Anna and the King is a 1999 American biographical period drama film directed by Andy Tennant and written by Steve Meerson and Peter Krikes. In an American musical, an Anglo-Indian woman arrives in Siam in 1862 to teach English to the many children of King Mongkut (Rama IV). 2008. Synopsis Their relationship endures through many trials. Many people believed that they were watching a true story. | A young widow and mother, her services were engaged in the 1860's by King Mongkut of Siam to help him communicate with foreign governments and be the tutor to his children and favored concubines. The plot follows British schoolteacher Anna who is hired by the King of Siam as part of an initiative to modernize the country. She talks with the boat's captain about the country. Masked: The Life of Anna Leonowens, Schoolmistress at the Court of Siam: Alfred Habegger. She believes she is sufficiently acquainted with Asian customs to know what is proper in Siam, having read a book summarizing same. Accompanied by her son, the charming, strong-willed English widow Anna Owens arrives in Siam to educate the king's harem and his sixty-seven children. Anna and the King of Siam is a 1946 drama film directed by John Cromwell.An adaptation of the 1944 novel of the same name by Margaret Landon, it was based on the fictionalized diaries of Anna Leonowens, an Anglo-Indian woman who claimed to be British and became governess in the Royal Court of Siam (now modern Thailand) during the 1860s. Irene Dunne, Rex Harrison, Linda Darnell, Lee J. Cobb, Gale Sondergaard When young British teacher Anna Owens (Irene Dunne) arrives in Bangkok to tutor the family of King Mongkut (Rex Harrison), she finds that she is not well prepared for her exotic new surroundings. Anna and the King of Siam is a fictional account of an English teacher's two volume "memoir" that had long gone out of print. Mongkut and Anna discuss differences between Eastern and Western love, but he dismisses the notion that a man can be happy with only one wife. Featured Movie News. Anna Owens (Irene Dunn), a proper widowed Englishwoman arrives by boat in Siam with her son Louis and her servants. Anna Leonowens is world famous as the governess in the court of Siam due to the popularity of the musical The King and I. Synopsis A Certificate ... Summary. King Mongkut of Siam and Anna Leonowens, the English schoolmarm who tries to civilize him, make up one of the most dubious odd couples in pop culture. : [Distributed by] OneClick Digital, 2012, 2011. Anna and the King of Siam is a beautiful 1946 black and white film about a British woman who must overcome her cultural differences with the King of Siam. In due course, she becomes the King's confidant and diplomatic advisor. She is a strong-willed, intelligent, valiant and benevolent woman for her time, and this pleases the King. Anna Leonowens (Jodie Foster) is a British widow who has come to Siam with her son Louis (Tom Felton) to teach English to the dozens of children of King Mongkut (Chow Yun-fat). Lee J. Cobb as Kralahome and Gale Sondergaard as Lady Thiang are absolutely fantastic. In the meantime, a subtle romance develops between them. In 1862, a young Englishwoman becomes royal tutor in Siam and befriends the King. Anna and the King. | She did make up or exaggerate many things in her own life to protect and/or advance herself and her children. The story of the romance between the King of Siam and widowed British schoolteacher, Anna Leonowens, during the 1860s. That 1944 novel, in turn, is based on the reminiscences of Anna Leonowens herself. comment. 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. 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