This page are the newspaper clippings which cover the pre-production stage of the movie, Anna and the King. The dates range from October to December 1998.
'King'-sized fee
Date: 13th October 1998
Publication: variety.com
Writer: Chris PetrikinJodie Foster is in final negotiations to star opposite Chow Yun Fat in "Anna and the King" for Fox 2000 - a role that would put her with Julia Roberts as Hollywood's highest-paid actresses. Peter Bart worked out, according to sources close to the project, the final deal calls for Foster to receive $15 million for her portrayal of the 19th century British schoolteacher Anna Leonowens. Andy Tennant ("Ever After") will Pix and direct the story about the relationship between the King of Siam (Yun Fat) and Leonowens in 1860s Thailand. Though the Film real-life story has been the basis of two films (the 1946 pic "Anna and the King of Siam," directed by John Cromwell, starring Rex Harrison and Irene Dunne; and the 1956 musical "The King and I," directed by Walter Lang and starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr), the Fox 2000 version is neither a tuner nor a remake of either of those previous films. In addition to the historical information, Fox 2000's version uses info derived from Leonowens' own diaries. Slanguage Laurence Bender and Ed Elbert will produce the pic, scripted by Steve Meerson & Peter Krikes. "Anna" is expected to go before the cameras in January, possibly in Thailand, although the location is still being worked out. In addition to being one of Hollywood's most honored actresses Staff - she's a two-time Academy Advertiser Award-winner - Foster also is one of its highest paid. The $15 million she stands to collect for "Anna" is understood to be her biggest paydate; however, sources said she was to receive that amount for Paramount's "Double Jeopardy," to which she had been attached, though she dropped out of it last December. With top actors taking home $20 million, their counterparts have slowly been edging up to their range, and Foster and Julia Roberts seem to be leading the race.
Panel fears film case of 'lese majeste'
Date: 23rd October 1998
Publication: The Nation (Thailand)
Writer: Parinyaporn Pajee
A Film Board panel has recommended that a new production of ''Anna and The King'' by 20th Century Fox in Thailand be rejected because the film would violate the lese majeste law against the Thai Royal family. A sub-division of the Public Relations Department Film Board announced the decision on Oct 15 after co-ordinator MR Suphinda Chakraphand had submitted the Thai and English versions of the film script to the authorities for consideration on Oct 9. A PRD source denied that the Film Board had received details of the film prior to Oct 9 as MR Malinee Chakraphand, Suphinda's sister, was quoted as saying in Matichon on Monday. Malinee said in the Thai daily that she hadn't received any response from the Film Board. However, the PRD claims they had informed Suphinda of the board's decision. Oscar Co, owned by Suphinda, is co-ordinating the filming with the Thai government. The PRD source said the agency has not closed all the doors on the filming permission. They are ready to negotiate with the producer or the coordinator.The film company, 20th Century Fox, plans to remake the movie with Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun Fat playing King Mongkut and American Oscar winning actress Jodie Foster as Anna Leonowens. ''Anna and The King'' was first made famous as a play in London's West End and New York's Broadway starring Yul Brynner who made more than 4,000 stage appearances. The original film ''The King And I'' (1956), which Yul Brynner also won an Oscar for best actor, was banned in Thailand on grounds of historical and cultural distortions. The film is based on a book written by Anna Leonowens who was an English teacher at the Royal Siamese court during the reign of King Rama IV, or King Mongkut (1851-68).
Owned by media baron Rupert Murdoch, 20th Century Fox, has also submitted another controversial proposal to film ''The Beach'', starring Leonardo DiCaprio from ''Titanic'', on Phi Phi Island. It has told the Royal Forestry Department that it would plant some 100 coconut trees on the national park island for the filming. With regard to the film script for ''Anna and The King'', Malinee said it had been adapted to highlight the ingenuity of King Rama IV. However, the PRD panel found that only minor changes had been made to some passages in the Thai script and to the costumes. No changes were made to the English script. The main problem for the film however, is that the overall image of the story is still considered lese majeste and sounds little different from the original ''The King And I''. Consequently, the PRD decided not to allow the company to film in Thailand, according to the source. Malinee said earlier in Matichon that if the film production was moved to another country, such as Malaysia, it would be difficult for the Thai authorities to supervise and control the script. As of now, the US film company still doesn't have any concrete plan to film the movie in Thailand.
Every year, the Film Board rules on whether foreign film productions can be shot in Thailand, and has rejected some films which include HBO's A Bright Shining Lie which planned to use Thailand as a setting for a movie during the Vietnam War. The film focused on an American journalist who witnessed a Vietnamese Buddhist monk setting himself on fire during a protest. At first the Film Board did not approve of the production. However, negotiations resulted in the producer agreeing to present the scene in the film as news footage on TV. The film company was granted permission to shoot in Thailand.
Film script awaits okay
Date: 27th October 1998
Publication: The Nation (Thailand)The film co-ordinator of Anna And The King is preparing to meet the Film Board this week with a third re-edited script in English so that the controversial movie can be screened in Thailand. 20th Century Fox, which has produced the film, hopes the negotiations will finish within two weeks, otherwise the company may have to move to Malaysia because the film is scheduled to have its first screening on Jan 19. Since the Film Board rejected the script on Oct 16, the Thai co-ordinator, MR Suphinda Chakraphand, has been preparing documents and re-editing scripts as well as seeking to arrange a meeting between 20th Century Fox officials and the Public Relations Department's Film Board secretary again. MR Suphinda's OSCAR company is a TV production firm as well as a film co-ordinator for many foreign films being shown in Thailand and neighbouring countries. One of the films is Entrappment, starring Sean Connery, which is now being screened in Malaysia. 20th Century Fox first contacted OSCAR in July, sending the film script and a letter seeking screening permission from the Film Board on Oct 9. But the board rejected the request on Oct 16. 20th Century Fox was ready to negotiate with the film board then, but when the rejection came through, top Fox officials flew back to the United States. The co-ordinator is trying to get the Fox officials back to negotiate with the Film Board, with director Andy Tennant likely to join in the talks.
Pitak Wants King and I here
Date: 5th November 1998
Publication: Bangkok Post (Thailand)A remake of the King and I should be filmed in Thailand despite objections the script could be insulting to the monarchy, the minister responsible for tourism said yesterday. Pinket Intrawithayanunt expressed "extreme regret" that Thailand was throwing away an "excellent opportunity to earn a great deal of money from the filming of Anna and the King" and free publicity. The PM's Office minister said he preferred 20th Century Fox film the movie here because "it will mean we can have a thorough look at the script and urge them to cooperate in changing unsuitable parts".
Fox, a division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, has plans to make two movies in Thailand, The Beach and Anna and the King. The Beach has been approved but the National Film Board has rejected a draft script of Anna and the King on the grounds it is inaccurate and insults the monarchy.
Mr Pitak said rejecting the movie would not stop Fox making the film in another country, and would therefore be self-defeating. He was unhappy he was not consulted on the decision. The board meets again on Monday to consider a new version of the script, an official said. "The board rejected Fox's draft script because the theme and concept was similar to the Broadway production of The King and I," he said. "It is unacceptable to any Thai to see the highest institution presented as a subject of comedy." But a source in the Thai company coordinating filming said the new production would not be a musical and would portray the talent and vision of King Mongkut (Rama IV).
The 1946 release of Anna and the King of Siam starred Rex Harrison and Irene Dunne, A non-musical, it was shown in Thailand. The second version, a musical under a new title The King and I, starred Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr. It was released in 1956 and has been banned from showing here.
Board rejects second draft script of Anna and King
Date: 10th November 1998
Publication: Bangkok post (Thailand)
Writer: Uamdao NoikornThe Film Board turned down a request by 20th Century Fox to shoot Anna and the King here yesterday, saying the second draft contained cultural and historical mistakes and showed disrespect to the monarchy. With the deadline for submission of final draft on Friday, the studio will probably shift production to Malaysia, said M.R. Malinee Chakraband, Fox's Thai co-ordinator. M.R. Malinee said the deadline was too early and expressed concern accuracy would suffer if the filming took place outside Thailand.
The movie, based on the novel The King and I, is about Thai culture and traditions through the eyes of Anna Leonowens, an English teacher to King Rama V. Critics say several historical and cultural aspects of the book reflect poorly on King Rama IV and King Rama V. Despite the studio's insistence the script is neither The King and I nor offensive, the draft was deemed to contain many inaccuracies. Prasit Damrongchai, vice-president of the board, dismissed Fox's offer to have a Thai representative in Los Angeles oversee post-production, saying the point now was not about editing but the script. "Although we're worried about the editing, we would have no control over it in the US," he said. "But with a script like this, Thailand has already been defamed without an edit. "If the company agrees to change the offensive parts of the script, we'll consider it," he said. M.R. Malinee said Fox was afraid the movie would lose its entertainment value if the script was changed. "Basically, this is a comedy. If everything is changed, it's going to be documentary and not fun."
Movie moguls pull plug on film here
King and I remake shifted to Malaysia
Date: 14th November 1998
Publication: Bangkok Post (Thailand)Thai film censors have so exasperated Hollywood movie moguls with their control over the remaking of "The King and I" they have abandoned plans to film in the Kingdom. The US$60m production of "Anna and the King" will now be filmed in Malaysia and Thailand will lose the $20m the film crew would have spent filming here.
Twentieth Century Fox said it had bent over backwards to re-write the script for "Anna and the King" to meet Thai sensibilities regarding the royal family but in the end it could wait no more. The studio said it was fed up with the inaction and lack of cooperation from the National Film Board and other senior officials and it was time to move on. Fox had even promised to allow the Thai government the unprecedented right to view shooting and editing of the $60 million movie which will star Jodie Foster and Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fat.
But the film board rejected an already re-written script, told Fox it was still offensive and to go away and make further changes. The board will only allow Fox to shoot the film on Thai soil if it honours King Mongkut, who ruled Siam in the 1850s and 60s, and is historically accurate. It does not want a repeat of the 1956 version of "The King and I" starring Yul Brynner, which is banned in Thailand. It depicted the modest and forward-thinking king as an ignoramus who falls under the spell of western governess Anna Leonowens.
Mike Moder, Fox's vice-president of features, said: "My message to Thailand is goodbye. I wrote letters and never received replies, and I came halfway around the world and never met anyone. How much more co-operative can we be? We came for a week and we got snuffed." He said he had been frustrated by the lack of cooperation and the film board's belief that his movie crew would not go elsewhere. "It was like we were a dirty thing that they did not want to touch," he said.
The crew would now be shooting in Penang and elsewhere in Malaysia, unless the board made an eleventh hour reversal. But he doubted this would happen. With a March 1 deadline to start shooting he had no choice but to get on with preparing for the film. Thailand would lose the chance to show off its country and palaces to potential tourists and $20 million in spending by the production crew.
Mr Moder said he had been so desperate to film in Thailand he had even written to the film board to tell its members that the government could send a representative to help with shooting and editing. "To my knowledge, this would be the first time a major motion picture studio has ever invited any government to be involved in this process, and we are more than happy to make this unprecedented offer as an act of good faith," he wrote.
But board vice-president Prasit Damrongchai and his members dismissed the offer at a board meeting on November 9. Last week he told the Bangkok Post: "With a script like this Thailand has already been defamed without an edit. If the company agrees to change the offensive parts of the script, we'll consider it." Thai film co-ordinator for "Anna and the King", M.R. Supinda Chakraband, of OSCAR Ltd, said she had people urgently working on yet another redrafting of the script.
"We're trying to finish the script as soon as possible, hopefully next week. This time many changes were made. The studio really wants to shoot the film here because the whole story is about Thailand," she said. The board has already rejected the script twice. Some sections were derogatory to the monarchy, and others inaccurate. M.R. Supinda said the second rejection had disheartened the producers greatly.
The original script had depicted King Mongkut using chopsticks instead of cutlery, bathing in a tub and receiving a massage, and playing polo. All these had been removed by a Thai historian who was given carte blanche to re-write the script.
The movie is loosely based on a book written by Mrs Leonowens who is said to have embellished much of it to make herself a name. In her book she claims to have influenced the king's decision to bar slavery and she states that Thais did not kill rats, considering them to be ancestors.
Frustrated film firm gives up
Movie shooting to be shifted to Malaysia
Date: 20th November 1998
Publication: Bangkok post (Thailand)Frustrated by official disapproval over its script, 20th Century Fox announced yesterday it is dropping plans to shoot a new version of Anna and the King starring Jodie Foster in Thailand. Fox said in a statement that shooting for the remake of the classic films Anna and the King of Siam and The King and I will instead be shifted to Malaysia.
The Thai Film Board has twice turned down scripts for the proposed film, saying that they were disrespectful of King Mongkut and the monarchy.
The remake stars Oscar-winner Foster in the role of Anna Leonowens, the Victorian governess King Mongkut hired to teach his children English, and Hong Kong action star Chow Yun Fat as the King. Fox's statement expressed regret over "excessive bureaucracy and political red tape. This decision to move production was not made with any disrespect or outrage".
"The simple truth is that time has run out," Fox said. "In an effort to avoid costly delays that could undermine the entire project, the studio has exercised its ability to change locations."
Thais feel previous versions of the story, based on Ms Leonowens' disputed memoirs, portray King Mongkut as an ignoramus rather than the linguist and Buddhist scholar he was. Sulak Sivaraksa, a social critic twice acquitted of insulting the monarchy, said that the film board had wasted a historic chance to get inside the project and attempt to influence its accuracy. He said: "A movie is a movie. Even stories you have read in history books are not all correct. You have to use your intelligence to judge if you will believe the writers."
Though the 1946 version of the film, starring Rex Harrison and Irene Dunne, was screened in Thailand, the movie of the Broadway musical starring Yul Brynner a decade later was banned.
Fox tried to adapt the current script to get the film made here, but industry insiders said after it was rejected again last week that the film board was unlikely ever to approve it owing to cultural sensitivity. Thipawadee Maenyart, a board official, said that it had nothing to do with Fox's decision to move.
"It depends on them," Mr Thipawadee said. "We will look at their final script if they want to try again. Our duty is to correct what is inaccurate."
Fox's local coordinators, who contended Thailand could have influenced the film if it stayed involved with the shooting, said they were unaware of the studio's decision, which was announced in a fax from Beverly Hills.
Thais feel that Ms Leonowens exaggerated her memoirs to give herself a central place in the Siamese court and that in reality the King probably met her only once. The King and I scenes where Deborah Kerr dances with Mr Brynner rankles Thais as demeaning and silly.
Fox's statement insisted that this time the film makers wanted to portray King Mongkut in a more historically accurate light. But the board was unmoved after a revised script was submitted last week.
"The history depicted in Anna and the King was due for a fresher and more honest interpretation," Fox said, adding it still intended to make the film "with the care and respect it deserves".
Anna's film showing opens rare debate
Publication: The Nation
Date: 20th November 1998
Writer: Manote TripathiA rare showing of the two controversial movies based on Anna Leonowens books at Thammasat University on Wednesday gave Thais the first opportunity for ages to engage in intellectual debate on one of the defining moments in Thai history -- the rule of the reformist monarch King Rama IV.
The themes in both the books and the films, which were also partially based on other books about Siam, have raised considerable debate over whether Western concepts of Victorian morality should be applied to what was traditional Siam culture. But what was obvious during the discussion at the Pridi Banomyong Library was the need for even more debate on the subject if we are to understand our own history.
Anna Leonowens, the author of the controversial memoirs that began all the fuss, emerges as both a suspect for manipulating an otherwise fascinating Thai Royal history, and a heroine standing up for women's liberation.
Charnwit Kasetsiri, a Thammasat University historian, argues that Anna's two books, ''The English Governess at the Siamese Court'' and ''Romance of the Harem'', are reflections of Victorian colonialism, while the two previous movie versions -- ''The King and I'' (1946) and ''Anna and the King'' (1954) --constitute ''Hollywood imperialism'' in the modern world.
Hollywood seems to perpetuate the theory that the West is all supreme by continuing to depict Siam as inferior in those two movies. In the movies, Anna clings to the belief that English people are far more superior than the Siamese people in terms of civilisation, as shown by the practice of monogamy and the abhorence of the slavery system in England.
''Anything unacceptable in England is consequently viewed as barbaric, including polygamy, slavery and scant dressing in Siam,'' said Dr Charnwit, adding that Thai historians would never quote Anna in their research due to her likely historical distortions. The drive for Westernisation during the fourth reign resulted in King Mongkut opting for names, suggestive of the civilised, prosperous and the enlightened, for his children, like ''Sawang Watthana'' (brightness and prosperity).
However, Anna's depiction of old Siam sheds light, yet unbelievably at times, on court affairs, unknown to the world outside, according to Songyos Waewhong, a political scientist from Silpakorn University. ''It's quite a rarity to come across a woman writing about her adventurous life in a relatively remote country like Siam. Most travellers in the 19th century were men,'' Songyos added. Most male travellers from the West tended to liken ''Asiatic'' women to whores, lamented another guest speaker, Chartulee Tingsabhat. And with Anna subscribing to the woman's view of the world, readers would find her memoir refreshingly distinct from any account written by 19th century travellers.
''In her first book ('The English Governess'), Anna looked at Siam with a sense of shared sisterhood. Her concern for the plight of women, no matter whether they are slaves, servants or ladies-in-waiting, is very much in evidence. ''She views Siamese women as pretty, but put-upon. Readers should try looking at Anna's motive: she could have been a feminist in her time. Just before she died, Anna was an active member of a women's group there,'' said Chartulee.
Songyos, pointing toward Anna's second book (''Romance of the Harem''), credits Anna for her realistic portrayal of the Siamese cultural landscape of the time. ''It is the best book that depicts what Siam really was. What she wrote is surprisingly true,'' he says. Charnwit backs up Songyos' comment with Anna's credible quote of the Siamese population figure.
''She's no ordinary novelist,'' says Charnwit, ''for what she wrote contains some factual details which can be proven like descriptions on landscapes.''
Fuss aside, 'Anna' is more important for whom it will please, says historian
Publication: The Nation
Date: 21st November 1998
Writer: Manote TripathiHistorian Thanet Aphornsuvan offers his perspective to Manote Tripathi on the proposed filming of 'Anna and the King' in Thailand.
WHETHER or not ''Anna and the King'' is shot on location in Thailand is not as important as who the movie will please if the draft script is approved, says Thanet Aphornsuvan, a history lecturer at Thammasat University. ''I really want to know how Hollywood will make the movie to please Thais. What is it that pleases the audience? I'm not worried about where the location is. But if it's to be filmed in Thailand, then the movie would have to make the Thai audience feel comfortable.'' He adds: ''The Thai audience, especially those on the lower rungs of the social hierarchy, would be able to learn what Siamese society was like back then, and what kind of conflicts existed in Thai society.''
Thanet has been keeping a close watch on the widespread debate on''Anna and the King'', which he regards as ''another form of entertainment''. Although the movie attempts to paint a realistic portrait of King Mongkut, Thanet believes the film would not be able to infuse a sense of nationalism in Thais.
''I'm not sure the film would be able to make Thais love their country more. And I doubt film buffs in general would understand Thai culture from this film. People with high self-esteem won't be excited about the film, I guess. They probably won't care about the prevalence of a social hierarchy in Siamese society as depicted in either the movie or Leonowens' books,'' insists Thanet.
Thanet likens the new film version to the Hollywood smash hit, ''Tomorrow Never Dies'', saying audiences in general will not take the trouble to investigate who the characters portrayed in the movie really are. ''I don't think film buffs care about the nationality of James Bond. The movie is just made to entertain people, it's only a branch of art.
''If the film contains some truth, it'd be a type of truth as devised by Hollywood. It may or may not be accurate. History itself is not totally truthful; it's an interpretation by historians. So when people watch the film, they learn another kind of truth, which does not necessarily reflect standard Thai history,'' says Thanet.
''But if Hollywood makes the movie and bases it entirely on accurate history, I would praise them for their good intentions. But I don't think Hollywood cares much about relying on many Thai historians to improve the script,'' he adds.
Thanet says the fuss sparked by the 20th Century Fox production derives from two groups of Thais: the first expecting the film to be historically accurate, and the second eyeing free the publicity and the monetary rewards that Thailand would reap if the film is shot in the Kingdom. ''I would say Thailand would lose something as much as we gain from the movie being shot on location here,'' he says.
Associated Press adds: Although 20th Century Fox has dropped plans to shoot a remake of ''The King and I'' in Thailand, the studio retains high hopes the new film starring Jodie Foster will strike a chord with today's audiences. Citing red tape and bureaucracy thrown up by Thai film officials to scuttle the project, Fox has announced it will shoot the new film, ''Anna and the King'', in Malaysia.
But the Thai coordinator of the film told The Nation that the authorities would review the script for the final time next week. The Thai Film Board twice rejected scripts submitted by Fox, saying they were demeaning and inaccurate portrayals of King Mongkut. Hong Kong action star Chow Yun Fat will play him.
''The studio would love to have filmed in Thailand,'' said Jorge Carreon, a spokesman for Fox, by telephone yesterday from Beverly Hills. ''It's a beautiful country where the story takes place, and would add realism.'' Fox is hoping to capture a younger audience that those which saw previous versions of the tale -- about the prim Victorian governess, Anna Leonowens, hired by King Mongkut to teach his children English -- only on the small screen. ''The very iconic presence of Jodie Foster and Chow Yun Fat seems like it would work for this audience today. People want to see romances. 'Titanic' proved it,'' Carreon said. ''Every studio is going back to its historic catalogs,'' Carreon added. ''Ultimately, this story line is still very rich and romantic to a lot of people.''
'Anna' rejected over royal dignity
Date: 25th November 1998
Publication: The Nation (Thailand)The Thai Film Board could not accept the script of ''Anna and The King'' because the way in which Anna Leonowens was portrayed as a mentor to King Mongkut was seen as not dignified for the monarch. Pathamawadee Jaruworn, a Film Board committee member, described in an interview Tuesday, why the 20th Century Fox script for the popular musical for ''Anna and The King'', was twice rejected. 20th Century Fox is due to present its third and final script shortly, but has already announced that it will soon start shooting the film in Malaysia.
In a recording of the Fang Khwam Rob Khang (Listen to Both Sides) television programme, film board members Pathamawadee and Sombat Phookarn described as unacceptable, the account of romance and influence that Anna, an Englishwoman, claimed to have had at the Siamese court.
One scene depicted Anna using her wit to help King Mongkut escape an assassination attempt, before the assassin killed himself. In another scene, Anna had a picnic with King Monkut at Laem Phomthep (in Phuket). ''These are impossible. I do not agree that the King should be presented in such way,'' said Sombat. ''Many scenes are from a foreign perspective. I would probably approve of those scenes if they supported the theme. But they don't. The scenes are purely decoration and can be cut,'' Pathamawadee said.
She said that the two scripts contained many mistakes. Though 20th Century Fox maintains that they are ready to modify the script as the Film Board requests, there is little time left. ''It's unfair to blame us. We need more time to improve the script. In the meantime, they have made statements, and we feel that they are pressuring us to to approve,'' Sombat said.
Sombat is not confident about the 20th Century Fox proposal to invite a Film Board representative to the post-production in London. ''We do not think we can control the post-production process. They could do anything in the editing, and we wouldn't know. We don't want to take that risk,'' he said. ''As for changing the script to suit our requirements, they would probably change it scene by scene. Well that's impossible for them because they must respect the original story too,'' she said.
Fox hopes for fifth-time lucky on Anna script
Date: 26th November 1998
Publication: The Nation (Thailand)Hollywood studio 20th Century Fox is still hoping to shoot the film ''Anna and the King'' in Thailand if its latest script is approved by the National Film Board (NFB). MR Supinda Chakraband, the Thai coordinator of 20th Century Fox, says the production will not be shifted until the fifth, revised script is considered by the NFB.
Members of the Thai coordinating team for the studio voiced their optimism in Fang Khwam Rob Khang (''Listen to Both Sides'') TV programme, in which NFB members were also asked whether the script of ''Anna and the King'' should be approved by the NFB. The session, however, produced a heated debate between both parties.
Discrepancies in cultural frames between the NFB and the Thai coordinator has led to different interpretations of the merit of the old script and has resulted in a fifth revision of the script, which breaks free from the book, ''Anna and the King of Siam'', written in 1943 by Margaret Landon, who integrated Anna Leonowens' two books, ''The English Governess at the Siamese Court'' (1870) and ''The Romance of the Harem'' (1873), into a single volume.
The NFB rejected the fourth script on the grounds that the film is made for entertainment, depicts King Mongkut inaccurately and distorts otherwise fascinating Royal history. But Supinda, who heads Fox's Thai coordinator -- the Oriental System of Communication and Research -- insists the fifth script portrays King Mongkut as he really was, as she has called in five well-known Thai historians to correct the flaws in the scripts rejected previously.
NFB member Sombat Bhookan said the board cannot accept the scenes showing King Mongkut camping in a forest alone with Anna and his relationship with her developing into a romance. ''I can't let you know who the historians [I have consulted] are, but they are working closely with script writer/producer Andy Tennant to improve the script in the interest of authenticity and of historical accuracy,'' Supinda said.
Other scenes, which apparently have become a problem, depict King Chulalongkorn on a visit to London and handing King Mongkut's ring to Anna as a gift. The ring carries a design of a star beside the moon. ''This is misleading,'' Sombat said. ''That didn't really happen. It's unacceptable.'' Manop Udomdej, Thailand's leading film-maker, says the NFB must have misunderstood the West's social context in which giving a ring to a woman does not mean that the woman is a lover. ''She could be a friend,'' said Manop, also an adviser to Supinda. ''The NFB doesn't understand the cultural frame of the West enough,'' he said.
Manop said he met Tennant after the latter had visited the Temple of the Emerald Buddha for the first time. Andy reportedly became so amazed by the beauty of the temple that he has since hoped to shoot the film only in Thailand. ''Andy told me that he can't use $2 million to make the set that looks as ornate and beautiful as Wat Phra Kaew,'' said Manop.
Supinda proposed that the NFB and the film studio work together to make the movie as good as the NFB wants. ''The production crew wish to work hand-in-hand with the staff of the NFB to improve the script. Fox has even allocated a budget to send NFB staff to the shooting sessions in London and Los Angeles studios, and correct what they see as inappropriate,'' Supinda said.
Kraisak Chonhavan, another adviser to Supinda, believes Thailand would be running the risk of more historical distortion if the film is shot in Malaysia. ''This is the golden opportunity for us to correct what went wrong in the books and previous films. But I think the NFB would still be reluctant to give permission.
English governess still the talk of the town a century on
Date: 5th December 1998
Publication: The Nation (Thailand)Unless you've seen the two previous Hollywood films about Anna Leonowens' brief claim to fame (her five years as a governess at the court of King Rama IV), you could be forgiven for wondering why the National Film Board is making such a fuss over 20th Century Fox's application for permission to shoot a new version of the Anna story here (they've already rejected two draft scripts).
And chances are you haven't seen either since Anna and the King of Siam was released way back in 1946, and that 1956 musical with Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner (The King and I) was banned here until very recently. Both films are littered with sometimes annoying, sometimes unintentionally hilarious factual inaccuracies.
However, the three books on which the movies were based make for much more solid entertainment (as is often the case). So if you're interested in finding out why Anna is still the talk of the town a century on, it would be best to get the information from the horse's mouth, so to speak.
Leonowens' second book, The Romance of the Harem, was reissued in 1952 as Siamese Harem Life but has long been out of print. In 1943 Margaret Landon reduced Leonowens' two books to a single volume and more coherent form in Anna and the King of Siam. But this title, on which both the Broadway and Hollywood musicals were loosely based, is also hard to find.
However, copies of a 1993 reprint of Leonowens' original book, The English Governess at the Siamese Court, are still available at English-language bookshops around town; it retails for a mere Bt120. Thai-language translations of both her books are available from the branch of DK Books opposite the Ambassador Hotel.
The English Governess at the Siamese Court should be of interest to both Thais and expats since it contains quite lyrical descriptions of the cultural, social and physical landscapes of 1860s Bangkok. And it certainly seems to have impressed Kraisak Chonhavan, political scientist and son of the late prime minister.
''I couldn't put it down,'' he told his host on the Fang Khwam Rob Khaang talk show on Channel 9 last Tuesday. ''And although it does contain some flaws, there's so much that one can learn from this book; for instance, affairs at the court [of King Rama IV] which people don't generally know about.''
In Anna's defence, Kraisak said that she had tried to understand Thai culture and appeared to have admired King Mongkut for his skilful use of diplomacy in keeping European colonial powers from gaining too much influence in Siam.
But heed the words of one critic who described the book as ''a romance with a historical setting, not a history''. Examples of exaggeration and pure fabrication abound (for example, a local historian claims that the ''dungeon'' in the Grand Palace she mentions on page 107 could not have existed).
Readers interested in getting a clearer, and more reliable, account of life in the Fourth Reign, might like to track down the following titles:
- Alexander B Griswold's King Mongkut of Siam;
- Sir John Bowring's The Kingdom and the People of Siam;
- Marquis de Beauvoir's A Week in Siam;
- F A Neale's Narrative of a Residence in Siam.
All four are available both at the Siam Society library on Soi Asoke and the Neilson Hays Library on Surawong Road.
And regardless of whether Fox end up making Anna and the King here or in Malaysia, it should be interesting to compare the final result with Leonowens' accounts.
M'sia courts Hollywood on film ambitions
Date: 19th December 1998
Publication: The Nation (Thailand)CYBERJAYA, Malaysia -- Fresh from snatching the movie ''Anna and the King'' from Thailand, Malaysia said on Friday that it aims to become Asia's film-making hub.
''It's high time that we aggressively promote our country for film locations,'' said Othman Yeop Abdullah, executive chairman of Malaysia's state-owned Multimedia Development Corp (MDC).
''Malaysia is poised to be the regional hub for filming activities as the country is blessed with many attractive and interesting spots, be it for tourism purposes or filming, with a combination of the old and the new.''
The MDC and 20th Century Fox said the US film studio would begin shooting ''Anna and the King'', a new version of the Oscar-winning ''The King and I'', in Malaysia next year.
The studio said last month that it chose Malaysia after a Thai government agency objected to the script.
''Anna and the King'', starring Jodie Foster and Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fat, retells the story of the 19th century Englishwoman, Anna Leonowens, who went to Siam to teach in the court of King Rama IV.
The Thai National Film Board turned down several versions of Fox's story, apparently because Leonowens, rather than the king, is characterised as the pivotal figure who introduced Western ideology to the country.
Thailand banned ''The King and I'', in which the late Yul Brynner at one point portrayed the king eating with chopsticks rather than a more regal spoon.
Shooting will start in March and the film will be shot largely in the town of Ipoh in the northern state of Perak. Fox plans to spend US$18 million to $20 million in Malaysia.
Fox executive producer Terence Clegg, speaking at a news conference at Cyberjaya in the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), Malaysia's answer to Silicon Valley, said Malaysian locations were more suitable, citing a river in Thailand which he said was marred by obstructions.
''If you look at River Perak where we intend to recreate all this stuff, you can see why we chose Malaysia,'' Clegg said.
Othman said Multimedia, which runs the MSC, would collaborate with Fox on production. He said the MDC would offer the same help it gave on Fox's production of ''Entrapment'', starring Sean Connery. The MDC helped with visa processing, customs clearance, telecommunications and the provision of a police SWAT team.
Othman said the MDC, a pet project of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, would try to ensure that Hollywood's needs could be met in conservative Malaysia, where censors take a tough line on nudity, sex, violence and foul language.
''The MDC is working closely with the Malaysian Censorship Board... to address issues relating to the creative industry with the purpose of reviewing and modifying existing legislation,'' added Othman.
Permission to remake 'The King and I' refused
Movie 'depicts Thai women as stupid'
Date: 26th December 1998
Publication: Bangkok post (Thailand)The National Film Board yesterday definitively rejected 20th Century Fox's request to film a remake of The King and I here with Jodie Foster, deeming it insufficiently respectful to the monarchy.
The decision ends a long saga over the film, entitled Anna and the King. The Thai authorities had demanded changes to the script for the movie, a remake of the 1950s classic starring Yul Brynner.
The judgement was largely a formality. Fox has already said it will shoot the movie in Malaysia in March after a second script rewrite was rejected in November.
"The National Film Board sub-committee has made its final decision today not to approve the film Anna and the King to be shot here in Thailand," Film Board chairman Prasit Damrongchai told reporters.
The application was rejected because Fox did not confirm it would stick to this version, he said.
Thai co-ordinator OSCAR Co's M.R. Supinda Chakraband earlier blamed the sub-committee's late request saying Fox executives could not meet the demand as everyone is on Christmas and New Year holidays.
A high-ranking source dismissed her claim as a tactic to discredit the sub-committee. She said the group has repeatedly asked for the confirmation from M.R. Supinda but to no avail.
It was the third time the board had turned down the application.
"In the revised script, some points have been improved but not enough to uphold the monarchy," Mr Prasit said.
He expressed gratitude to Fox and OSCAR for "genuinely" trying to revise the script and to add some interesting cultural bits.
Sub-committee member Patamavadee Charuworn, head of the Motion Pictures and Still Photography Department, Chulalongkorn University, said although the script was far better than the original one, the story did not depict the reality.
"Anna is still portrayed as the woman who played a key role with King Rama IV and V in several major decisions. Moreover, all Thai women were also depicted as stupid and backward," he said.
The associate professor also revealed confusing dialogue and lack of sequences, citing the dancing scene between Anna and King Rama IV which took place three times and every time the King would say he had never danced with an English lady before.
"I understand mistakes are common if they had to race against time particularly if three people rewrote it. Let's say that in general, this script will make an interesting movie. But something more has to be done if it's going to be made here."
"The offer that we can take part in post-production isn't convincing enough. How can we have control over the movie after all movie producers can hardly control directors of the movie they pay for?" asked Krisda Kerdee, deputy dean of Mass Communications Faculty, Rangsit University.
Critics contend ban on film may hurt image
Date: 27th December 1998
Publication: The Nation (Thailand)Critics of the National Film Board yesterday said the decision to reject the remaking of ''The King and I'', earlier scheduled to be filmed in Thailand, could end up hurting the monarchy quite in contrast to the board's intentions.
Sumet Jumsai na Ayutthaya said that the government leaders as well as the film board officials should bear the responsibility if the country's image was tarnished as a result of the movie being shot elsewhere.
Proponents of the film being shot in Thailand argued that local authorities cou
ld have had some control over the script and filming if it happened in front of them.
The film board, on Friday, finally ruled to turn down 20th Century Fox's request to film the movie ''Anna and the King'' in Thailand.
The controversial film revolves around the story of Anna Leonowens, who was an English tutor in the Royal court during the reign of King Mongkut in the late 19th century.
Board chairman Prasit Damrongchai said the rejection was based on a lack of confirmation that the edited film script submitted to the board was ''really'' the final version, and that the script failed to uphold the monarchy.
PICTURE: M.R. Supinda Chakrabhand, left, of Oriental System of Communication and Research and scriptwriter Stanley Harper announce the company will no longer act as coordinator for the King and I film.
Sumet urged a revamp of the film board to allow a greater representation for people in the movie industry.
MR Suphinda Chakraphand claimed that in making such decision, the film board members had displayed the tendency to play it safe.
Meanwhile, the Oriental System of Communication Research Co announced it would no longer act as coordinator for the film.
'Anna' goes Thai-less to Malaysia
Date: 28th December 1998
Publication: variety.comBANGKOK - The Thai government committee in charge of film production approval announced on Christmas Day the final rejection of a Thai location shoot for Fox's "Anna and the King," ending a six-month ordeal for the studio.
Claiming a new script delivered to it was "insufficiently respectful to the Thai monarchy," the film approval subcommittee rejected the project for a fourth time. Fox, which had all but given up on Thailand anyway, will proceed with shooting in Malaysia in March 1999.
The film, which stars Academy Award winner Jodie Foster and Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-Fat, tells the story of Anna Leonowens (Foster) an English teacher at the Royal Siamese court during the reign of King Mongkut (1851-68).
Anna Leonowen's memoir has a storied history on stage and screen. The Rodgers & Hammerstein musical was turned into the 1956 pic "The King and I" starring Yul Brynner, for which he won the best actor Oscar. Film was banned in Thailand because of historical and cultural distortions.
The recent Thai saga began in July, when Fox 2000 execs requested Thai film and television organizers Oriental System of Communication and Research (Oscar) to review a working copy of the "Anna" script.
Royal rejection
Oscar presented the working "Anna" screenplay, penned by Steve Meerson and Peter Krike, to the Royal Thai Palace, which said the script should be presented to the film approval subcommittee. That 30-member body immediately rejected the project, noting that the Royal Palace had already rejected the script.
"What began as a classic case of miscommunication turned into a big deal," said Oscar rep Supinda Chakrabandu. Fox VP of feature production Mike Moder and Andy Tennant, director of Fox's "Anna" production team, were denied an audience with the subcommittee.
A revised script was sent to subcommittee VP Prasi Damrongchai in October. In letters accompanying the script, the execs wrote that the film "will in no way defame, demean, or offend the memory of His Majesty King Mongkut or his people."
Chakrabandu then assigned local screenwriter Stanley Harper to revise the script to appease the subcommittee. "But I knew (Fox) had already decided to go to Malaysia," said Harper. "I saw a model of the planned Malaysian studio."
On Dec. 9 the script was again submitted to the subcommitee, which requested immediate confirmation of Fox's commitment to film in Thailand. When Fox did not respond, the final rejection was announced.
"Now that the production has gone to Malaysia, not only does the country lose ... 800 million baht ($23 million), we lose the ability to portray a positive image of Thailand to the world," Chakrabandhu said.
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