The Aloha From Hawaii (deluxe) DVD

[jeanno]

The intro :

Tuesday, june 29th 2004
El Corte Ingles (Spain biggest supermarket)
Spain ? 7h28 PM

I?ve just entered. My wife is talking to me but I don?t hear her. I can?t hear her. My eyes are already looking for ?it? (hello Torben). I am surrounded by tones of DVDs (horror, western, action, science fiction, etc) but I can?t find the musical section with the? Wait? Wait a minute? Over theeere! I?ve just seen the musical DVD section : I jump towards it letting my wife talking all alone.

Eric Clapton? Oasis? Shakira? Where the hell is?!?! HERE. In front of me. All white. Calling me : ?ELVIS : ALOHA FROM HAWAII? (DVD deluxe boxset). I take it. Beautiful (despite the design). Mine. All mine. In two minutes, I pay it, run towards my car, stop, go back to the Corte Ingles, take my wife by the hand, fly towards my car, get in and leave to my house. There are only 9 km between the supermarket and home but, man, what a long travel this time!!!

Jean-No?s home (Spain smallest house)
7h52 PM

Ah Boy, my boy! It?s been a long time!
My wife, respectful, leaves to the bedrom and let me alone in front of the TV set. Disc 1 is already inside the player. I sit down, turn off the lights and push ?play?. Look up : Elvis is entering the building!

Part ONE :
Elvis Arrives



This part is a nice extra. We get here the whole material recorded on january, 9th 1973 during famous helicopter arrival. You have a good time watching people haircuts (1973 man!), listening to a hawaiian musical group (with white pants and green shirts) and seeing the dancing hawaiian girl that appeared at the very beginning of the edited version.

Then arrives the helicopter and, inside, our King. During 15 minutes, you can see Him shaking hands, collecting flower collars, shouting ?Hi!? or ?Hello!?, and kissing girls, women, childrens? It looks like a presidential campain and He is very happy. At the end, He gets in a jeep and leaves.
Note : No Paradise Hawaiin Style music background. Much better this way.

8 / 10

Part TWO :
January 14th 1973 Broadcasted Show



Note : Sorry, I couldn?t wait. I had to see ?it? (Still here Torben?!?) before the rehearsal one?

In one word : wonderfulgreatoutstandingbeautifulstunningohsogood .
For several reasons, this new version, to my humble point of view, is far much better than the original-edited one. First of all, the image is top quality : cristal clear (comparing to my old 1984 Virgin video tape). Then, the sound also is great, specially if you have the material to hear the dolby 5.1. Just like if you were there! Finally, they droped off almost all the ?montage? effect and released lots of different camera angles. The best are :

• during YOU GAVE ME A MOUNTAIN, JOHNNY B (during the intro, the big smile), AMERICAN TRILOGY (during the trumpets part)
• the alternate ?end? versions of : MY WAY, IT?S OVER, BLUE SUEDE SHOES (my favourit), I?M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY and CAN?T HELP FALLING IN LOVE
• STEAMROLLER BLUES, FEVER, LONG TALL SALLY / WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN? are almost new performances!
• special attention to the very end of SUSPICIOUS MINDS : Elvis has just done his final karatee move and He looks at the Stamps or Sweet Inspirations. When he smiles, you have to ?pause? the image : here you have the face of the eternal Elvis. It?s just the same expression like in 1957 or 1968. A happy man. Great!

I prefer not to say it all (I?ve already said too much) so the people who didn?t see it can enjoy (that?s for you, Sam : take it easy).

The few minus : there are still several errors or failed transitions : between MY WAY and LOVE ME, the very beginning of AMERICAN TRILOGY, the very end of fever? and do I need to speak about Elvis intro? Anyway, that?s a very small part of the whole thing : let?s not pay it too much attention.

10 / 10

Part THREE
The Rehearsal Show

Generally speaking, this show is less impressive than the broadcasted concert. Although Elvis seems more relax and loose (too relax and too loose perhaps) and a few performances are better in the rehearsal show (maybe FEVER and STEAMROLLER BLUES are a litlle bit more Bluesy), the whole thing is at a step down compared to the official show.
The King seems too focused on the public (shaking hands, playing, laughing) and, because of that, lose control on the music : he forgets STEAMROLLER and BURNING LOVE?s lyrics, and ?mumbles? in several songs (MY WAY, WELCOME TO MY WORLD). And although he smiles a lot, He looks better (much better) in the Aloha show.
To resume, the concert is not bad at all but, compared to the other, it loses impact.

8,5 / 10



Part FOUR
The Insert Songs

This is a pretty interesting part. You can see here Elvis during the recording of 5 songs that would be ?insert? later in the edited version. Actually, only 4 would be used (NO MORE out!) and the black background was there to put behind Hawaiian landscapes and girls. Here we all the footage including false starts, goofs and final versions. Everything is introduced with two shots in once so we can see it all, including the people that show to Elvis the lyrics of the songs! (which is the reason why EP looked ?down? during those performances).
In total, you can enjoy 12 takes in a row! A nice insert for this DVD.

9,5 / 10

Part FIVE
The Edited Version

After seeing all the rest, this edited version seems a little bit dated. But, as they say in the booklet, this is histoy : the way american people watch the show back in april 1973. It?s also the way I look at it some 15 years ago when I bought the video tape so it still keeps (at least for me) his own interest ? to compare both versions ? mixed with a lot of nostalgia. I know I?m not going to watch it (not right now at least) but it?s good to know it?s here!

8,5 / 10

FINAL RESULT : GOOD FOR YOU! 8,9 /10



PS : dedicated to SAM who has to wait to get it!
PS2: also dedicated to Torben...

[Albert]

"Finally the definitive Aloha from Hawaii"
Reviewed by Marc Haegeman

2004 will go down into history as one of the years that Elvis fans were spoilt by a stream of remarkable releases. One of the highlights (along with the ?68 Comeback DVDs) is definitely the "Elvis, Aloha from Hawaii" Deluxe Edition double DVD-set which assembles about everything connected to Elvis' historical television special in January 1973, at the time beamed throughout the world by satellite.

In fact, this new set brings 3 full length concerts: the rehearsal concert filmed on January 12, the actual concert from two days later, and that same concert as it was edited for the US television broadcast in April 1973. All are finally presented in their complete form and unlike previous home video issues none of the songs are missing.

Soundwise the set is a marvel. The remix is absolutely thrilling, with enhanced clarity and detail, and there is choice between Dolby stereo and Dolby 5.1 ? why no DTS? Even though it surpasses all previous video efforts, the image quality is slightly less satisfying, especially in the rehearsal concert where the horizontal bands gliding over the screen bottom to top, are at times still quite visible. The completely re-edited January 14th concert fares a whole lot better, though, with superior lighting and more vibrant color. In matters of picture sharpness we have never seen better either.

As a bonus we get 17 minutes of the raw, uncut ?Elvis arrives? sequence, part of which opened the TV broadcast, as well as the five post-concert insert songs, often in different takes. I wonder though if we needed to have disc 1 started with the ?Elvis arrives? sequence, as this is material for die hard fans only. (There is an error in my disc as the image jumps after a few minutes to the beginning of the concert).

All in all, a fantastic set, nicely packaged in a three-fold digi-pack and including an informative booklet, which no Elvis aficionado can (or should) live without. Bound to give more than a few hours of listening and watching pleasure. Thanks BMG!


? 2004 Marc Haegeman

[P.S. Annie]

Great review Jeanno, it's a nice read And a good job on adding those pictures Albert By the way I like the whole idea of having dvd review zone.

I think I will give the rehearsal 9.5 because that is my favourite part of the dvd (for the moment that is). I like it because he is more relaxed and more in to the reactions of the audiance, and love the bluesy Steamroller blues. Never was too much into An American Trilogy, but after watching this version, it really stunned and gave me goose-flesh (according to the dictionary).

[Steve]

Yes i give the reharsel a 9.5/10 to.
Elvis is much cooler and relax.

nice one jeanno

[mn-designs]

..... make this release a truly (deserved) succes!

In Holland it is a huge succes allready: Number 2 on the DVD charts and the comeback is number 4!!!

[NightRider]

Great review Jeanno

I just wish i had it to watch right now

[Jungleroom76]

GREAT REVIEW JEANNO!!!

I especially enjoyed the part about your wife being respectful and leaving for the bedroom so you could watch your new DVD....my wife pretty much did the exact same thing! Once the ALOHA DVD was in the player, I was completely oblivious to anything around me for the next 4 hours!!! I think my house could have just blown down all around me, and I'd never have known it!!

GREAT JOB ON THE REVIEW!!!

TCB!
Mike

[jeanno]

Thanks a lot PS ANNIE / NRIDER / PATRICK / JUNGLE / STEVE!
I really enjoyed a lot the ALOHA dvd! I agree with the opinion about the blusiest Steamroller is in the rehearsal show but the broadcasted concert just blew me away : IT?S OVER, especially, and I?M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY are the highlights for me.

[sam]

Great review Jeanno, Thanks for the dedication at the end!!!

You got me really hanging out for this release. I can't wait!!!

Not that long till the 19th, then maybe another day for delivery!!!

Ah, well it'll come!!!

:worthy:

[jeanno]

Sure you?ll have a good time when you have it. It?s just so great and well produced (despite a few editing errors)! It should have been that way from the start.
Happy you like the review!

[Lonniebealestreet]

Thought I had commented on this review before--I was remiss for not having done so.

Fantastic breakdown of the set, jeanno!

[jeanno]

Thanks Booby!

[Lonniebealestreet]

Thanks Booby!

Uh, you're welcome, I think. Thanks for the great review.

[jeanno]

Here in Spain, the ALOHA is still at #1 and, right after it, the COMEBACK (#2). Very surprising as Spain has never been an Elvis? hits country!

[Elvos]

special attention to the very end of SUSPICIOUS MINDS : Elvis has just done his final karatee move and He looks at the Stamps or Sweet Inspirations. When he smiles, you have to ?pause? the image : here you have the face of the eternal Elvis. It?s just the same expression like in 1957 or 1968. A happy man. Great!
...

I gues this is the moment? By the way great review

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

Great Review!

I kind of like watching Elvis filming the segments for the recorded song with the autocue cards, Elvis gets a little mad at one point in one of the false starts .

This is exactly what I'm talking about, how much footage is out there? I would never have expected for this kind of material to still be around today, this goes for the 68 Special, plenty of Goofs and extra footage, what are they holding back??

[Albert]

Just think about all the bloopers from the movies. There must have been plenty of those.... Where are they? Did the moviecompanies delete all the unused material rightaway, or is it stored anywhere? So many questions, so few answers

[Elvis' Babe]

a little lesson in americana hawaii vocabulary...the "flower collars" are called leis (lais? sp?)...

[Lonniebealestreet]

EB, they are indeed 'leis'.

Elvos, great screen grab!

[Elvis#1]

Hey Jeanno where did you get those pic's of the main show on your Aloha dvd review? Excellent review by the way.