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By
NICK ZEGARAC
"Anna and the King of Siam"
1946 is the first big screen adaptation to borrow
from the personal journals and public account of
British school teacher, Anna Leonowens and her
experiences in the far East. After the death of
her beloved husband, Anna (Irene Dunne) departed
England in 1862 with her young son in tow to
become the educator of the King of Siam's many
children. However, upon arrival, Anna discovers
that King Mongkut (Rex Harrison) is very much a
renaissance man trapped in heritage thinking. He
refuses to acknowledge Anna's request for a house,
expects that she will bow and grovel as his
servant, and demands, above all else that the
protocol of suppliant be strictly observed. The
headstrong Anna, of course, disagrees. And
although their initial meeting is marred by a
considerable clash of wills, eventually the two
begin to recognize a genuine affection and respect
for one another. He, in marvel of her forthright
nature in the face of his wielding
totalitarianism, realizes his way may not always
be right. She, in absence of having a man to love,
discovers a fallible side beneath the king's
rather gruff façade. Together these two launch a
formidable quest to bring western culture and
change to the seemingly backward status of Siam.
However, the revolution will be neither easy nor
straightforward.
Director, John Cromwell does his very best to
ensure an integrity in what are essentially
cardboard caricatures of people who perhaps defy
any three-dimensional understanding. In point of
fact, Anna Leonowens probably overestimated her
influence on the country and its monarch in her
journals. Hence, the whole tale is thrown off
balance by a very traditionalist and imperialist
perspective that reduces Mongkut to parody from
the start. As a Siamese king, Rex Harrison is
hardly ideally cast -- yet he manages to make much
of the shortcoming, transforming what might
otherwise have been a very dismal characterization
into a challenging bit of reflection. Irene Dunne
is an effervescent Anna -- though in her, one sees
perhaps too much of the screwball heiress a la
Cary Grant in "The Awful Truth" and less of the
stalwart schoolmarm that was, in fact, the real
Anna Leonowens.
Fox's Studio Line transfer on "Anna and The King
of Siam" is impressive, if flawed. Though dirt,
scratches and grain are kept to a bare minimum,
there are still occasions riddled throughout,
where the grayscale falters. Blacks are sometimes
black, sometimes deep gray. Whites can be clean,
but most often appear slightly speckled. Contrast
levels vary throughout. There's some speculation
as to whether dupe negatives were used for certain
scenes. There is a genuine loss of fine details in
certain scenes. The audio is mono but nicely
balanced. The only extras are an audio commentary
and a Biography Special on the real Anna
Leonowens. |
