The last of the Rodgers and Hammerstein film musicals finally comes to Blu-ray with Kino Lorber’s release of Henry Koster’s ambitious and entertaining Flower Drum Song.
The Production: 4/5
Rodgers and Hammerstein didn’t write many musical comedies during their prolific partnership; they mostly specialized in musical plays with some comic elements built in. Besides Me & Juliet (one of their lesser successes), Flower Drum Song is probably their most blatant musical comedy, and its 1961 film version directed by Henry Koster retains the melodic frivolity of the stage show and improves on it with a better placement of songs and a lavish production that only occasionally goes overboard.
Picture bride Mei Li (Miyoshi Umeki) arrives in San Francisco from Hong Kong with her father Dr. Li (Kam Tong, vocals by Jon Dodson) promised in marriage to nightclub owner Sammy Fong (Jack Soo) as arranged by his mother (Soo Yong). But Sammy already has a girl friend of five years, his nightclub headliner, singer and dancer Linda Low (Nancy Kwan, vocals by B.J. Baker). But tired of waiting for an engagement ring, Linda has gone after the son (James Shigeta) of wealthy Chinese master Wang Chi-Yang (Benson Fong) and gotten herself pinned by the newly graduated Wang Ta. Traditionalist and conservative Master Wang wants desperately for his son and the quiet, respectful Mei Li to marry, but he’s persuaded by his sister-in-law Madame Liang (Juanita Hall) to let the two young ones fall in love naturally and not force marriage on Ta, a situation that may not happen with Ta being pressured into a quick marriage by Linda and also being more sedately pursued by clothier Helen Chao (Reiko Sato, vocals by Marilyn Horne) who’s been carrying the torch for Ta for years.
Writer Herbert Fields has adapted the stage libretto he co-authored with Oscar Hammerstein II into the screenplay for the film. In doing so, he’s retained the stage plot but has shifted musical numbers around to better balance the score with its delicate ballads, comic character numbers, and flashy, upbeat nightclub and production numbers. With Hermes Pan handling the choreography, there are four lengthy dance breaks in the film in addition to all of the songs, padding out the length of this non-roadshow musical to 2 ¼ hours. Two extended ballets – a dramatic one attached to the end of the haunting ballad of heartbreak and longing “Love, Look Away” and a comic one which follows up the clever fantasia of Linda and Sammy’s married life in “Sunday” – just protract the inevitable despite their ingenious constructions and could have been cut. The other two dance sequences are all in service to the film’s dual themes examining both the clashes of American and Chinese cultures and the generation gap ever-widening between parents and their children in the second half of the 20th century: “The Other Generation” as adults and kids bemoan the gulf between their priorities and “Chop Suey” which amusingly combines the melting pot mentality of American culture and then morphs into a dance sequence with a “little bit of everything like chop suey”: square dance, Charleston, the jerk, some jazz, and the cha-cha.
As always with Rodgers and Hammerstein, though, it’s the songs that establish character while carrying us away with their sprightly melodies and affecting lyrics: Mei Li’s delicacy established with “A Hundred Million Miracles” and “I Am Going to Like It Here,” Linda’s ode to womanhood “I Enjoy Being a Girl” (done in marvelously inventive split screen where director Henry Koster makes superb use of the Panavision frame), Ta’s inescapable realization that Mei Li is the girl for him in “You Are Beautiful,” and Sammy’s plea for an end to his marriage contract with Mei Li in “Don’t Marry Me.” Linda’s nightclub and street celebration songs and dances to “Fan Tan Fanny” and “Grant Avenue” likewise show her brash character and innate showgirl appeal.
Oscar-winner Miyoshi Umeki recreates her Tony-nominated stage performance as Mei Li for the screen carefully and most successfully modulating it for the camera. It’s a touching and gently affecting performance that wins viewers’ hearts from the very beginning. Despite not doing her own singing, Nancy Kwan’s brash, fiery Linda makes the part her own with her early ballet training coming in very handy especially in the final dance break of “Grant Avenue” where she keeps up full well with the dance ensemble and executes a series of impressive double and triple pirouettes for good measure. With three different woman all aflutter for him, James Shigeta’s Wang Ta is a fine leading man, and his singing voice is just right for “You Are Beautiful.” Comic duties are shared by a clutch of wonderful performers: Jack Soo’s Sammy Fong juggling multiple romantic balls in the air, Juanita Hall as newly American citizen Madame Liang who mixes metaphors with the best of them, exasperated Benson Fong who as Master Wang Chi-Yang is continually baffled by American culture and aphorisms, and Patrick Adiarte as Wang’s youngest son fully Americanized in hipster jive. Giving less showy but just as effective performances are Reiko Sato as the jilted Helen Chao, Kam Tong as Mei Li’s loving father, and Victor Sen Yung as the Emcee of Sammy’s Celestial Gardens nightclub.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
The film’s original Panavision aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is faithfully rendered in this 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. From the stunning array of Dong Kingman’s paintings behind the main titles to all of the impressive songs and dances, image quality is sterling throughout. Color is wonderfully controlled but very vibrant in this transfer, and details in costumes and sets are easily discernible. The movie has been divided into 10 chapters.
Audio: 5/5
The disc offers both 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround audio mixes in DTS-HD Master Audio configurations. Dialogue and song lyrics are always clear and precise, and the music has been threaded through the soundstage quite expertly making the most of each of the available channels. There are no problems with any age-related audio anomalies.
Special Features: 4.5/5
All of the bonus materials contained on the Universal DVD release of Flower Drum Song have been ported over to this new disc.
Audio Commentary: producer and film historian Nick Redman hosts an engaging conversation with star Nancy Kwan about her memories of making this film and of some of her other show business endeavors.
In the following featurettes, a collection of talking heads speak on the topics of the mini-documentaries. They include Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization honchos Ted Chapin and Bruce Pohomac, film historian Laurence Maslon, original author of The Flower Drum Song C.Y. Lee, actors Patrick Adiarte, Pat Suzuki, and Nancy Kwan, and playwright David Henry Hwang who retooled the book for the 2002 revival of the stage musical.
A Classic Evolves (19:06, SD): the journey from novel to stage musical to film musical.
Faces of the East (9:09): a discussion of the nationalities of the various actors playing Chinese characters in the film.
The Songs of Flower Drum Song (11:00, SD): some details on the development of the songs for the stage version.
Sets and Costumes for Flower Drum Song (5:52, SD): dwells especially on the costumes by Irene Sharaff and the watercolors of Dong Kingman.
The Legacy of Rodgers and Hammerstein (4:24, SD): the accomplishments of the legendary team who had musical theater in their blood.
Theatrical Trailer (2:46, HD)
Kino Trailer: Thoroughly Modern Millie
Overall: 4.5/5
The last of the Rodgers and Hammerstein film musicals finally comes to Blu-ray with Kino Lorber’s release of Henry Koster’s ambitious and entertaining Flower Drum Song. It’s a glorious looking and sounding disc with several affecting standards scattered among its pleasingly lyrical and amusing score, and if one is prepared to accept the film’s era-typical stereotyping and Asians of other descents passing as Chinese, a good time can be had by all. Recommended!
Flower Drum Song (Special Edition) [Blu-ray]
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Matt has been reviewing films and television professionally since 1974 and has been a member of Home Theater Forum’s reviewing staff since 2007, his reviews now numbering close to three thousand. During those years, he has also been a junior and senior high school English teacher earning numerous entries into Who’s Who Among America’s Educators and spent many years treading the community theater boards as an actor in everything from Agatha Christie mysteries to Stephen Sondheim musicals.
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