The Story
A remake of 'The King and I' which is the story of Anna Leonowens, the English schoolteacher who came to Siam in the 1860s to teach the children of King Mongkut. She becomes involved in his affairs, from the tragic plight of a young concubine to trying to forge an alliance with Britain to a war with Burma that is orchestrated by Britain. It's based on a true story - though it is not a true retelling of the story. But you didn't really expect a movie to give you historically accurate fact, did you?
My Thoughts
I wouldn't recommend this to most folks. It's nothing spectacular as far as movie entertainment goes. The reason I enjoyed it is mainly due to the scenery and the way it was shot, not so much the acting or script. Chow Yun-Fat is superb in this, but Jodie Foster is not so they balance each other out I guess. If you've seen the play/musical 'The King and I' then it's interesting to see it played out on the big screen but it may not hold much interest beyond that.
