Soundtrack Composer: George Fenton
Length of Soundtrack: Nearly one hour

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Tracks:
01 - How Can I Not Love You
02 - Arrival at the Palace
03 - Meeting the Children
04 - Tuptim
05 - Letter of the Week
06 - The House
07 - The Rice Festival
08 - Rajah Attack
09 - Anniversary Polka
10 - "I Am King, I Shall Lead"
11 - Flowers on the Water
12 - Moonlit Beach
13 - Betrayed
14 - Chowfa's Death
15 - The Execution
16 - Anna Returns
17 - The Bridge
18 - "I Have Danced With A King"

Director Andy Tennant and composer George Fenton have a great working relationship and respect for each other’s work, which is why they teamed up to do Anna and the King, their second collaboration in a row.  The relationship between the two continued after the surprise hit, Ever After: A Cinderella Story, which Tennant directed and Fenton composed the music. The two seem to understand each other well and Fenton perfectly compliments the visuals and storylines that Tennant creates.

Tennant’s appreciation for Fenton’s work and dedication is reflected in a note he placed in the inside sleeve of the Anna and the King soundtrack. In it, he says:

“I read the script to Anna and the King while listening to George record the soundtrack to Ever After, so it is fitting that he has, once again, created with music what took me eighteen months to try and say with words and images. His love theme isn’t really a love theme at all, but rather a ‘loss’ theme. George writes music that speaks to the tragedy of the images rather than the drama, and in that single decision lies utter genius.

Anna and the King is everything I never know I always wanted in a film score. The music is magnificent; the man, equally so.” – Andy Tennant.

For the Anna and the King soundtrack, Fenton does an amazing job of creating a strong underlying theme for the movie while perfectly enhancing the emotions, action, time period, and romance. Fenton flawlessly mixes ethnic percussion and sounds, along with soft strings and a full-blown orchestra to create a realistic environment for the movie’s setting; Siam.

Fenton’s six-minute main theme, “Arrival at the Palace,” nicely sets the tone for the entire soundtrack. The use of a violin opens the score leading to a full-blown orchestration of the movie’s theme.  From here, Fenton carries the theme nicely through the rest of his composition.

Another great thing about Fenton’s soundtrack is that some selections are daring in their approach to the visuals. This is especially true of a bold move Fenton made with the song “Execution,” which takes place during one of the movie’s key scenes where a couple, that the audience has come to like and identify with, is executed.  In most soundtracks, the scene of the execution would contain a powerful score with dramatic undertones and heavy percussion. Yet Fenton decided to go with a softer, more mild score that is reflective of the movie’s theme in order to tie the event closer with the personal struggle that Anna is going through over the execution.  Several composers have tried this method with similar scenes in other movies and have failed miserably. The song becomes a distraction. Yet Fenton pulls it off nicely. His song doesn’t serve as a disruption, but rather as a reflection, and in that his genius ways in composing the music for Anna and the King shines through. 

The Anna and the King soundtrack not only captures the underlying essence of the movie in great detail, but it also stands great on its own, the true testament to how well a soundtrack is created.  It’s no wonder that Tennant keeps bringing Fenton back for all of his films.

Visit our Movie Soundtracks store, in association with Amazon.com, to buy this soundtrack and other soundtracks reviewed by Hollywood Lot Magazine.