Flower Drum Song with Nancy Kwan: DVD Cover
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Flower Drum Song Director: Henry Koster, Jack Soo Cast: Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta, Juanita Hall, Jack Soo

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  • DVD Release Date: 11/07/2006
  • Original Release: 1961
  • Rating: Not Rated
  • Sales Rank: 8,718

Viewer Rating: (3 ratings)

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Scenes

Features

A classic evolves: From print to stage to screen - Broadway legends Rodgers and Hammerstein adapt the best-selling novel into a theatrical hit and a Hollywood classic; Faces of the east: Casting Flower Drum Song - learn how the film was one of Hollywood's first to cast Asian actors as strong Chinese characters who achieve success and happiness; The songs of Flower Drum Song - from the unforgettable "I Enjoy Being a Girl" to the east-meets-west classic "Chop Suey," experience the wonder of these dazzling musical numbers.; An all-access pass to the sets and costumes of Flower Drum Song; The legacy of Rodgers and Hammerstein; Feature commentary with actress Nancy Kwan and film historian Nick Redman

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Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Flower Drum Song
1. Main Titles [3:59]
2. "A Hundred Million Miracles" [9:22]
3. "Fan Tan Fannie" [5:58]
4. "The Other Generation" [7:53]
5. "A Hundred Million Miracles (Reprise)" [6:11]
6. "I Enjoy Being a Girl" [7:50]
7. "I Am Going to Like It Here" [8:40]
8. Outspoken [5:10]
9. "Chop Suey" [6:52]
10. "You Be the Rock" [7:40]
11. "Grant Avenue" [6:08]
12. "Gliding Through My Memoree" [8:20]
13. "Love Look Away" [9:52]
14. "You Are Beautiful" [7:50]
15. "Sunday" [9:20]
16. "Don't Marry Me" [9:02]
17. Sealed With a Kiss [6:39]
18. "A Hundred Million Miracles (Reprise)/Finale" [4:05]

Scene Index

Editorial Reviews

The only Rodgers and Hammerstein cinemadaptation to be produced by Universal Pictures, Flower Drum Song was, alas, also the only Rodgers 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. Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Customer Reviews

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Flower Drum Songby Anonymous

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November 10, 2006: I'm not sure when I started to hound Universal Home Video about releasing this gem on DVD, but thank goodness I was heard, as well as many others from all the reviews of this new issue. This is my second favorite R&H film version musical behind SOUND OF MUSIC. Absolutely love the score, and always remember how charming this film is, so revisit often when I am in a foul mood or need a R&H fix. It was the only R&H musical film that still didn't have a DVD home, when all others have had at least one or two runs via Fox Home Video. I was lucky to tape the last broadcast of this film in widescreen, but it cut off the end titles a bit, so it was never complete, plus I have Universal's Pan and Scan VHS edition that is long out of print. Well, Universal has made up for it with this release. The remastering of picture and restoring the original technicolor is phenominal, especially focusing on Dong Kingman's lovely paintings that are part of the titles. I didn't imagine 5.1 Surround was possible, as it was advertised in 2.0 Stereo, but was happily surprised to see 5.1 listed on the packaging when I purchased it. The great overture sounds superb with Surround going. As mentioned by other reviewers, there is a great amount of extras that explain how the story got to Broadway in 1958, then the 1961 film, then forgotten, and then revived by the new story and presented on Broadway in 2002. I still would like to see a revival of the original Broadway version to compare it to the movie, as all I have is the Cast Recording. Still, nothing can take away the charm of this film, and the great performances of Nancy Kwan, Jack Soo, Miyoshi Umeki, Juanita Hall, Benson Fong, Reiko Sato and all the rest. During Nancy Kwan's commentary, it was sad to learn of some of the cast who are no longer with us, especially when they left us so young (Reiko Sato in particular, and Jack Soo who left us during his Barney Miller tenure). Nancy also mentioned she has been chosen to narrate a forthcoming documentary on Dong Kingman's artictic work. Only thing missing from the extras are trailers for the film, but in this case, "So what?" Though not specified as such, this 45th Anniversary celebration is great! Maybe at 50 in 2011, another edition will be shared with a few more treats. If not, I'm glad for what we have right here. Enjoy it, and thank you Universal for finally dusting off this diamond and representing it with such lustre.

Flower Drum Songby Anonymous

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October 11, 2002: I loved the Flower Drum Song for its musical flavour as well as drops of comedy & tear jerking scenes. To me it had enough ingredients for a perfect blend of Chinese/American food & I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact I've been trying to obtain a video for my own personal library.

This review was written about the VHS edition.