Anna and the King
From Free net encyclopedia
{{Infobox Film
|name = Anna and the King
|image = Annaandtheking.jpg
|director = Andy Tennant
|writer = Steve Meerson
Peter Krikes
|starring = Chow Yun-Fat
Jodie Foster
Bai Ling
Tom Felton
|producer = Lawrence Bender
Ed Elbert
|distributor= 20th Century Fox
|budget = $75,000,000
|released= 6 December 1999 (Malaysian Premiere)
|runtime = 148 min.
|language = English / Thai / French
|imdb_id = 0166485
|}}
Anna and the King is a 1999 motion picture loosely based on the true story of Anna Leonowens, who was an English schoolteacher in Siam, now Thailand, in the 19th century. The picture is a remake of the classic musical Anna and the King of Siam, but differs in many respects from that and also from the related musical, The King and I.
The film was directed by Andy Tennant and stars Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat. It was an Academy Award nominee in 2000 for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.
The film implies a much larger role in the development of the Thai nation than Anna Leonowens ever claimed for herself. Even more controversially, it suggests a romance between Anna and the king. The movie is forbidden to be shown in Thailand because of its "inappropriate" portrayal of the king. The movie was filmed in Malaysia for the same reason.