons: Can' t think of any

I first met" Anna and the King of Siam" in 1946, I was on my first date with the man I would later marry. The movie played at the old Palace theater in Cleveland, Ohio. In those days a live vaudeville type act would perform before the...

Pros: Powerful acting, brilliant script and direction
Cons: nothing

Outside of the dominating musical context of its predecessors, Anna and the King makes a powerful statement in a sensitive, believable story, thanks to brilliant script and direction, and the two magnificent performances of Jodie Foster as Anna...

Pros: Good scenery, Good story
Cons: Does not flow smoothly, graphic beating of a woman

This movie was about how people from one culture often feel superior over people from other cultures. A good theme considering the turmoil in this country over how much involvement the U.S. should have in other countries affairs.

This movie...

Pros: John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat--two iconic figures
Cons: Each movie has its problems

M:I-2-**** (out of five)
Anna and the King-*** (out of five)

With mixed success, director John Woo and actor Chow ("Brother Chow") Yun-Fat, collaborators on the Hong Kong shoot-'em-ups A Better Tomorrow, A Better...

Pros: Elaborate, authentic sets, Chow Yun Fat believable as a Thai King.
Cons: The myth goes on. Hollywood should tell the other side of this story.

Perhaps I should state right up front that I have an axe to grind when it comes to this movie (and ALL previous versions of it). My Dad took a 2 year teaching contract in Bangkok, and we arrived there in October of 1956, a matter of weeks after the Yul...

Pros: Beautiful movie, great acting!
Cons: Some violent scenes

"Anna and the King" is a wonderful movie that has something for everyone. I liked it because of the love story. My mom liked it because of the scenery and costumes. My husband liked it because of the message about social reform, and my sister...

Pros: Lush sets and costumes, gorgeous scenery
Cons: Could have benefited from some judicious editing. Lame script and way too long

Has there ever been a story that's spawned so many creative interpretations as that of the widowed English schoolteacher, Anna Leonowens, and her friendship? romance? strategic alliance? with Mongkut, the King of Siam? Starting with the 1946 black and...

Pros: Exciting and beautiful film
Cons: None

I have nothing against musicals, but I was looking forward to seeing this story as a film and not a musical. This is the story as told through Anna's memoirs, and since I'm more of a non-fiction fan, I wanted to see more of her story. It tells the story...

Pros: The scenery and Chow-Yun Fat's excellent acting
Cons: The war plot to "liven" things up backfires

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...