Anna and the King cannot be seen in Thailand. In the kingdom, this film is banned as a film defaming the honor of the royal family. The ban of the film "Anna and the King" in Thailand is due to the fact that King Mongkut, who is depicted in the film, was a monarch from the Chakri dynasty.

The Chakri dynasty still rules Thailand to this day. The ban on the film is attributed to "an irreverent and historically inaccurate portrayal of the monarchy, and especially King Mongkut," which the Thai government considers an insult to the royal family.

If you decide to watch the film "Anna and the King" while in the Kingdom of Thailand, you face a year in prison or a heavy fine.

The events of the film "Anna and the King" take place in the 19th century. The scene is Siam, now Thailand. The main characters of the film are the Englishwoman Anna and King Mongkut of Siam.



The 1999 film "Anna and the King" in 2000 won an Oscar for the best set and costumes. Jenny Bevan was the costume designer for this film.

Jenny Bevan was born in London in 1950. She studied at the Central School of Art and Design, specializing in scenography. Then she worked for some time in her specialty in theatrical performances. In the late 1970s, Jenny Bevan began working as a costume designer in the cinema. At the same time, her works are mainly historical costumed dramas, in time dating either to the 19th century or to the first half of the 20th century. So Jenny Bevan understands the costume of these eras very thoroughly.

However, Jenny Bevan won one of her personal Oscars for costume design for her work on costumes for Mad Max: Fury Road in 2016. And the genre of this film, science fiction, is very far from the usual historical cinema for Jenny.




The film "Anna and the King" also has its own background. This film partially corresponds to the book by the American writer Margaret Landon "Anna and the King of Siam". The main character of the book, Anna Leonuens, is a real historical figure.

Anna Leonuens (1831-1915), before marriage Edwards - traveler, teacher and writer. English by nationality, she was born in India. In the 19th century India was an English colony... After marriage, Anna lived for a while in Western Australia, where she tried to open a girls' school, and then in Singapore, where her husband Thomas Owens Leone or Leonuens got a job. In 1859, Anna's husband died. The cause of his death was a stroke.



After her husband's death, Anna began teaching and opened a school in Singapore for the children of British army officers.

And in 1862, Anna Leonuens was offered a job in the Kingdom of Siam - to become a teacher for the children (82) and wives (39) of King Mongkut of Siam. Together with her son, Anna went to Siam, where she worked for about 6 years. After the death of King Mongkut, in 1868, she left Siam. This is in reality. In the film, Anna leaves Siam much earlier. And it was the story of Anna Leonuens' stay in Siam, as well as her relationship with the King of Siam Mongkut, that formed the basis of the film's plot.

As for the real Anna Leonuens, after leaving Siam, she lived for some time in New York and wrote her memoirs, which were published in one of the American magazines of that time. Later, her memoirs will be published, which will form the basis of Margaret Landon's book Anna and the King of Siam.

Anna Leonuens spent the last years of her life in Canada. She was buried in Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal.

In 1946, based on the book by Margaret Landon "Anna and the King of Siam", a film was shot, which was called "Anna and the King of Siam". It is the remake of the 1946 film that is the 1999 film "Anna and the King".

Also about Anna and the King of Siam in 1951, the musical "The King and I" was staged.And in 1972 the television series Anna and the King was filmed. There is also the 1999 cartoon "The King and I", also based on the story of Anne Leonuens' life in the Kingdom of Siam.



As for King Mongkut, played by Chinese actor Chow Yunfat in 1999's Anna and the King (Jodie Foster played Anna in this film), he became king in 1851 after the death of his brother. During his reign, King Mongkut pursued a policy of rapprochement between Siam and European countries; he was also well educated and knew European languages. At the same time, he managed to defend the independence of Siam. Neither England nor France could make Siam their colony.

The film "Anna and the King" is definitely worth watching not only for fans of historical costumed films, but also for all those who are interested in the history of the countries of Southeast Asia. Most of the costumes presented in the film are oriental-style costumes. And Anna's outfits correspond to the style "second rococo", Which was widespread in Europe in the mid-19th century.