In January 2013 Elvis Presley Enterprises offered a trip to the Hawaiian islands to celebrate the 40th anniversary of "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite". The highlight was a special presentation of the show on a vast screen, set up on the stage of the Neal Blaisdell Arena (the former Honolulu International Center), where the original performance had taken place. In the summer of 2013 EPE also sold a dvd edition of the re-cut.

The 40th Anniversary Edition

The presentation begins with a pre-show sequence, that originally had been produced for the first "Elvis In Concert" show in Memphis. An impersonator, correctly dressed in the "American Eagle Suit", leaves Graceland Mansion and enters a helicopter. Connected to "Aloha" the sequence is quite absurd, because nobody travels from Tennessee to Hawaii in a chopper. Besides that, Elvis (now the real one) wears different clothes when he finally arrives in Honolulu. Well, maybe someone has told him, that the show was about to take place a few days later and the king changed his outfit during the flight.

Basically we get to see the US version of the show, including the inserts. What doesn't sound all that interesting at first, soon turns out to be a completely different experience. The re-cut offers many split-screens, new camera angles and a truckload of graphic effects. The whole thing is much more varied than the original production and the larger your screen is, the more interesting it gets. As a small bonus the insert songs don't just feature the scenery shots of the 1973 version, but also color clips of Elvis performing in Honolulu in 1957!

Video

The edit was created to be shown on a vast screen, so the image is sharp, bright and detailed. The colors are natural and nuanced. A simple dvd cannot look better than this.

Audio

The 5.1 surround mix is well balanced, free of distortions and creates a real concert atmosphere. Nevertheless I have to admit, that I like the sound of the 2023 "Aloha" incarnation better.

Extras

We get featurettes about the "40th Anniversary Aloha From Hawaii Celebration" and the exhibition "Elvis Hawaii: Concerts, Movies And More!", which was presented at one of Graceland's museums in 2013. Besides that the disc presents excerpts of the press conference in September 1972, during which Elvis and Rocco Laginestra (the vice president of RCA Records) announced the "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite" tv special.