Review wanted: Anna and The King
07-12-00, 05:10 PM
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I know this movie is not released yet but for those who rent the VHS from blockbuster, is this movie worth buying when it comes out on DVD ? The reason I ask is because according to the Newspaper, some people in Hong Kong told Yun-Fat Chow that this movie is a little bit boring.
07-12-00, 06:45 PM
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I saw this one in the theaters, and I plan on buying it when it hits DVD. I would classify it as a sweeping epic in the style of Old Hollywood; the sets, locations, and costumes are absolutely beautiful. But as with all big epics of this nature it does tend to move a little slower in parts, but I wasn't bored with it for one second.
07-12-00, 08:05 PM
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When compared to what you usually think of as a CYF movie it is kind of boring. However, as madhat51 stated it is a great movie and I'm looking forward to owning it one day. I just hope they keep the plan of the 2 DVD SE. I heard a rumor that it is only going to be a single DVD 
07-14-00, 12:57 AM
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I did not like this movie very much, although I haven't seen the DVD version yet. It was a very beautiful looking movie, but somewhat hollow underneath. I wouldn't call it boring, but I would say it had no real "high" or "low" points (even the absurd ending was somewhat unclimatic). The relation between Chow Yun-Fat and Jodie Foster verged on being a brother-sister kind of thing and was never explored to the full extent, and with no real romantic chemistry between them (just a lot of googly eyes towards each other). I would have preferred it if Jodie Foster had not been in this movie. She is a very good actress but just didn't feel right as Anna. Chow Yun-Fat on the other hand did have a grand charisma but his English pronunciation became very difficult to understand at many points in the movie. If you have never seen "The King and I" then you might enjoy this movie a bit more than I, since it was hard for me not to compare the two when viewing it. IMO Anna and the King began feeling more like a feminist movie (Anna basically saving "everyone") than a love story between a king and an English woman.
There was, however, one scene that I did find particularly moving. The backstory of the young concubine and her lover ***SPOILER*** and their eventually execution. Almost brought a tear to my eye. I would have rather watched a movie centered around those two characters instead (since they were more interesting than the entire cast put together).
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'Eritis sicut Deus, scientes bonum et malum.'
[This message has been edited by Shilex (edited July 13, 2000).]
There was, however, one scene that I did find particularly moving. The backstory of the young concubine and her lover ***SPOILER*** and their eventually execution. Almost brought a tear to my eye.
I would have rather watched a movie centered around those two characters instead (since they were more interesting than the entire cast put together).------------------
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'Eritis sicut Deus, scientes bonum et malum.'
[This message has been edited by Shilex (edited July 13, 2000).]
