MovieChat Forums > Anna and the King of Siam (1946) Discussion > liking and respect for one another ...fo...

liking and respect for one another ...for the good of our country.

posted 16 years ago by pathfinder616
4 replies | jump to latest

the closing words in this movie by the young king are perhaps some of the most moving and profound words i have ever heard. they couldn't be more timely, given our current economic and political climate in this country. the ending scene alone makes this movie far superior to the other versions.

"...and all men shall stand before the king and before one another as men should do. and let it be the spirit of this proclamation that this shall be the first of many changes which we hope to bring about as soon as they are possible. as i believe my father, the late king, would wish us to do.

and as i have learned it is right and necessary to do if we are to live and work together in liking and respect for one another as we must do if we are to work together for the good of our country."

[–] starrbeat 16 years ago

Good point. And since Obama thinks he's king, I could see him saying something like that.

Starrbeat presents what's happening.

[–] Errington_92 12 years ago

Personally I did not find this speech moving as in truth it was a thinly disguised piece to show Anna's teachings of the Western world had prevailed. Anna and the King of Siam is very contradictory in the way it shows Anna helping the King from stopping European powers taking over Siam due to its supposed barbaric nature yet her teachings indoctrinated exceptable elements of society as the Western world sees it to the natives around her.

"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not".

[–] gribfritz2 12 years ago

As it's based on Anna's memoirs, I, personally, would fully expect her character to be vindicated by the end of the film. Now whether it was due to her influence or not, the pathway to modernization was indeed paved by Mongkut and his son did continue the path.

[–] Molly-31 8 years ago

What I'd really like to see is what Chulalongkorn really said.

I did find this, though:

http://www.newmandala.org/chulalongkorn-abolished-prostration/

(Phu yai is not just royalty, it's anyone in charge, a boss, mayor, lord, etc. Regular people are phu noi.)

"The practice of prostration in Siam is severely oppressive. The subordinates have been forced to prostrate in order to elevate the dignity of the phu yai. I do not see how the practice of prostration will render any benefit to Siam. The subordinates find the performance of prostration a harsh physical practice. They have to go down on their knees for a long time until their business with the phu yai ends. They will then be allowed to stand up and retreat. This kind of practice is the source of oppression. Therefore, I want to abolish it."

And:

"How will the change assist in developing Siam? They must know now that the abolition of this practice is indeed to show the world that Siam rejects any oppressive and unjust practice."

This sounds a lot more like his father and if they had used it, it would still have been able to play it to make it look like Anna had had some influence.

Well, the city's being built and I'm winning this game. So don't interrupt us with trifles.