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Anna and the King
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
I never did get a chance to see director Andy Tennant's "Anna in the King" in theaters, and when the DVD was delayed, I waited rather than watching the VHS. All the better to appreciate the unbelievable sets and costumes that populate this 75 million dollar adaptation. Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat take the two lead roles in this version, Anna Leonowens and King Mongkut. Anna is a British schoolteacher who travels to Siam to teach the king's children English.
Many will remember Chow Yun-Fat from his American debut in "The Replacement Killers" as well as his more popular (and more well-liked) Hong Kong hits. After I reviewed "The Replacement Killers" a few months ago, I hoped that Yun-Fat would further persue dramatic roles - not only is he amazing with action sequences, but he does so well with drama as well. He's the kind of actor who doesn't have to even speak to convey a lot of emotion - a look of his can do all of the talking. Although "Anna and The King" may have not been the perfect role for him, he is the perfect actor for the role.
Once she begins her stay working for the king, the two have an entertaining back-and-forth for much of the early portion of the movie. In a country where women are not looked at as equals, this young teacher begins to gain the respect of those around her as she becomes more used to the customs of the country. Foster is good as well, although unlike Fat's performance, where he becomes the role, Foster never quite accomplishes that.
The problem becomes that Tennant takes this picture longer than it should have gone. Praise to the actors that they make the conversations of the first half involving, but at two and a half hours, the film starts to drag towards the end. Some of the second half is devoted to a number of battle sequences, which aren't as interesting as the romance that much of the picture offers.
The film's sets and visuals at times threaten to become the stars of the movie during the slower points. The work that was done here is amazing and it looks as if no detail was overlooked. The film's locations are postcard-perfect, and cinematography by Caleb Deschanel ("The Patriot") is often breathtaking. In the end, this isn't a bad film, but it's just a film that needs a little trimming and some slight re-working. One has to look at Chow Yun-Fat's great performance though, and hope that he will not only star in more action films here, but dramas as well.
The DVD
VIDEO: With "Anna and The King"'s image quality, many will be reminded of Fox's work earlier this Summer with "The Beach". "Anna and the King" displays the occasional flaw, but otherwise presents breathtaking quality that shows off the film's incredible visuals very well. Sharpness and detail are remarkably good, and never did I feel that the film slipped into softness. Often, there is also a depth to the image that is extremely pleasing. Clarity is perfect, and the image is consistently very well-rendered.
Flaws consist really only of a couple of brief, very minor marks on the print used. I didn't notice anything in the way of pixelation, shimmering or other such problems. The picture's clean appearance goes a long way in helping it to be a very pleasing, very natural looking presentation.
Colors, as one might expect, are rich and beautiful. There is a remarkable range of colors, with deep reds, bold greens, and a wide variety of other goregous colors on display. Looking well-saturated and striking, colors certainly aren't flawed. Black level is also solid, and flesh tones are natural and accurate.
Those who were a fan of the film's beautiful sets, costumes and cinematography will be very pleased with Fox's excellent work here. The 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is definitely a very pleasing visual experience.
SOUND: The film boasts an enjoyable Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack that although often not agressive, still tries to keep the sound "open" and enveloping. Much of the film is driven by dialogue and music; the score by George Fenton (who also did the score for Tennant's "Ever After") is bold, crisp and enveloping.
Surrounds are used very nicely throughout the film, whether in the more intense sequences, or adding to the softer moments. During some of the more active sequences, like the attack in chapter 15, the sounds of battle are all around. Another good example is the giant bridge explosion in chapter 18. There are other sequences with rain and crowds that also use the surrounds effectively. In the quieter sequences, the surrounds offer pleasant ambient sounds such as light insect and bird sounds in the background, as well as the score. The subtle touches are enjoyable, and build a nice sense of space. Dialogue is clear and easily heard, as well. Personally, I found the audio for the film to be enjoyable and not lacking - active when it needed to be, and adding subtle touches in the quieter moments.
MENUS:: As with the majority of their recent titles, Fox has made animated main menus, and the ones for "Anna and the King" are quite nice, with film-themed images serving as background and some subtle, but enjoyable animation when the viewer makes a choice from the main menu. Some of the sub-menus aren't animated, but still are nicely done and keep with the tone of the film.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Andy Tennant. After watching the film, I was very interested in what the director had to say about taking on such a major budget film. The commentary didn't dissapoint me, with quite a lot of information and some great tidbits even in the first few minutes, as Tennant talks about some boat owners whose boats were supposed to be in the film who took off with the money that the production paid them. Also, he points out a scene where an actress was drunk during filming her scene.
As one might expect, much of the discussion talks about working with the actors and talking about the locations and sets that had to be built for the production. Also, Tennant mentions the heat during the filming, where temperatures often rose to above 100 degrees(and the actors had to be in heavy clothes). There are a few noticable pauses during the discussion, but Tennant seems to be enjoying talking about the film and remembering some of the stories from the set.
First Look: This is a 14 minute documentary that offers similar elements as the usual promotional documentaries. This one thankfully is not agressively promotional in nature, and does provide some interesting information in the interviews and behind-the-scenes. Interviews repeat the plot of the film, but it's entertaining to hear it from the viewpoint of the director and two main actors. It's really stunning to hear more about how the main set(which is one of the biggest ever made for a film) was made by over several hundred workers.
Featurettes: There are 4 additional featurettes, "Production Design", "Costume", "Elephants", and "Advanced Combo". The first 3 featurettes are a little over 2 minutes in length each; the 4th one is 5 minutes. These featurettes take a more specific look at the elements that were looked at in the longer "First Look" documentary. "Advanced Combo" brings these pieces together into a five minute look.
Additional Featurette: Another, shorter 6 minute featurette that does tend to repeat what the previous featurettes go over.
Deleted Scenes: 7 deleted scenes are included (one is a prologue and one is an epilogue) and these scenes have optional commentary from director Andy Tennant. These were taken out for various reasons, but one was probably the film's running time going a little too long.
Also: Trailer(Dolby 2.0); Joy Enriquez music video.
Final Thoughts: "Anna and the King" has some flaws, but it's a better film than I'd expected and one I do recommend. After watching it, I'm suprised it didn't do better at the box office. And the more I think about it in the days after I've reviewed the film, the more I like it. Still, after a delay in getting the DVD out, Fox has done a very fine job with the presentation, with excellent video and audio quality. There are also some informative and enjoyable extras. To top it off, this title will be released with a new retail price from Fox: $26.98; most stores will offer it for a lower price. Hopefully, this price decrease (from $29.99 and $34.99 for most of their titles) will continue.
I never did get a chance to see director Andy Tennant's "Anna in the King" in theaters, and when the DVD was delayed, I waited rather than watching the VHS. All the better to appreciate the unbelievable sets and costumes that populate this 75 million dollar adaptation. Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat take the two lead roles in this version, Anna Leonowens and King Mongkut. Anna is a British schoolteacher who travels to Siam to teach the king's children English.
Many will remember Chow Yun-Fat from his American debut in "The Replacement Killers" as well as his more popular (and more well-liked) Hong Kong hits. After I reviewed "The Replacement Killers" a few months ago, I hoped that Yun-Fat would further persue dramatic roles - not only is he amazing with action sequences, but he does so well with drama as well. He's the kind of actor who doesn't have to even speak to convey a lot of emotion - a look of his can do all of the talking. Although "Anna and The King" may have not been the perfect role for him, he is the perfect actor for the role.
Once she begins her stay working for the king, the two have an entertaining back-and-forth for much of the early portion of the movie. In a country where women are not looked at as equals, this young teacher begins to gain the respect of those around her as she becomes more used to the customs of the country. Foster is good as well, although unlike Fat's performance, where he becomes the role, Foster never quite accomplishes that.
The problem becomes that Tennant takes this picture longer than it should have gone. Praise to the actors that they make the conversations of the first half involving, but at two and a half hours, the film starts to drag towards the end. Some of the second half is devoted to a number of battle sequences, which aren't as interesting as the romance that much of the picture offers.
The film's sets and visuals at times threaten to become the stars of the movie during the slower points. The work that was done here is amazing and it looks as if no detail was overlooked. The film's locations are postcard-perfect, and cinematography by Caleb Deschanel ("The Patriot") is often breathtaking. In the end, this isn't a bad film, but it's just a film that needs a little trimming and some slight re-working. One has to look at Chow Yun-Fat's great performance though, and hope that he will not only star in more action films here, but dramas as well.
The DVD
VIDEO: With "Anna and The King"'s image quality, many will be reminded of Fox's work earlier this Summer with "The Beach". "Anna and the King" displays the occasional flaw, but otherwise presents breathtaking quality that shows off the film's incredible visuals very well. Sharpness and detail are remarkably good, and never did I feel that the film slipped into softness. Often, there is also a depth to the image that is extremely pleasing. Clarity is perfect, and the image is consistently very well-rendered.
Flaws consist really only of a couple of brief, very minor marks on the print used. I didn't notice anything in the way of pixelation, shimmering or other such problems. The picture's clean appearance goes a long way in helping it to be a very pleasing, very natural looking presentation.
Colors, as one might expect, are rich and beautiful. There is a remarkable range of colors, with deep reds, bold greens, and a wide variety of other goregous colors on display. Looking well-saturated and striking, colors certainly aren't flawed. Black level is also solid, and flesh tones are natural and accurate.
Those who were a fan of the film's beautiful sets, costumes and cinematography will be very pleased with Fox's excellent work here. The 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is definitely a very pleasing visual experience.
SOUND: The film boasts an enjoyable Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack that although often not agressive, still tries to keep the sound "open" and enveloping. Much of the film is driven by dialogue and music; the score by George Fenton (who also did the score for Tennant's "Ever After") is bold, crisp and enveloping.
Surrounds are used very nicely throughout the film, whether in the more intense sequences, or adding to the softer moments. During some of the more active sequences, like the attack in chapter 15, the sounds of battle are all around. Another good example is the giant bridge explosion in chapter 18. There are other sequences with rain and crowds that also use the surrounds effectively. In the quieter sequences, the surrounds offer pleasant ambient sounds such as light insect and bird sounds in the background, as well as the score. The subtle touches are enjoyable, and build a nice sense of space. Dialogue is clear and easily heard, as well. Personally, I found the audio for the film to be enjoyable and not lacking - active when it needed to be, and adding subtle touches in the quieter moments.
MENUS:: As with the majority of their recent titles, Fox has made animated main menus, and the ones for "Anna and the King" are quite nice, with film-themed images serving as background and some subtle, but enjoyable animation when the viewer makes a choice from the main menu. Some of the sub-menus aren't animated, but still are nicely done and keep with the tone of the film.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Andy Tennant. After watching the film, I was very interested in what the director had to say about taking on such a major budget film. The commentary didn't dissapoint me, with quite a lot of information and some great tidbits even in the first few minutes, as Tennant talks about some boat owners whose boats were supposed to be in the film who took off with the money that the production paid them. Also, he points out a scene where an actress was drunk during filming her scene.
As one might expect, much of the discussion talks about working with the actors and talking about the locations and sets that had to be built for the production. Also, Tennant mentions the heat during the filming, where temperatures often rose to above 100 degrees(and the actors had to be in heavy clothes). There are a few noticable pauses during the discussion, but Tennant seems to be enjoying talking about the film and remembering some of the stories from the set.
First Look: This is a 14 minute documentary that offers similar elements as the usual promotional documentaries. This one thankfully is not agressively promotional in nature, and does provide some interesting information in the interviews and behind-the-scenes. Interviews repeat the plot of the film, but it's entertaining to hear it from the viewpoint of the director and two main actors. It's really stunning to hear more about how the main set(which is one of the biggest ever made for a film) was made by over several hundred workers.
Featurettes: There are 4 additional featurettes, "Production Design", "Costume", "Elephants", and "Advanced Combo". The first 3 featurettes are a little over 2 minutes in length each; the 4th one is 5 minutes. These featurettes take a more specific look at the elements that were looked at in the longer "First Look" documentary. "Advanced Combo" brings these pieces together into a five minute look.
Additional Featurette: Another, shorter 6 minute featurette that does tend to repeat what the previous featurettes go over.
Deleted Scenes: 7 deleted scenes are included (one is a prologue and one is an epilogue) and these scenes have optional commentary from director Andy Tennant. These were taken out for various reasons, but one was probably the film's running time going a little too long.
Also: Trailer(Dolby 2.0); Joy Enriquez music video.
Final Thoughts: "Anna and the King" has some flaws, but it's a better film than I'd expected and one I do recommend. After watching it, I'm suprised it didn't do better at the box office. And the more I think about it in the days after I've reviewed the film, the more I like it. Still, after a delay in getting the DVD out, Fox has done a very fine job with the presentation, with excellent video and audio quality. There are also some informative and enjoyable extras. To top it off, this title will be released with a new retail price from Fox: $26.98; most stores will offer it for a lower price. Hopefully, this price decrease (from $29.99 and $34.99 for most of their titles) will continue.
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