ereks mom Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 (edited) Anna and the King of Siam - 1946 drama film with Rex Harrison & Irene Dunne The King and I - 1956 musical film with Deborah Kerr & Yul Brynner Anna and the King - 1999 biographical drama film with Jodie Foster & Chow Yun-fat Which most closely follows the 1944 book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon? Which is the most enjoyable? Edited November 12, 2011 by ereks mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah C. Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I haven't seen the first one. From what I remember, I believe Anna and the King follows the book closely, while the musical is just a lot of fun. Anna and the King is more adult. If you have time, I'd watch both. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I haven't read the book or seen 1). But I agree with the assessment that 2) is worth seeing. I will say that Anna and the King is probably my favorite movie in terms of cinematography. It was filmed in Malaysia and the pictures are amazing. It is also a very good movie which I highly recommend. But it has some scenes which I do not allow my younger children to see, so you may wish to screen it first depending on your audience. FWIW there seems to be some controversy about whether the book is historically accurate or not, even if parts of the story are true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 I have seen all three and the first one follows the book closely, plus Rex Harrison makes a decent King. The second is the most entertaining, being a musical with great songs and Yul Brynner!!! (My mom and I saw him in a live performance of The King and I decades ago...by which time he had grown into the character (and an encore dance with Anna was built into the performance!) The third film has the most sex/cruelty (and tiny pre-Draco Malfoy kid actor) BUT also Cho Young Fat, who is another great king. Not that fond of Jodie Foster as Anna, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Cornelia Snook Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 I'd definitely be careful letting kids see the Jodie Foster version. However, I enjoyed that movie. No opinion on which one is closest to the book, as I haven't read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel marie Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 i love the one with jodie foster. it is one of my fav movies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 I would go with the first 2. Both of them :D I am partial to the musical but if you want one more accurate than #1 would be it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Anna and the King of Siam - 1946 drama film with Rex Harrison & Irene Dunne The King and I - 1956 musical film with Deborah Kerr & Yul Brynner Anna and the King - 1999 biographical drama film with Jodie Foster & Chow Yun-fat Which most closely follows the 1944 book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon? Which is the most enjoyable? It was awhile ago, but I read the book and watched the 1946 movie. I think the 1946 movie followed the book pretty accurately. It seems to me I have also seen the Jodie Foster version and didn't think it followed as closely, but I really can't remember now! Or maybe I read the summary of the later movie, and thought it emphasized the romance too much, whereas it was not the focus of the actual book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 I saw a stage peformance with Yul Brynner a long, long, long time ago in Los angeles and it was the most amazing show I have ever seen. Yul had mega charisma, I lost count of the standing ovations . ANyway, I have the dvd of the movie with him and Deborah Kerr and I just love it. Every time I watch it, it brings back the wonderful memories of seeing the show. It is really a great musical and the dvd is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 I saw a stage peformance with Yul Brynner a long, long, long time ago in Los angeles and it was the most amazing show I have ever seen. Yul had mega charisma, I lost count of the standing ovations . ANyway, I have the dvd of the movie with him and Deborah Kerr and I just love it. Every time I watch it, it brings back the wonderful memories of seeing the show. It is really a great musical and the dvd is great. The show was at the Pantages, right? That is where Mom and I saw him!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Just watch all three! You KNOW you want to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 yes, JFS it was at the Pantages. It would be funny if we saw it the same night lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 Just so you know, Thai people are very offended by all versions and the original book. They think it's a tarradiddle. I don't know where the truth lies. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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