THE KING AND I
|
Ngoei WenQing
Written by: Peter Bakalian, Jacqueline Feather & David Seidler
Directed by: Richard Rich
Main Cast: Martin Vidnovic (The King of Siam), Miranda Richardson/Christine
Noll (Speaking/Singing Voices of Anna Leonowens), Ian Richardson (Kralahome)
Length: 90 min approx
Rating: **
THE KING AND I was always meant to be a family event, and so in reviewing
the film I tried to temper my more critical views by assuming the position
of a ten-year-old. I figured though, that most ten-year-olds nowadays would
have caught such phenomenal animated features such as Fox Animation Studios"
ANASTASIA", or DreamWork"s 1998 mammoth production, THE PRINCE OF EGYPT,
so in that light my expectations of THE KING AND I were inevitably raised
again. As it were I was disappointed in the end, all things considered. The
film did not exude the sophisticated charm of ANASTASIA, nor did it
exhibit the digitally-enhanced grandeur of THE PRINCE OF EGYPT. The team
from Morgan Creek Productions and Warner Bros cannot be said to have lived
up to the name of the hit Broadway musical it chose to re-adapt.
![[ Pic from Film ]](/film/images/1999.1/kingandi.jpg)
The film revolves, fundamentally, around the exasperatingly romantic(ised?)
relationship between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens. She has come to
Siam, from Britain, to educate his children. The development of their
relationship is however, not explored with comprehensive depth and often
they seemed more to be bickering frivolously than flirting agitatedly. For
the most part I was more captivated by the dignified and occasionally
obnoxious exuberance of the King then I was mesmerised by his supposed
chemistry with the governess.
One couldn"t help but feel that perhaps the writers had gone a little too
far in trying to emulate the legendary success of another classic film
featuring the music of Rogers and Hammerstein II: the first half of THE
KING AND I bore an uncanny semblance to Robert Wise"s 1965 multi-oscar
winning film, THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Anna
seemed an older Maria, The King of Siam a more flamboyant Captain Von Trapp,
the "Getting to Know You" tour of Bangkok a lesser impression of "Do-Re-Mi"
in Vienna. Mind you, I could go on about this if I chose to.
But let me instead turn your attention to what is probably a more predominant concern of the film.
"Love has got nothing to do with tradition." I quote this one line,
spoken twice actually, first by Anna and then later rather ironically
by the King, for the fact that it highlights a meaningful if unlikely
contradiction. One of the recurring themes in the film is the (Asian?)
quality of adhering strictly and oft inflexibly, even irrationally and
tyrannically, to tradition. The Crown Prince"s relationship with
the coy servant girl is not only inappropriate, it is immoral and expressly forbidden.
The King"s extreme, explosive reaction to their "illicit" affair is his
wild, furious and uncompromising assertion that love has everything to do
with tradition. His love for his children, and vice versa, is often
expressed in some form of rite, or ritual, or encapsulated within a pendant
worn around the neck. It is interesting, therefore, to note the King"s
cross-cultural inclinations: his growing affection for Anna - an English
woman, and a widow by the way - as well as his apparently vain but
nonetheless discerning willingness and open-mindedness in the (almost
literal) propulsion of Siam towards scientific modernisation.
Dramatically, the film does have its moments, though in
my opinion this comes mostly in the bumbling antics of bulbous Master Little,
the equivocally named, ill-used hireling of the veritable villain Kralahome.
The eloquent and decidedly abusive chamberlain to the King, along with his
contrastingly inarticulate
and comically begrudging lackey, prove to be an imaginatively conceived
version of the stereo-typical arch-villain-and-comic-aide combination that
almost steals the show.
And just as the plot seems at times incoherent and disconnected, I now make
a rather jarring leap towards the closing scenes of the film. THE KING AND
I ends in a dance between Anna and the King, a fitting if unoriginal
conclusion. The dramatic action sequences just prior to that are so
unmemorable and inconsequential I will speak nothing of them. At the end of
the day THE KING AND I is a largely unanimated animation flick, an
uninspiring cartoon prototype of the musical it tried to emulate. Improvise
a few songs which have already been proven to be a success, throw in a
couple of superfluous animal characters for the kids" amusement, and you get
a pale imitation of a Disney pic, which embraces, rather weakly, the fun
family film formula that might evoke a mild sense of warmth and endearment
but few squeals of delight.
The Flying Inkpot"s Rating System
* Wait for the TV2 broadcast.
** A little creaky, but still better than staying at home with Gotcha!
*** Pretty good, bring a friend.
**** Amazing, potent stuff.
***** Perfection. See it twice.
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