Anna and the King

1999 2h 28m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

🥫

52%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 840🥫52%Rotten Tomatoes●56Metacritic★6.7IMDB · 40,005

DramaRomanceHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The story of the romance between the King of Siam (now Thailand) and the widowed British school teacher Anna Leonowens during the 1860s. Anna teaches the children and becomes romanced by the King. She convinces him that a man can be loved by just one woman.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Jodie Foster
Anna
Chow Yun-Fat
King Mongkut
Bai Ling
Tuptim
Tom Felton
Louis
Syed Alwi
The Kralahome
Randall Duk Kim
General Alak
Lim Kay Siu
Prince Chowfa
Melissa Campbell
Princess Fa-Ying

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andy Tennant
Writers: Steve Meerson, Peter Krikes
Languages: Mandarin, Spanish, English, Thai
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $75M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Mandarin, Spanish, English, Thai.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Andy Tennant, shot by Caleb Deschanel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by George Fenton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Roger Bondelli shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat and Bai Ling carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0166485 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andy Tennant directs. Caleb Deschanel behind the camera. George Fenton scores. Roger Bondelli cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Mandarin, Spanish, English, Thai.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $75M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
227 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Mandarin, Spanish, English, Thai.
4Directed by Andy Tennant, shot by Caleb Deschanel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by George Fenton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Roger Bondelli shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat and Bai Ling carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0166485 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 16 themes, including "daughter", "death penalty", "civil war", "parent child relationship".

The technical file

Cinematography: Caleb Deschanel
Original score: George Fenton
Editing: Roger Bondelli
Production design: Luciana Arrighi
Costume design: Jenny Beavan
Makeup / hair: Jo Ho
Runtime: 148 min · 2h 28m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $75,000,000
Box office: $113,996,937
Return: 152% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Anna and the King (1999)
Rotten Tomatoes: 52% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 56/100
IMDB rating: 6.7/10 · 40,005 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 14 nominations total

Also by

Andy Tennant

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-08-28
★ 6/10
This is a great looking film; the beautiful photography (Malaysia not Thailand) is stunning and George Fenton's sympathetic score helps create a stylish setting for this retelling of the story about an English widow - played here by Jodie Foster - who takes up a position as governess to the children (and wives) of King Mongkut of Siam (Chow Yun-Fat). This story departs pretty drastically from the original text and turns into more of a sentimental love story tempered by treasonous activities from within the King's extended family. The principle performances are both gentle and sensitive, though Jodie Foster's accent is a little forced, and Bill Stewart puts in a good effort as the dodgy British trader "Mycroft Kincaid". It is just too far removed from the original for me, but I'd watch it again....

Production companies