Flower Drum Song | 
| Directors: Jack Soo, Henry Koster
Actors: Jack Soo, Patrick Adiarte, Spencer Chan, Benson Fong, Jon Fong
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: CDN$ 14.99
Buy New: CDN$ 10.25
You Save: CDN$ 4.74 (32%)
New (15) Used (2) from CDN$ 9.45
Rating:  30 reviews
Sales Rank: 404
Format: Dolby, Ntsc, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.4
MPN: 61024190
UPC: 025192419027
EAN: 0025192419027
ASIN: B000H1RFPA
Theatrical Release Date: November 9, 1961
Release Date: November 7, 2006
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new Item, factory Sealed. Buy direct from the U.S. and save! We only ship airmail to Canada (7-15 days).Caiman, les prix qu'on aime! Tous nos produits sont neufs. Envoi par avion des Etats-Unis
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| Editorial Reviews:
From Amazon.com
Rodgers and Hammerstein made BIG musicals--sweeping song and dance numbers, elaborate stagings, sweet heroines, and love struck but confused heroes. Flower Drum Song has all these elements, so why is it so little known? Perhaps because it had the misfortune to be released the same year (1961) as West Side Story, or maybe because at 133 minutes it's overlong, or did the audience have trouble accepting an all-Asian cast in an Asian-themed musical? Whatever the reasons, it's time to recognize Flower Drum Song for the gem it is. Picture bride Mei Li (Miyoshi Umeki) and her father arrive in San Francisco, having smuggled themselves into the country so Mei Li can marry nightclub owner Sammy Fong (whose mother arranged the whole deal). Mei Li is fascinated by the city and immediately charms its denizens with a delicate rendition of "One Hundred Million Miracles." Fong (Jack Soo), who is having an affair with his star singer, the sexy and scheming Linda Low (Nancy Kwan), pawns Mei Li off on the Wang family, whose eldest son, Ta (James Shigeta), needs a wife (at least that's what his father has decided). Old Chinese culture and new American ideals clash at every turn, with the elders struggling to understand their Americanized children and the children struggling to accept and honor their heritage. Though the movie is dated in some respects, the theme of assimilation vs. separation holds up remarkably well and rings true. "The Other Generation" beautifully illustrates the generation gap. As this is a romantic musical, you know from the beginning which couples will end up together. The most famous song is "I Enjoy Being a Girl," sung by Linda Low as she dresses to seduce Wang Ta. Though too many triangulations and misunderstandings prolong the inevitable conclusion, Flower Drum Song is a very enjoyable and often funny ride. --Dana Van Nest
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| Customer Reviews: Read 25 more reviews...
 I was nine when I first saw this movie in Boston with my January 28, 2004
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
mother. She always picked the really good movies. This was when the movie theatres were elaborate and there were matrons in the ladies rooms. And the theatre carpet didn't smell like feet. I fell in love with James Sigata and I thought Nancy Kwan was the most beautiful woman. When I got home I got my little paper fan and pretended I was Nancy singing "I enjoy being a girl" to my mirror. I'm glad that I bought the CD and I hope they put this movie on DVD or reissue it on VHS. I'd love to have it. And a little trivia-Miyoshi Umeki was Mrs. Livingston on the TV series The Courtship of Eddie's Father.
 Without widescreen it's a disappointment! November 8, 2003
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Producer Ross Hunter lavished some pretty expensive-looking production values and some very capable talent on this film and, as was almost de rigueur back then, mounted it in Panavision and, of course, color. Let's have a DVD with the original ratio preserved, please! Hermes Pan's dance numbers especially (one of this enjoyable film's chief assets) cannot be fully appreciated unless they're seen on the widescreen (or its video equivalent). A panned-and-scanned VHS tape just doesn't do justice to a film which was a fine example of Hollywood professionals working their magic. I saw it first-run, way back when, and despite some reservations, thought it was pretty slick entertainment and would add a properly presented DVD version to my library without any hesitation.
very entertaining, happy ending for a romeo and juliet. November 5, 2003
This has a somewhat shakespearien feel to it as 2 pairs of lovers find they are engaged.... to the other's lover!! to which they've never formally met!! As the parents have thier own traditions to try to uphold to thier children, being chinese and all, this is still america.. and that said, this movie has an old fashioned "singing in the rain" vibe and when I hear Rogers and Hammerstein, I'm there. i'm a big fan of asian culture, and being the early 60's, where people weren't as open and racism was easier to come by... I think this piece was very well put together and the culture was portrayed beautifully. Lots of red and traditional asian wardrobe, and gardens.... I don't want to ruin it for you wondering about whether to get this movie, but i've been watching this movie since I was 8, and avidly awaiting having it in my possesion once again.
Deserves More Recognition March 15, 2003
Peter Kenney (Birmingham, Alabama, USA)
Based on a novel by C.Y. Lee, FLOWER DRUM SONG was a hit show by Rogers and Hammerstein on Broadway in 1958. It was adapted for the screen by Joseph Fields and Oscar Hammerstein with Ross Hunter as producer and Henry Koster as director. The movie featured a mostly Asian cast with the notable exception of the very talented Juanita Hall who was famous for her role as Bloody Mary in SOUTH PACIFIC.The young Asian performers are Nancy Kwan, Myoshi Umeki, James Shigeta and Jack Soo. Because of the venerable Chinese custom of arranged marriages, it appears that Nancy Kwan, a nightclub dancer, may marry the youthful James Shigeta while the innocent Myoshi Umeki will end up in the arms of Jack Soo, a worldly nightclub owner. Can this tragedy possibly be avoided and everybody discover their own true loves? We finally learn the answer to this question about 133 minutes later. Don't miss Benson Fong who will be remembered as Tommy Chan in a few of the Charlie Chan films of the 1940's such as THE SHANGHAI COBRA. He appears here as James Shigeta's father. FLOWER DRUM SONG was overshadowed by WEST SIDE STORY in 1961 but it did still manage to receive Oscar nominations for Best Color Cinematography, Color Costume Design, Color Art Direction, Scoring of a Musical Picture and Sound.
DVD Please! March 11, 2003
norman frizzle (Vancouver)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
With the recent reworking of the 1959 Broadway musical, the novel is being rediscovered. I only ever knew the show via the Original Cast recording and the film version. I've never fallen out of love with it, though the enthusiasm I've always had for the show has succumbed to seemingly unassailable charges that the show was cute, patronizing and politically incorrect.I'm so happy that a recent Broadway revival has allegedly returned to the original novel as the source for its wholely revised libretto. I'm especially delighted that the film (which faithfully adapted the Broadway show) is at last out of the shadows and appreciated for the abundance of riches that it WAS. For far too long it has resided unfairly in shame for what it was not. I still remember the highly emotive use of color and wide screen in the film. A DVD of it is long LONG overdue!
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