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Anna and the King of Siam |
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Written by Panrit "Gor" Daoruang
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Friday, 09 February 2007 |
In my history book,
there is nothing saying about Anna Leonowens. I  didn't
know about her before I watched the movie. The movie is banned here
in Thailand because the government said that in the movie most of it
is not true. For example, how she didn't pay proper respect to the king
etc.
When I watched the movie,
I saw that some of the story cound't be true like the king using chopsticks,
I don't think at that time they used chopsticks, they used their hands.
When he was exercising with the sword, that's not Thai, it is Chinese.
And when he goes to meet the Burmese at the bridge, I don't think that
they will go there only three people and meet hundreds of Burmese there.
Also the king was an old man, he spent most of his life as a monk. The
Cigar part I think it is not true, no way the king will ask a kid (Louis)
to smoke. He was a monk for 27 years, I don't think he would have danced
with Anna.
In my idea, this movie shouldn't
be banned in Thailand. I know that lots of things and what they do in
the movie aren't right but it will be good if you show it to Thai people
and let them think for themselves. Or maybe just have an age limit to
watch it. Lots of people want to watch it because they want to know
what does a foreigner know about Thailand. When Thai people watch it
they can then tell foreigners what's wrong and right.
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FICTION
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What
Anna told about her life
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FACT
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What
historians now believe
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| Her
name was Anna Crawford, born in Wales, on November 5, 1834. |
Her
name was Anna Edwards, born in India in 1831. |
| Her
father was Captain Thomas Crawford, who died during a Sikh uprising
in India when Anna was just 6 years old. Anna and her sister were
at school in Wales at the time. |
Her
father was Thomas Edwards, a cabinet maker who enlisted in the
Bombay infantry. He died three months before Anna was born and
her mother re-married to a corporal in the Engineers. Anna and
her sister were sent to school in England. |
| Anna
and her sister moved to India on the completion of their education
at the age of 14 or 15. |
Anna
and her sister returned to India on the completion of their education
at the age of 14 or 15. |
| Her
step-father wanted to marry her off to a man twice her age. To
escape this situation, she went on a long tour of the middle east
with the Reverand Percy Badger. |
Her
step-father wanted to marry her off to a man twice her age. To
escape this situation, she went on a long tour of the middle east
with the Reverand Percy Badger. |
| On
her return she eloped, at the age of 17, to marry an army captain
named Thomas Leonowens. |
On
her return she married, at the age of 18, a clerk called Thomas
Leon Owens. |
| They
lived in London for a while before, Thomas Leonowens, now a major,
was posted to Singapore. Whilst there, Anna learned that the money
that her father had left her had all been lost during the Indian
Mutiny. |
Thomas
Owens had difficulty in keeping a job and they moved around a
lot. They had two children called Louis and Avis. |
| Major
Thomas Leonowens suffered sunstroke on a tiger hunt and later
died leaving Anna with two small children and no money. |
Thomas
Owens died of apoplexy in Penang, Malaya. Anna moved to Singpaore. |
| Friends
rallied round to help and she began a small school for officers'
children. Her daughter Avis was sent back to England. Whilst in
Singpaore she received the invitation to go to Siam (now Thailand). |
Friends
rallied round to help and she began a small school for officers'
children. Her daughter Avis was sent back to England. Whilst in
Singpaore she received the invitation to go to Siam (now Thailand). |
Information from King
and I: Fact or Fiction, made by my old school.
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