7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A young Chinese girl travels to the United States as part of an arranged marriage and discovers a new and modern world.
Starring: Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta, Benson Fong, Jack Soo, Juanita HallRomance | 100% |
Musical | 96% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The list of Caucasian actors portraying Asians is long, going back to the silent era and such icons as Mary Pickford. If Mickey Rooney's turn in Breakfast at Tiffany's is often cited to this day as one of the more flagrant examples of egregious caricature and perceived inappropriateness, there are scores of others that are at the very least questionable, including John Wayne in The Conqueror and Tony Randall in 7 Faces of Dr. Lao. Interestingly in that regard, then, Flower Drum Song despite any assumed deficits is the rare example of a property that cast Asians almost exclusively to play Asians and/or Asian Americans, though even that decision has been derided by some since it doesn't pass an ostensible "purity test" in casting Chinese actors to portray Chinese characters. All of that controversy aside, Flower Drum Song is frankly not the best remembered Rodgers and Hammerstein musical for a number of reasons, in either its original Broadway incarnation or its film adaptation. The mid to late fifties were an interesting time for the now legendary songwriting pair. Oklahoma!, Carousel and The King and I had all made it to the silver screen, and at least two of the three had connected significantly with ticket buying audiences. That said, Rodgers and Hammerstein's two "new" stage musicals from that same general period, Me and Juliet from 1953 and Pipe Dream from 1955, had not fared as well as previous shows by the pair, though their first foray into an original television musical, Cinderella, had been well received and at least helped to catapult Julie Andrews to superstar status. That kind of intermittent insecurity may have played into Rodgers' now famous bouts with depression, but that may make the innovative qualities of at least the general focus and casting of Flower Drum Song all the more impressive, since it must have seemed like a major risk at the time.
Flower Drum Song is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The back cover of this release offers only a generic "brand new 2K master" as its sole technical announcement. This is a beautifully colorful presentation that really supports the winning cinematography of Russell Metty extremely well for the most part. Jewel tones are in abundance and really resonate strongly, as can probably be made out in several of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review. Densities and color temperature are mostly consistent, but you can spot occasional downturns, as at circa 10:06 during the "A Hundred Million Miracles" number where things look just a bit degraded and cooler for a moment. Some of the location photography, including establishing shots of San Francisco and some later actual work in Chinatown, doesn't have quite the clarity of the bulk of the studio set material. Speaking of studio sets, there are some really obvious backdrops in some scenes (pay attention to the background behind Mei Li and her father when they climb out of the shipping boxes), and the supposed "outdoor" material in Chinatown is more than obviously setbound.
Flower Drum Song has a really gorgeous sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that provides significant breathing room for Alfred Newman's impeccable orchestrations. There is decent if not overwhelming engagement of the side and rear channels for some ambient environmental effects, notably the big carnival in Chinatown. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
I no longer seem to have (or at least couldn't find) my old DVD of Flower Drum Song, but to my memory this Blu-ray ports over the supplements from that now long ago release:
If there is a more winsome and heartbreaking presence than Miyoshi Umeki in Flower Drum Song, I'm not sure I want to know, because I find Umeki's work in this film to be absolutely sensational, despite any supposed deficits the story has. This is a little staid and, yes, old fashioned, but it's also quite stylish in its own way and it is certainly an unusual film in its casting alone, at least for its production era. Technical merits are solid and the supplements while now outdated are very enjoyable. Recommended.
1964
Fox Studio Classics
1969
Warner Archive Collection
1955
1945
Warner Archive Collection
1971
1947
Warner Archive Collection
1951
Warner Archive Collection
1948
Warner Archive Collection
1968
Warner Archive Collection
1949
Warner Archive Collection
1950
Warner Archive Collection
1950
1964
Limited Edition
1943
1982
70th Anniversary
1954
Warner Archive Collection
1949
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1943
Limited Edition
1947
Warner Archive Collection
1957