History of Italy May") and the Constitutional Referendum that abolished the monarchy; De Gasperi briefly became acting Head of State as well as Prime Minister on 18 June 1946, but ceded the former role to Provisional President Enrico de Nicola ten days later. The aftermath of World War II left Italy with a destroyed economy and a divided society. Following Victor Emmanuel III's abdication, his son, the new king Umberto II, was pressured by the threat of another civil war to call a Constitutional Referendum to decide whether Italy should remain a monarchy or become a republic. On 2 June 1946, the republican
Anna and the King of Siam (film) 1999 as "Anna and the King" with Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-fat. The portrayal of Tuptim in "Anna and the King of Siam", is considerably less sympathetic than in the musical version "The King and I", as the 1946 film shows animosity between Tuptim and Anna, while the musical makes her into a romantic character. Also, Tuptim is ultimately executed cruelly by the king, following an episode in Leonowens's book, while in the musical, her fate is made ambiguous. In 1862. Anna Owens (Irene Dunne) arrives in Bangkok, with her son Louis (Richard Lyon), to tutor the children of the