Blu-ray Review Flower Drum Song Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Ethan Riley]

So who received FDS today?

Mine says it shipped, should be here today.

 

[DFurr]

So who received FDS today?

Me!

 

[Will Krupp]

So who received FDS today?

Amazon tells me it should be waiting for me when I get home!

 

[roxy1927]

Sunday is more a fantasy production number isn't it? I don't think one would call it a ballet.

 

[MartinP.]

The link to the Amazon site says it's being sold & shipped by a third party. (?)
However, I ordered it from Kino Lorber and got it last Friday.

 

[Vern Dias]

So who received FDS today?

Me. Was in my mail box around 11:00.

 

[Indy Guy]

Mine came last Thursday and I was able to view it several times over the weekend. It is a beautiful transfer and I have no technical complaints. From a story point, after the big "Grant Avenue" number and the following striptease exposing Quan's fast girl lifestyle, momentum is slowed down by the placement of the remaining songs and ballet. They can feel arbitrarily interjected into the story... somewhat like internet ads slowing the conclusion of a video.

 

[Noel Aguirre]

Amazawn says tomorrow

 

[cinemel1]

Amazawn says tomorrow

I’m expecting mine tomorrow. Love Look Away is the show’s best song. Sad but beautiful. Rosemary Clooney recorded it for one of her albums.

 

[Vern Dias]

A heads up on the KL BD transfer for FDS.

For those who use the standard 23.976 FPS for their installations:

the Kino FDS blu ray is NOT encoded at 23.976 FPS.

It is encoded at 24.000 FPS.

Video
ID : 4113 (0x1011)
Menu ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : [email protected]
Format settings : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, Reference frames : 4 frames
Codec ID : 27
Duration : 2 h 11 min
Bit rate mode : Variable
Maximum bit rate : 40.0 Mb/s
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate : 24.000 FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive


So if you see frame drops every 10 seconds or so, you'll need to adjust accordingly.

If you are running MadVR, make sure you have an entry for 1080p24 (or 2160p24 if you are upscaling to 4K) in the custom modes config.

That said, it is a beautiful transfer encoded at a very high bit rate (likely direct from a DCP based on the 24 FPS frame rate).

Regardless, Very highly recommended!!!!

 

[Noel Aguirre]

I’m expecting mine tomorrow. Love Look Away is the show’s best song. Sad but beautiful. Rosemary Clooney recorded it for one of her albums.

My favorite is Juanita Hall singing Chop Suey especially when the kids do the Cha-Cha-Cha and then the whole ensemble does a Hoe-Down!

 

[usrunnr]

Mine's arriving tomorrow (in Southern California) from Amazon. I'm surprised.

 

[Ethan Riley]

Just watched it.

Kino has outdone themselves.

Soundtrack is rich and booming. The colors are astounding; never seen it like this.

 

[DarkVader]

Just watched it.

Kino has outdone themselves.

Soundtrack is rich and booming. The colors are astounding; never seen it like this.

I received mine. Even though I own the HDX digital version I just had to have this physical release. FDS wasn't so readily accessible pre-2006 as the other R&H titles.

What a winning release - - - and the "Grant Avenue" number has to be one of my all time favorite movie musical numbers. Nancy Kwan is a knockout!

Miyoshi Umeki just melts my heart - especially in that last scene with James Shigeta when he informs her he is thinking about kissing her and she replies, "When will you know for sure"

 

[DFurr]

We're screening FDS tonight, I think. Haven't seen it since I sold my Technicolor 35mm print years ago. It's the one print I really regret selling. It was a valuable print and I was worried it my turn to vinegar one day so I cashed in.

 

[Noel Aguirre]

This looks great and really adds to the viewing experience with all these beautiful costumes and sets and of course the watercolors used for the opening credits. So fine.

 

[Craig999]

After loving the DVD for so long, I had high hopes for this blu-ray release, and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed. The sound is beautiful but the upgrade in picture clarity I expected just isn't there. Color and sharpness look a little "muddy" to me. Maybe a 4k scan, instead of the 2k that was used, would have helped, just like it did with the two Twilight Time blu-ray releases of Journey to the Center of the Earth. YMMV of course!

 

[Roger Grodsky]

I watched it last night and thought it looked and sounded wonderful. Plus the picture was centered (particularly noticeable in the opening credits). It wasn't centered on the DVD release or any of the TCM showings I've caught. I'm so excited to have it!

 

[Vern Dias]

After loving the DVD for so long, I had high hopes for this blu-ray release, and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed. The sound is beautiful but the upgrade in picture clarity I expected just isn't there. Color and sharpness look a little "muddy" to me. Maybe a 4k scan, instead of the 2k that was used, would have helped, just like it did with the two Twilight Time blu-ray releases of Journey to the Center of the Earth. YMMV of course!

What were you viewing it on?

Watching it at 54" high x 130" wide from an 8' viewing distance with a JVC RS3100 projector, up-scaled to 4K by MadVR left absolutely nothing to be desired.
Definitely nothing "muddy" about the details or the colors.

 

[haineshisway]

I watched it last night - wonderful to see and hear it - Universal should be lauded for doing a nice job with it. I especially enjoyed Russell Metty's photography and his use of lots of gels, creating all kinds of deep colors on walls, hair, and everywhere else. It's kind of a lost art now. Performances are great. Hermes Pan's work is not quite up to the rest - it's very TV variety show-like, but I enjoyed it anyway, even the wacky Love, Look Away ballet. Alfred Newman and Edward Powell's work is fantastic and really shines on this Blu-ray. I saw the film at the new Warner-Hollywood on it opening day, first show. I'd just seen West Side Story a few days before, so it was quite the week. I saw Flower Drum Song there another five or six times before having to back to school. I'd just turned fourteen three weeks prior. Flower Drum Song opened on December 22.