Barnes & Noble

Anna and the King is the third film to chronicle the adventures of British governess Anna Leonowens in 19th-century Siam, and it is far and away the most picturesque. Gorgeous location photography lends verisimilitude to the dreamily exotic setting and by-now-familiar story. Jodie Foster makes a placidly beautiful yet passionate Anna, who accepts the job of teaching the 58 children sired by Siam's King Mongkut (Hong Kong action star Chow Yun-Fat) and immediately finds herself locked in a battle of wills with the potentate. Director Andy Tennant draws repeated comparisons between Eastern and Western philosophies, and he sharply delineates Mongkut's dilemma: The king knows times are changing and wants his children to be equipped to cope with those changes, yet he remains strangely unwilling to jettison beliefs and traditions that have governed his people's behavior for countless centuries. Neither Anna and the King of Siam (1948) nor The King and I (1956) deal with political intrigue and physical danger as specifically as this adaptation of the tale. But it is those elements, along with the fine performances of Foster and Chow, that make Anna and the King such a rousing success and, in many ways, the best of the three versions. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

The true story of Anna Leonowens' experiences as a governess to the children of an eccentric Asian king has been adapted into a book of memoirs, a biography, a stage play called Anna and the King of Siam -- which was adapted into a 1946 film, a stage musical called The King and I -- made into both the live-action The King and I (1956)) and the animated The King and I (1999) feature films, and a short-lived 1972 TV series. Now the story is brought to the screen yet again, as Jodie Foster stars as Leonowens, hired by the king of Thailand (Chow Yun-Fat) in the 19th century to help care for his children. The king wants the best for his children, but Anna soon discovers that he is a strong-willed but quixotic leader, and her stay in Thailand becomes a struggle for power with romantic overtones, as they decide who will have authority over the royal youngsters. Anna and the King was directed by Andy Tennant, best known for his 1998 variation on the Cinderella story, Ever After. Mark Deming

Boston Globe

Anna and the King is nothing but old-fashioned but it's old-fashioned in a glorious way. Jay Carr

Product Details

• UPC: 024543037569
• Source: 20TH CENTURY FOX
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Pan & Scan
• Time: 2:27:00
• Sales Rank: 47,574

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Kingdom of Heaven/Anna and the King
• Anna & the King (1999) & Anna & the King of Siam