One of my fondest memories in high school was doing the sound effects for productions of The Sound of Music and The King and I. This was so long ago, I used sound effects records and CDs that had to be manually played back right on cue. Interestingly, I never got tired of listening to the same Rodgers and Hammerstein songs night after night in rehearsals.
There have been a few adaptations of the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam, which was based on Anna Leonowens' diaries about her real-life experiences living in Siam and her relationship with King Mongkut and the royal family. It's a classic story about culture and personality clashes, and of course, the most famous adaption is the 1956 film with Yul Brynner that was based on the Broadway musical.
Coincidentally, two films came out in 1999 based on the book, an animated version of the musical, The King and I, and a live-action movie, Anna and the King, with Chow Yun-fat and Jodie Foster. The latter is not a musical and certainly not appropriate for children.
I've seen Anna and the King several times now, and I still consider it one of the best and most underappreciated epic films ever.
Like The King and I, Anna and the King has been controversial with the Thai government, which banned those movies in Thailand due to concerns with historical accuracy and the portrayal of King Mongkut.
I'm no historian, but I really like the two main characters in Anna and the King, whom I've found to be very courageous, relatable and admirable. In the film, King Mongkut, brilliantly played by Chow Yun-fat, is extremely smart and mentally strong, yet, even as a monarch, he shows he is still human and can be vulnerable like anyone else.
Additionally, filmmakers often take creative liberties with biographical films to enhance the story, like in Bohemian Rhapsody, The Social Network, and Amadeus. At the end of The Insider, there's even a statement saying some parts of the award-winning film were "fictionalized for dramatic effect."
Even though it hasn't achieved the same stature as its 1956 counterpart, Anna and the King is a fabulous period piece film that takes place in the 1860s. Setting controversies and historical accuracy aside, Anna and the King is a charming, delightful, and beautiful movie, complemented with humor, drama, and action and features gorgeous and grandiose production design, costumes, and cinematography.
Just because a movie is not historically or technically accurate, it doesn't mean it's a bad film. We seek movies with great stories to escape and be entertained, and that is exactly what Anna and the King delivers.
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