Anna and the King (US)

8 / 10
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"…Filled with grandeur, excitement and deep, uplifting romance!" -NBC TV
Certificate: PG-13
Running Time: 147 mins
Retail Price: $26.98
Release Date:

Synopsis:
Academy Award winner Jodie Foster and international action star Chow Yun-Fat bring to life the epic true story of a woman who challenged the heart of a king and inspired the destiny of a nation.

English schoolteacher Anna Leonowens has traveled to Siam to educate the fifty-eight children of King Mongkut. If she has preconceived notions about the East, the King has similar notions about the West. But amid the danger of growing political unrest, their respect for each other slowly turns into something more.

Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Commentary By Director Andy Tennant
Five Featurettes
Television Special
Six Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer
Music Video "How Can I Not Love You" By Joy Enriquez

Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 English
Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 French

Subtitle Tracks:
English
Spanish
CC: English

Directed By:
Andy Tennant

Written By:



Starring:
Randall Duk Kim
Syed Alwi
Tom Felton
Ling Bai
Yun-Fat Chow
Jodie Foster

Casting By:
Priscilla John

Soundtrack By:
George Fenton

Director of Photography:
Caleb Deschanel

Editor:
Tracey Wadmore-Smith
Roger Bondelli

Costume Designer:
Jenny Beavan

Production Designer:
Luciana Arrighi

Producer:
Wink Mordaunt
Julie Kirkham
Jon J. Jashni
Ed Elbert
G. Mac Brown
Lawrence Bender
Eric Angelson

Executive Producer:
Terence Chang

Your Opinions and Comments

8 / 10
A nice remake of the familiar story. Correctly described as "east meets west and west meets east".
The acting is very well done (although I`m not sure just how English Jodie Foster`s accent was).
The video transfer is very good. The sceneries are amazing and the replicas of the king`s palace in Bangkok are really beautiful (and very accurate, actually). The picture is very well saturated, thus giving the viewer a glimpse of the rich culture of Siam.
The DD 5.1 soundtrack is very good. Eventhough there are not that many sound effects in the movie, the surrounds are used almost constantly and they give a very good enveloping sound.
The menus are all animated with sound.
The extras include some nice deleted scenes, an insightful commentary by the director, a music video (never heard that song until now, by the way) and some behind the scenes look (mind you, the entire palace in Bangkok is a huge 7 acre set that was built on a golf course).
Bottom line - a good movie with stunning visuals. Go for it.
posted by Zvi Josef on 9/12/2000 17:09