Anna and the King of Siam (1946)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

John Cromwell

Writers:

Talbot Jennings (screenplay) and
Sally Benson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 June 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance

Plot:

In 1862, a young Englishwoman becomes royal tutor in Siam and befriends the King.

Plot Keywords:

King | Siam | Bangkok | Widow | 1860s

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Irene Dunne	...	Anna Owens
Rex Harrison	...	King Mongkut
Linda Darnell	...	Tuptim
Lee J. Cobb	...	Kralahome
Gale Sondergaard	...	Lady Thiang
Mikhail Rasumny	...	Alak
Dennis Hoey	...	Sir Edward
Tito Renaldo	...	Prince (older)
Richard Lyon	...	Louis Owens

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:12 (re-rating) (2006) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:12 (re-rating) (2006) (cut) | UK:A (1946) (cut) | Netherlands:12 | Canada:G (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #11572, General Audience)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden - 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Like the similar film Anna and the King (1999), this film was banned in Thailand because of what the Thai government said were historical inaccuracies about the King of Siam.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In order to remind the King about his promise to give Anna a house of her own (to which the King continually refuses to honour) she leaves many reminders about his broken promise around the palace, in particular an English china cottage which has "made in England" on the underside and the inscription over the door of the cottage "Honor Thy Promise". In 1868 England (as today), 'honour' was not spelt "honor". Minor error, but a spelling mistake non-the-less.

Quotes:

Anna Owens: [Anna, thinking the king is a barbarian, is about to leave. The Kralahome has had her brought to his office at night to reason with her. She is outraged] How dare you treat me in this manner. I demand an explanation, and I warn you...
Kralahome: [Calmly] Be quiet, sir.
Anna Owens: ...that I'm a British subject.
Kralahome: That is nor reason you are safe. I could have you killed if that would serve my purpose. Such things are simple here.
[Walks across room]
Kralahome: Sir, did you enjoy your triumph about your house? Because you shall now enjoy greater triumph. I have something to ask of you. Not demand, but ask. It is that you shall Stay in Siam. You may enjoy yourself if you like, sir
Anna Owens: No matter what you ask, I wouldn't do it.
Kralahome: If you do not stay in Siam, where will you go?
Anna Owens: I don't know.
Kralahome: Have you other place to put your life?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Biography: Anna and the King: The Real Story of Anna Leonowens" (1999)

Fine Adaption of Classic

Very enjoyable tale of Governess teaching Siam Ruler's children, then butting heads with the deified king over issues of culture and custom.

Irene Dunne and Rex Harrison star, and they work well together, from the frosty start, to the begrudging respect into the romantic overtones that develop. Their chemistry is the key to holding the film together - and it works. The sets are marvelous, and the supporting cast (Gale Sondergaard, Lee J. Cobb [yes-I said Lee J. Cobb!] et al) are quite good.

There's been much ado about comparing this movie with THE KING AND I. Margaret Langdon did not write a musical about her experiences there, she wrote a book. Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote the musical, based on the book. The two are certainly two different entities, and should be based on their singular merits and faults. It's about as silly as trying to link REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE and GREASE!

Yes, Anna's character is a tad dowdy, if not prudish; yet these are values from the 1860's, not Woodstock in the 1960's. It's really not fair to judge the characters motivations by our present standards or perceptions of morality. True, it would have been better to cast an Asian actor as Mongkut, yet these were not the realities of 1940's Hollywood; and we well know this.

Overall, we watch cinema to be entertained and escape, and ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM provide more than ample reward for the viewer, in that regard.