Flower Drum Song [Blu-ray]

Director: Henry Koster Henry Koster

Overview

The only Rodgers and Hammerstein cinemadaptation to be produced by Universal Pictures, Flower Drum Song was, alas, also the only Rogers and Hammerstein film to lose money at the box office. It looks far better now than it did back in 1961, if only because of the paucity of musical films in the 1990s. Essentially a comedy about the culture clash between old-world Chinese and assimilated Chinese-Americans, the film begins when Mei Li (Miyoshi Umeki) and her grandfather (Kam Tong) smuggle themselves into San Francisco. It seems that Mei Li has arrived to honor an arranged marriage between herself and Runyonesque nightclub owner Sammy Fong (the incomparable Jack Soo). This might prove delicate, since Sammy is in love with flashy cabaret entertainer Linda Low (Nancy Kwan). Meanwhile, Linda is romancing Wang Ta (James Shigeta), the son of a wealthy Chinatown merchant (Benson Fong). Soon, however, Mei Li and Wang Ta have fallen in love.......It's a complex plot, to be sure, but comedy and music manage to predominate. The songs include "I Enjoy Being a Girl" (a tour de force for the special effects department, and for Nancy Kwan), "A Hundred Million Miracles," "The Other Generation," "Love Look Away," "I Am Going to Like It Here," "Don't Marry Me," "You Are Beautiful," "Grant Avenue" and "Chop Suey." Flower Drum Song is attractively produced and consummately acted; while no classic along the lines of King and I or Sound of Music, it deserves a second look.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/24/2022
UPC:	0738329258658
Original Release:	1961
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Language:	English
Time:	2:13:00
Sales rank:	20,558

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Nancy Kwan	Linda Low
James Shigeta	Wang Ta
Miyoshi Umeki	Mei Li
Juanita Hall	Auntie/Madame Liang
Jack Soo	Sammy Fong
Benson Fong	Wang Chi-Yang,Square Dance Caller
Reiko Sato	Helen Chao
Patrick Adiarte	Wang San
Kam Tong	Dr. Li
Victor Sen Yung	Frankie Wing
Soo Yong	Madame Fong
Ching Wah Lee	Professor,San's Girl Friend,Tradesman,San's Girlfiiend
James Hong	Headwaiter
Spencer Chan	Dr. Chon
Arthur Song	Dr. Fong
Weaver Levy	Policeman
Herman Rudin	Holdup Man
Virginia Grey	TV Heroine
Ward Ramsey	Great White Hunter
Laurette Luez	Mexican Girl
Robert Kino	Bank Manager
Beal Wong	Tailor
Frank Kumagai	Tradesman
Paul Sorensen	TV Sheriff
Beulah Quo	Actor
Alfred Newman	Composer
Ken Darby	Composer
Rodgers & Hammerstein	Composer
Richard Rodgers	Composer

Technical Credits

Joseph Fields

Ross Hunter	Producer
Henry Koster	Director
Joseph Fields	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

The weakest of the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein musicals to be adapted for the screen, Flower Drum Song is noteworthy for its use of Asian characters and actors of Asian descent. Unfortunately, those characters are not given a great deal of depth -- or, more precisely, the attempts at giving them depth are entirely too shallow. Neither the characters nor the theme -- old ways vs. new ways -- are really delved into, with the result that the entire enterprise comes across as rather plastic and artificial. In such circumstances, an exceptionally strong score is required to make up for the deficiencies in the script. Song has a number of first rate songs, such as the haunting "Love Look Away" and the charming "I Am Going to Like It Here," which contains one of Hammerstein's most interestingly constructed lyrics, as well as the "guilty pleasure" of "I Enjoy Being a Girl." However, these are offset by the likes of the embarrassing "Chop Suey" and the hokey "The Other Generation." On the plus side, the cast is strong, with Myoshi Umeki absolutely endearing and enchanting, Linda Kwan sexy and saucy, Jack Soo nonchalantly amusing, and Patrick Adiarte provides some dazzling dance moves. "I Enjoy Being a Girl" is given the most effective production, and "Sunday" the most entertainingly bizarre. The "Love Look Away" ballet is impressive, but it ultimately is a tremendous amount of time wasted on a secondary character. Far from a classic, Song is still entertaining, especially for aficionados of the musical film.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler