Anna and the King - videos, teasers and stills from filming

All videos, teasers and footage from the filming of the film "Anna and the King"

Anna and the King (1999)

Timing: 2:28 (148 min)

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All about film

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Actors and characters

What's left behind the scenes

It was crucial for the producers to gain the support of the Thai government, which was very demanding regarding the depiction of the country's history in the film, and especially, the highly revered King Mongkut of Thailand. The National Film Board insisted on the removal of a large number of errors and inaccuracies, for which the film's script was rewritten five times, but approval was never obtained. As a result, the film crew was denied permission to shoot on Thai territory. Subsequently, the film was banned from distribution in Thai cinemas for the same reason.
Due to the refusal of the Thai authorities, most of the previously invited local historians and advisors left the project, and filming took place in neighboring Malaysia, resulting in significant additional costs. An exact replica of the Thai Royal Palace was recreated on a huge set on a golf course in Ipoh with the participation of more than five hundred Malaysian and Australian workers.
The film is based on the diaries of Anna Leonowens, who arrived in Siam (modern-day Thailand) in 1862 to become a teacher at the court of King Mongkut, and left the country in 1867, a year before the king's death. Much of what is described in her diaries and personal stories was later seriously questioned, and a number of details of her biography were recognized as fictional in subsequent research. She never returned to Siam, unlike her son, Louis Leonowens, who became a captain in the royal cavalry and founded a large trading company that still bears his name today.
The story of King Mongkut's concubine, Tapthim, which occupies a significant place in the film's plot and Anna Leonowens' diaries, is not confirmed by historical documents. It may have been based either on unconfirmed rumors and gossip, or on events that occurred long before Mongkut became King of Siam.
For the role of Tapthim, Chinese actress Bai Ling was forced to shave her head, which at the time was over 90 centimeters long.
When the film was released, diplomatic representatives and consuls of Thailand received reports that citizens of their country faced criminal liability for possessing copies of the film. The chairman of the Thai censorship commission, the one that banned the Hollywood film, demanded that every seller, owner, and anyone caught showing the film in Thailand be sentenced to a year in prison, a large fine, or both. Upon learning of the Thai authorities' decision, Twentieth Century Fox studio decided not to appeal to the court. Thai police, meanwhile, had to contend with a flood of pirated video cassettes and discs pouring into the country. A man and a woman were arrested in the Pratunam district with 400 video cassettes of the film. According to Thai censors, the reason for banning the film was the disrespectful and historically inaccurate depiction of the monarchy, and especially King Mongkut, which they considered an insult to the royal family.
Most of the filming took place on Penang Island in Malaysia.

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