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Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Jay Raskin Some Rodgers and Hammerstein movies hold up very well today, like "The King and I," some don't, like "South Pacific." This one belongs in the first category. It is beautifully photographed, has an intriguing story, great acting and very good songs and dances.I am not sure that people under 40 can appreciate how unique this movie was. Since the 1970's, everybody has seen Kung Fu and Art movies with all Asian casts. However, in 1961, this film was really the first to show Asia-Americans as real human beings with jobs, families, desires and worries. While there is a touch of a patronizing undertone, the film is generally anti-racist. The audience really care about and relate to the characters.The scene of Nancy Kwan singing to herself in three mirrors wearing a towel is still shocking. It is wrong on so many levels. It is demeaning to both women and Asian-Americans. She is turning herself into an exotic sex toy for men. Yet the scene is equally empowering to women and Asian-Americans. She is embracing her body and her right to be modern and reject stereotypical customs.The film really is Chop Suey, an American invented dish made up of lots of different foods prepared by Chinese chefs. By the end, what is Chinese and what is American is difficult to tell and that's the brilliance of this dish.

silverscreen888 The authenticity of "Flower Drum Song" stems, I assert, from C.Y. Lee's clever blending of Eastern and 1960s San Francisco U.S. cultural elements. In the attempt to transfer the ethereal charm of Rodgers' and Hammerstein's' musical play made from the Lee's book to the screen, the difficult obviously lay in not losing the intimacy, the almost magical details, the subtlety and humor of the musical; but at the same time it was necessary for the filmmakers, Director Henry Koster and screenwriter Joseph Fields, to "open out" what on stage had been suggested. Fields and Ross Hunter produced; and Edward Muhl of Universal made a largely successful attempt here to create an MGM style musical at his smaller studio. So many moments, numbers, physical gestures, actions, dialogs and dance numbers work very well in the film that it is hard to quarrel with the adapters' approach; the occasional sluggishness in the film, which is undoubtedly present, I suggest is due to the very real nature of what people and doing in their relationships; realism takes longer, but ultimately here, as usual, it produces a very memorable set of characters and a beautiful experience. The cast is headed by talented Jack Soo, portraying what someone has called a "Nathan Detroit" like figure; his brilliant characterization is matched by James Shigeta's as a nice but callow young student 'prince' of San Francisco's Chinatown and Miyoshi Umecki's as elfin Mei Li, the brave 'picture bride" who sneaks into the country with her father, Kam Tong, in order not to have to wait five more years to be allowed in on a quota so she can get married. Nancy Kwan as the girl whom Soo loves and who pursues Shigeta is brassy, dynamic but not quite right in her pivotal role. Others in the very well-trained cast of underemployed Oriental professionals include powerful Benson Fong, playing above his age as Shigeta's very Chinese father, charming Juanita Hall as his wisecracking sister-in-law, dancer Reiko Sato as the tragic Helen, lithe dancer Patrick Adiarte as Fong's Americanized number two son, plus Victor Sen- Yung, Madame Soo Yong, James Hong and many others. The film is also notable for Irene Sharaff's costumes, bright cinematography by Russell Mettey, inspired art direction by Alexander Golitzen and Joseph C. Wright plus unusually elaborate and difficult set decorations by Howard Bristol. Dong Kingman provided the atmospheric paintings used in the credits, and Hermes Pan was responsible for the choreographing of a series of small, medium and large-scale dance numbers including the unforgettable "Love Look Away" dream ballet, which comes after a wonderful rendition of this lovely song by Marilyn Horne. This is a woman's musical, with its emphasis on relationships, monitorings of behaviors, and the many females in the cast who are presented more powerfully than are the males. But it is surprisingly even in its pacing, and only diffuses its power a little to accommodate the many characters within its cast plus a Chinatown parade, a graduation party, a large wedding and several numbers at the Celestial Gardens Nightclub. Memorable songs include, "Sunday,", "Don't Marry Me", "Chop Suey", "The Other Generation", "A Hundred Million Miracles" , "You Are Beautiful, ""Fan Tan Fanny", I Enjoy Being a Girl", "Hliding Through My Memory" and "I Am Going to Like It Here". This I assert is an affecting and unhurried film, but one whose intimate moments work brilliantly, and whose more opulent numbers only slow the pace a little here and there.

capricorn9 Finally the last of the R & H filmed musicals comes to DVD and available to all. What a lovely romantic story this one is, and as they say on the commentary, it is the only 'musical comedy' the pair wrote. The others are considered 'musical plays' and they're right. Right from the start this one oozes with jokes and aside looks that go right to the heart. My favourite is after the father gets robbed he is asked to describe his assailant and his reply? "How do I know - all white men look alike!" The cast is top rate, though not all Chinese, but they fill their parts beautifully, especially Miyoshi Umeki. She just has to look up at the camera and you melt. It is colourful and bright and even more so now in the widescreen DVD. My only complaint is that it is a little too long and just when the story is coming to a close you get this silly but interesting ballet for the "Sunday" song. But that can be overlooked when you take a total look at it and thank Universal for FINALLY putting this one out there for us fans.

Ed Uyeshima As a Japanese-American raised in the 1960's, I always had mixed feelings about the 1961 film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Chinese-American musical comedy. Although it was refreshing to see so many Asian faces in a mainstream studio movie (granted several Japanese-American actors in Chinese roles), the portrayals always struck me as trite and catering to pre-existing stereotypes. Now that it has finally come out on DVD forty-five years after its initial release, I can appreciate it much more without raising my eyebrows as much, perhaps because it now seems so much a nostalgic product of Eisenhower-era sensibilities. Another reason is that the DVD contains a pristine print that balances the saturated use of color throughout. Moreover, there is the music, which while not grade-A material from the legendary team, has enough of their recognizably melodious style to make the whole affair quite entertaining now.Set in San Francisco's Chinatown in the late 1950's, the soufflé-light story, written by Joseph Fields, is a family-oriented, musical-chairs romantic comedy focused on East-West cultural differences primarily in the well-to-do Wang household headed by the ultra-traditional Master Wang. It starts with pretty Mei Li, who has stowed away on a Chinese steamer with her professor father to become a mail-order bride for nightclub owner Sammy Fong. En route, they end up staying in the Wang home where she develops a crush on eldest son Wang Ta. But he is infatuated with saucy showgirl Linda Low, who is intent on making Sammy jealous enough for him to propose after five years of non-commitment. Wang Ta and Linda turn out to be a mismatch, which would be good news if only Mei Li's marriage contract were not so binding. If that situation is not complicated enough, dressmaker Helen Chao has a lifelong crush on Wang Ta as well.An all-Asian cast was assembled, a rarity in itself back then, and it helps that most perform within the constraints of the movie quite well. Looking like a porcelain doll brought to life, Miyoshi Umeki lends her uniquely plaintive quality to the role of Mei Li, and she sings with quiet clarity on her trademark song, "A Hundred Million Miracles". As Wang Ta, James Shigeta, also a pleasant singer, is sincere with the matinée idol looks to match, although his naïve character seems excessively dim when it comes to women. Both, however, are overshadowed by the shenanigans provided by Nancy Kwan, at her pin-up cutie peak, as Linda, and Jack Soo in full Dean Martin mode as the cynical Sammy. Even though their stormy relationship seems to be lifted completely from Nathan and Adelaide's in "Guys and Dolls", they provide the lion's share of the entertainment with the domestic fantasy, "Sunday" a particular highlight.While dubbed, Kwan performs the boudoir classic, "I Enjoy Being a Girl", with sexy flair, and she dances with graceful exuberance on "Fan Tan Fannie" and especially on "Grand Avenue" with a virtual battalion of dancers. Benson Fong, who memorably played Charlie Chan's #3 son in his youth, brings the necessary bluster to Master Wang, while Juanita Hall, Bloody Mary from "South Pacific", stays mainly on the sidelines as the understanding Auntie Liang except when she solos on "Chop Suey". Of the supporting cast, two performers stand out - teenaged Patrick Adiarte dancing energetically as younger son Wang Tan, and as the lovelorn Helen, Reiko Sato leads a stunning ballet on the show's best song, "Love, Look Away" (her voice is dubbed by legendary soprano Marilyn Horne). The opening credits showcase a series of striking watercolor paintings from artist Dong Kingman, and Russell Metty's richly colorful cinematography can finally be appreciated with the DVD.The 2006 DVD extras are generous starting with a solid commentary track from Kwan and British film historian Nick Redman. Even though Kwan sometimes gets derailed by her life story, she and Redman partner well in bringing out intriguing aspects of the production and cast. There are five featurettes which feel like components of one feature-length documentary since the same participants show up in all five. The first one talks about the story's transition from the original novel by C.Y. Lee to the Broadway musical directed by Gene Kelly to the 1961 movie to the 2002 Broadway revival developed by David Henry Hwang. The other shorts focus on the casting, the score, sets and costumes, and a more personal look at Rodgers and Hammerstein. It's interesting how veteran filmmaker Henry Koster is barely mentioned since he directed the film, though his pedestrian direction is truly the least impressive part of the movie.