Film Out Takes

Thailand's film board has refused 20th Century Fox permission to film a new version of the 1946 film Anna and the King of Siam in the country. It says the film, which starred Irene Dunn as the English governess who arrives to tutor autocratic Rex Harrison's 67 royal offspring, "insults the monarchy". Less suprising than the ban perhaps, is why anyone would want to remake The King and I for the Nineties starring Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat.

Icelandic singer Bjork is to make her screen debut in Danish director Lars Von Triers' film Dancer in the Dark, about a Czech girl who goes to America. Bjork is to star, style and score the project. "I have said yes to Lars," said Bjork, "So unless I'm involved in a traffic accident or become a communist and move to China, everything should be in place."

Gillies Mackinnon's Esther Freud adaptation Hideous Kinky, will be previewing at the London Film Festival, but the busy director has already moved onto other things. After years of cheap independent movies, he is working on a bigger budget historical drama. As you would expect from the maker of the tough, Glaswegian coming of age tale, Small Faces, this is no whisp white linen. No, Mackinnon is filming the story of Alfred the Great. The Information has been told that the story will not feature any scene in which cakes are charred, and that fans of the ninth century should "forget John Boorman" and think Tarkovsky instead.