Inconsistencies
- Mongkut really did write a letter to Washington about elephants, but the offer was unrelated to the Civil War. His letter, accompanied by some gifts, was addressed to President Buchanan during the last month of his term, "or to whomsoever the people have elected anew as Chief ruler in place of President Buchanan". (Excerpts from the text of the actual letter) The response, dated a year later, came from Lincoln.
- Most Thai were shocked by the portrayal of their revered 19th-century king in this film and in the musical The King and I. Each production was based on Margaret Landon's 1944 book, Anna and the King of Siam, based on Leonowens' somewhat fictionalized accounts of her experiences. Landon further fictionalized the story and, like Leonowens herself, made up incidents to make the story more accessible. Both women were dedicated to the women's rights movement and thus present a distorted, prejudiced view of Mongkut and Siamese palace life. To correct the record, well-known Thai intellectuals Seni Pramoj and Kukrit Pramoj wrote The King of Siam speaks in 1948. (ISBN 9748298124)
- The Siamese theatricals presented at the dinner party in the film are accompanied by music that seems to be sourced from the Folkways album Music of the Orient (1979 remastered edition available). The soundtrack cuts back and forth between a piece labeled Gamelan Gong: Lagu kebiar which is not Siamese but Balinese, and what appears to be a Thai piece used to accompany dramatic performances. The recording labels it as "Musical Drama: Scene from the Rama Legend". The Balinese music is in a style known as gong kebyar, which didn't exist in the 1860s. However, the background music by Bernard Herrmann is clearly based on Thai traditional court music in the mahori style, particularly the use of the ranat xylophone (samples here).
- Anna wears hoopskirts throughout the film's timeline up to 1870, but it is not actually known whether they were necessarily worn or fashionable at that time.
- Anna's son Louis dies as a child in riding accident in the film, and Anna's decision to remain in Siam is prompted both by the King's sincere regret for her loss and her own maternal instincts: Prince Chulalongkorn becomes a sort of foster son for Anna. The historical Louis Leonowens did not die as a child, and in fact outlived his mother.
- In the film, Anna is present at the death of King Mongkut. The historical Anna had been granted a leave of absence for health reasons and was in England at the time of the King's death.
Read more about this topic: Anna And The King Of Siam (film)