My Grading System

A+ = Masterpiece (I hold back on this one.) / A = Great. / A- = Really Good. / B+ = Good. / B = Decent (Serviceable). / B- = Flawed but okay (For those times there's something redeeming about the work). / C+ = Not very good (Skip it). C = Bad. / C- = Awful. / F = Complete Disaster (I hold back on this one too).

Note on Spoilers: I will try to avoid ruining a story by going into too much detail. But if I wish to include some revealing points to my analysis I will try to remember to add a separate spoiler paragraph.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Anna and the King of Siam (1946)

It would be easy to dismiss this movie as the whitewashed version of the semi-true story of Anna Leonowen's life as an English teacher for the King of Siam’s 60 plus children but it’s actually a beautifully crafted classic with excellent performances by everyone involved. Sure it would have been nice (and moral) if they would have hired an actual Asian actor to play the king instead of using English actor Rex Harrison but that was a different era back then (this is a big rationalization but it’s a truth that shouldn’t be excused but should be understood). The shining star of this production is Irene Dunne who is radiant as Anna, taking the audience on a deeply rewarding journey.  I'm kind of shocked she wasn't nominated for an Oscar that year.   I like her portrayal of Anne more than any others I've seen.  It is something of a testament to Miss Leonowen that so many adaptions have been inspired by her writings from novels, films and a musical.  Grade: A-
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