FLOWER DRUM SONG: Blu-ray (Hunter-Fields/Universal-International, 1961) Kino Lorber

A hundred-million miracles and the divine inspiration of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II produced Flower Drum Song (on Broadway in 1958), a sublime tribute to the Asian-American community, based on Chinese-American author, C.Y. Lee’s 1957 novel of the same name. The film version, produced by Ross Hunter would arrive late in 1961. More on this in a moment. As stagecraft, Flower Drum Song was not terribly well-received. In fact, compared to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s other formidable works, Flower Drum Song barely registered a blip on the creative radar. That, however, did not prevent it from becoming a sizable hit. Lee's novel focused on Wang Chi-yang, a wealthy refugee, steadfast in the traditions of his country, brought into San Francisco's vibrant Chinatown community. In refocusing their musical on Chi-yang’s son, Wang Ta, R&H believed they had the perfect template for a story about a man torn between his ancestral roots and total assimilation into American culture. Gene Kelly was hired to direct, marking his debut, and, the team set about to populate their proscenium with Asian (or at least, Asian-looking) cast members. The chief criticism of R&H’s Flower Drum Song was that it skewed to fluff over Lee’s progressive analysis of the American-Chinese immigrant experience. And, while profitable on Broadway, with a national tour to follow, Flower Drum Song was never considered top-tier Rodgers and Hammerstein by the critics. Consequently, after the 1961, Henry Koster-directed movie, Flower Drum Song was to remain MIA, largely due to casting issues, but also over mounting anxieties that its quaintness and stereotypes would offend more progressive audiences in the intervening decades.

After Lee’s novel became a bestseller, he was inundated with offers to produce both a stagecraft and movie version. While the movie offers paid $50,000 but would have forced Lee to surrender all rights to the work, the stage offers paltry $3,000 payout also allowed Lee to retain the rights thereafter.  Inevitably, Broadway producer, Joseph Fields won this coin toss. Flower Drum Song would go from page to stage first, before making the happy translation to the big screen. For the ’61 movie, R&H left 2oth Century-Fox (who had produced all of their previous movie versions, some in conjunction with the Magna Corp.) for Universal, the studio having the foresight to hire Fields, who had collaborated with Hammerstein on the libretto, to work on the screenplay herein. For Ross Hunter and Henry Koster, Flower Drum Song would be their first movie musical. In an age where movie musicals were increasingly becoming an expensive gamble at the box office, Universal was taking no chances, getting noted watercolorist, Dong Kingman to design the main titles, and veteran choreographer, Hermes Pan to stage the musical sequences. For logistical reasons, much of the movie was confined on Stage 12 at Universal, where a precise replica of San Francisco’s Chinatown was rebuilt down to the last detail at a then staggering cost of $310,000. Unusual for its time, but faithful to R&H’s original intent, the bulk of the film’s cast was comprised of real Asian actors, rather than actors performing ‘yellow face’.  Ross Hunter had hoped to convince veteran Asian-American star, Anna May Wong to partake as Madam Liang. In her prime, Wong had been the only star in American films unable to kiss her leading man due to the miscegenation laws. Alas, Wong died just before filming commenced.

In translating the novel to the screen, changes were inevitable. The song, ‘Like a God’ was reconfigured into beat poetry, and, as this was a musical, the rejection of the character of Helen’s romantic overtures did not culminate in her suicide; merely, a broken-hearted ‘sadder but wiser’ revelation from which, it is presumed, she would eventually recover. Despite its incredible camerawork, and superb casting, Flower Drum Song remains the least celebrated of all Rodgers and Hammerstein’s stage to screen adaptations. It shouldn’t be. The overt glossy Ross Hunter production sports some fine and intelligent performances from top-billed Nancy Kwan, as Linda Low (singing voice dubbed by B.J. Baker), a showgirl at the Celestial Gardens, Miyoshi Umeki – Mei Li, a mail order bride, Jack Soo, as Samuel Adams Fong, and Reiko Sato – Helen Chao (singing dubbed by Marilyn Horne), a seamstress, unrequited in her love for Wang Ta (James Shigeta). Apart from its unique casting – imagine, hiring Asian actors to play Asian characters…how progressive! – Flower Drum Song boasts a memorable score from Rodgers and Hammerstein, to include ‘A Hundred Million Miracles’, ‘I Enjoy Being a Girl’ and ‘Grand Avenue’ – the latter, lavishly staged on the mammoth Stage 12 set.  Koster and Hunter were novices to the musical genre. While this could have spelled utter disaster, and frequently had on musicals made by artists unfamiliar with the genre’s particular requirements, on Flower Drum Song, the infusion of new – untested – blood proved rewarding and, even better, refreshing.

Nancy Kwan won her role on approval from Hunter, who had been impressed by her performance the year before in The World of Suzie Wong (1960). To keep production costs manageable, only a few process plates and establishing shots were actually photographed in San Francisco, including the memorable scenic drive near Twin Peaks with doubles standing in, and, a few brief inserts of Frisco’s actual Chinese New Year Festival and Parade. Given that four other R&H Broadway smashes had already made the successful transition to the movies, it was inevitable Hollywood should have come to call on Flower Drum Song. That the property proved seemingly to make the migration from stage to screen effortless was a bit more of a challenge behind the scenes. Billed as ‘the most romantic musical’, and well-received at the time of its release, viewed today – and comparatively, alongside R&H’s other socially conscious film musicals, Flower Drum Song has somewhat dated. It is far more sentimental in its comedy of errors but makes more sushi than stereotypes from its Asian-American actors.

Top-billed Miyoshi Umeki as Mei Li, a Chinese refugee smuggled into San Francisco with her father (Kam Tong) aboard a freighter. Once docked in the harbor, Mei performs ‘flower drum songs’ in the street while seeking out her 'picture husband', Sammy Fong (Jack Soo). Fong is the proprietor of a ritzy nightclub, the Celestial Gardens in old Chinatown. Currently, his headline act is the sultry dancer, Linda Low (Nancy Kwan) who has been engaged to Fong for the last five years but is increasing impatient with the stalemate in their affair. To ease the tension and make Sammy jealous, Linda takes up with Wang Ta (James Shigeta), the eldest son of a local merchant, Wang Chi-Yang (Benson Fong) who clings to the ‘old ways’ and will not see his first born marry into crass commercialism. Meanwhile, Sammy has a plan of his own. To thwart his marriage to Mei Li, Sammy delivers her to Wang’s home as a suitable prospect for Ta. The third wheel in Ta’s romantic life is Helen Chao (Reiko Sato), a dressmaker who seems the most ideally suited to his temperament. The irony of the story is that after establishing Helen’s character as the perfect match for Ta’s affections, the plot jettisons her in favor of concocting an awkward set of events that lead Ta into Mei Li’s arms. In C.Y. Lee’s novel, Helen commits suicide after learning Ta will marry Mei – a gruesome finale averted in both the stage and screen versions by simply excising Helen from the story altogether.

As with any Rodgers and Hammerstein show, the score for Flower Drum Song is first-rate. Producer, Ross Hunter delivers a fairly inviting bauble, immeasurably fleshed out by Irene Sharaff’s stunning costumes, Howard Bristol’s magnificent set design and Russell Metty’s evocative cinematography that captures all the gaudy glitz and tea-lit warmth of old Chinatown. If there is any fault in the piece, it is owed Koster’s somewhat stilted direction, creating a stagy proscenium to show off the spectacular production design. This works well during several of the dance sequences – but otherwise leaves too much ‘space’ between the audience and the actors on the screen to advance or even maintain the overall intimacy brewing between its characters. Flower Drum Song’s New York/Radio City premiere was eclipsed by the lavishly appointed San Francisco debut at the Golden Gate Theater to benefit local hospitals. This was followed by 3-days of Flower Drum revelry in the streets of Chinatown and finally, the picture's world-wide Christmas release where it doubled its initial investment, earning $10.7 million at the box office. Critical reception was mixed, with reviewers divided as to whether the opulence of the piece had swamped its gentle grace and charm. To be certain, from today’s more ‘progressive’ vantage, the representations of Asians in Flower Drum Song harkens to an even more peculiar pastiche, germane and genial to the times it was made – perhaps, but completely lacking in authenticity for Asian culture today. This issue is compounded by the fact Shigeta and Umeki were Japanese – not Chinese. Nevertheless, Flower Drum Song is a glossy, gilded and gorgeous guilty pleasure, full of inspired performances and exhilarating dance routines. While it may not be bona fide in the Chinese faith, the picture nevertheless remains a respectful and rewarding movie musical to experience on its own terms.

Flower Drum Song makes its long-awaited Blu-ray debut via Kino Lorber.  Universal’s executive logic, regarding what deep catalog it chooses to market for themselves, and others it elects to farm out to third-party distributors continues to baffle me. There really appears to be no rhyme or reason to the choices being made. But who can quibble with these results?!? Not I. In hi-def, Flower Drum Song emerges as a hundred-million-miracles of loveliness. The image is so refined, so thoroughly restored, and so expertly mastered, reportedly in only 2K in 1080p that, at times, even in projection, it presents the illusion of being a 4K effort. Shots that were problematic on previous home editions, to occasionally suffer from anemic colors or dupey grain, have all been corrected for this release. The image quality throughout will thoroughly astound. Even the process plates look stellar! So, prepare to be dazzled. This one is an absolute stunner. Russell Metty’s cinematography is breathtakingly realized. Colors pop with renewed exuberance. Contrast is ‘bang on’ perfect. Grain is adequately reproduced. From edge to edge, this Panavision image is gorgeous!

The 5.1 DTS appears to have been repurposed too. While the old DVD sported a 5.1 Dolby Digital track, this Blu’s DTS improves upon the high-end register. This sounded slightly tinny on the DVD, but comes through with exceptional non-grating clarity herein. There are 5 featurettes covering virtually any and all aspects of the production with interviews from surviving cast and crew, plus an audio commentary ported over from the DVD by Nancy Kwan and the late film historian, Nick Redman, who paid Kwan and her career a much lengthier and more poignant tribute in the documentary, To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen’s Journey (2012). Bottom line: Flower Drum Song on Blu-ray is a revelation. While those critical of stories about foreign cultures told to the world from a decidedly white male perspective, for the rest of us, the movie remains pure gold. And in 1080p it comes very highly recommended indeed.

FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)

4

VIDEO/AUDIO

5+

EXTRAS

3