Anna und der König

Ein schöner, zarter Film. Im Hinblick auf die schwachen Emotionen, die er bietet, ist er aber zu lang. Die schöne Ausstattung und das Fluidum des Hauptpaars siegen hier über den schwächeren Antrieb der Geschichte. Chow Yun-Fat ist ein charismatischer König und Jodie Foster ist wie immer toll. Auch wenn ich in der Rolle von Anna lieber Cate Blanchett gesehen hätte. (18.04.2003)

It is a slightly over-sensitive film that tries to capture the clash of two cultures, the British that rules the world and the Siamese, which is of course completely different in philosophy of life, habits and customs. Nothing against it, the effort is worth it, and back in the day Anna and the King was quite popular with middle-of-the-road audiences because it's actually a light, pleasant film for a Sunday afternoon. However, upon closer analysis, we come to the conclusion that the clash of opinions between two different cultures and visions of the world is presented in a very half-hearted and lightweight way, and even The Last Samurai, which has a completely different concept and dynamics, has this aspect portrayed much more faithfully. And when you realize after 150 minutes that the most interesting moment of the film is a bridge being blown up, something is probably not quite right. Jodie Foster's fake tears need no comment. And Chow Yun Fat? You just wait for him to get pissed off and pull out the two 9 mm he must be secretly carrying behind his waist. (24.08.2022)