 
Chow Yun Fat and Jodie Foster
Ever since it was announced that a remake
of The King and I will be made, the Thai press have been full
of news stories on the pros and cons of allowing the film-makers
to actually shoot in Thailand. The musical has been banned in
Thailand ever since its release in 1956 because it treated one
of our most revered kings as a comical character. Many people
also objected to the way Anna Leonowens was shown to be an important
character in the history of Thailand. Thai people would prefer
that if a remake is to be made, then it should reflect on what
really happened in the court of King Mongkut. The Hollywood film
studios, bowing to pressure after the first draft was rejected,
actually allowed Thai historians to help develop the script.
However, all of the subsequent drafts were turned down by the
National Film Board of Thailand. Frustrated and with time running
out the filmakers switched to neighbouring Malaysia.
Ain't it Cool News - reports from the set
and beyond
Newspaper Clippings
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- Heart of
a Patriot: "Paothong Thongchua is a patriot with a difference.
When most of the Thai crew dropped out of Anna and The King following
the controversy, he stayed with Andy Tennant to ensure that King
Mongkut was treated properly." Written by Pimpaka Towira
Tuesday 21st September 1999.
- Right royal ruckus
over portrayal of a king:
"The mass kowtow is not going
well. A young woman marches down a long corridor, barking into
a megaphone in Malay. She is trying to get 896 extras -- farmers
and traders from surrounding Malaysian villages -- to fall to
the ground in sequence, like a wave." Singapore Straits
Times, August 11th 1999.
- The Making of a
Princess: "For the role of Princess Fa-Ying, the crew
was looking for a little girl with the right character to portray
the Siamese king's favourite daughter. Four little girls were
shortlisted but the role finally went to eight-year old Malaysian
Melissa Campbell." Written by Beverley Hon in The Star,
Friday 7th May, 1999.
- Romanticised figure
or true heroine? "The English
governess glorified in Hollywood's latest movie Anna And The
King was virtually a nobody during her lifetime. It was not until
the 1944 publication of her biography Anna And The King Of Siam,
written by Margaret Landon, that Anna rose to fame - some 30
years after her death." Written by Choong Kwee Kim, for
The Star of March 23, 1999.
- Fact and Fanciful
Fiction: "Laurence Blender's
draft script for Anna and the King was rejected by the National
Film Board on Oct 15 on the grounds that it was factually inaccurate
and potentially insulting to the Royal family. "Written
by Manote Tripathi in The Nation, 8th November, 1998.
- Getting to Know You: Will a Hollywood film crew be allowed into Thailand
to film a remake of The King and I - banned here since 1956?
The National Film Board meets again today to ponder the question.
Outlook asked a few people what they thought about it."
Bangkok Post, 9th November,
1998.
- History is never
absolutely objective or totally false: "While there are
people who may love to banish all historically distorted descriptions
of Siam or Thailand, there also exist people who think it would
immensely benefit the tourism industry." Written by Pravit Rojanaphrukth,
20th November, 1998.
- The King and Us: "If Anna Leonowens' two books on life at
the court of King Rama IV could be described as historical fiction
laced with the occasional fact. And the process by which these
few facts were further distorted by two Hollywood films and a
Broadway play (all based on a summary of her books by Margaret
Landon) could be likened to a game of Chinese Whispers."
Written by Manote Tripathi in The Nation, 29th November 1998
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