Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii Deluxe Edition DVD Review
By Jonathan Boudreaux
Nowadays, even the smallest of local TV newscasts can transmit live images of their reporters from the most far-flung locales. In 1973, however, satellites were still a rarely-used novelty. It caused quite a sensation, then, when Elvis announced plans to perform live from Hawaii for a worldwide audience. On January 14, 1973, his show was beamed live throughout the world (including Japan, where almost 40% of the television sets tuned in to catch the King). The concert also played via tape delay in 28 European countries later that same day, earning high ratings almost everywhere it played. Americans would have to wait several months to see an edited version of the event, however. Aloha from Hawaii premiered on NBC on April 4, 1973. That original special, along with the original January 14 concert and a January 12 full dress rehearsal, have just been released on DVD in Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii Deluxe Edition.
The broadcast version begins with an animated representation of the new-fangled satellite technology, along with the title of the special in several languages. This segues into footage of Elvis arriving in Hawaii by helicopter and greeting his fans to the strains of "Paradise, Hawaiian Style." Afterwards, a multicultural array of performers greets concertgoers as they prepare to enter the arena. As "Also Sprach Zarathustra" begins, the doors to the arena open and the crowd streams in.
As his intro builds to a crescendo, Elvis takes to the stage, resplendent in his white sequined jumpsuit decorated with a red, white, and blue eagle motif. He burns through a set of twenty-eight songs ("See See Rider," "Burning Love," "Something," "You Gave Me a Mountain," "Early Morning Rain," "Steamroller Blues," "My Way," "Love Me," "Johnny B. Goode," "It's Over," "Blue Suede Shoes," "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," "I Can't Stop Loving You," "Hound Dog," "Blue Hawaii," "What Now My Love," "Fever," "Welcome to My World," "Suspicious Minds," "I'll Remember You," "Hawaiian Wedding Song," "Long Tall Sally," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," "Ku-u-i-po," "An American Trilogy," "A Big Hunk o' Love," and "Can't Help Falling in Love"). Much is straight concert footage, with the occasional montage of Hawaiian scenery thrown in. In some numbers, the screen splits into oddly shaped Mondrian-esque windows, each presenting a different camera angle.
With his gaudy, oversized rings, inky black hair seemingly shellacked into place, bell-bottomed pants, and slightly less lithe body, this Elvis is a much tackier version of the one presented in Elvis: '68 Comeback Special only five years before. This Elvis is seemingly also less self confident. The Elvis of 1968 did not need gimmicks and frippery to draw our attention - he garnered it with sheer charisma alone.
Aloha from Hawaii is justifiably a part of Elvis, rock-and-roll, and TV history - over 51% of the TV audience tuned in to see the original broadcast - but in terms of quality, it is not one of the King's strongest performances. His singing is often bland and lifeless. "Burning Love," for example, is a terrific late-period Elvis song. The original version has a throbbing, propulsive feel that becomes instantly infectious. His performance of the same song here, however, is flaccid and lifeless. None of Elvis' stage banter and interaction with the audience was included in Aloha. In the '68 Comeback Special and other concert films like That's the Way it Is, Elvis proved to be expert at working his audiences. With all of such moments cut out of Aloha, we are left with bland performances of sometimes second rate material. Even when Elvis works the crowd to a frenzy within songs, as he does with his gyrating pelvis thrusts in "Fever," the editors of Aloha ruin the effect with quick cut editing techniques that leave us wondering why the audience is screaming.
Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii Deluxe Edition spans two discs. The discs are housed in a foldout package backed by hefty, book-like cardboard. The design of the set is simple, elegant, and effective. A highly detailed booklet, housed in its own folder pocket, comprehensively explains every aspect of the materials found in the boxed set.
The menus effectively exploit Elvis' concert opener "See See Rider" and the glittery "ELVIS" backdrop seen in Aloha. Viewers can play all of the contents on the discs or can choose individual segments.
