Elvis - Aloha from Hawaii (1973)

Capturing Elvis Presley, live in Concert throughout the 1970's, was a daunting task. First Colonel Parker had to be involved and he was a shrewd negotiator. Then to fully give the Concert performance, by Elvis and his talented band - singers - Orchestra, the same "energy" on broadcast TV was difficult. Elvis was going through personal changes in his life, outlook on life, physically, mentally, emotionally, and as a performer. Elvis had separated from his beloved wife Priscilla and their divorce would be final later on in 1973 on October 9th. Elvis was appreciative and overwhelmed when approached with the idea of having his Concert broadcast LIVE, across the entire World, with an anticipated audience of over ONE BILLION people. As was the case in so many other charitable acts Elvis opted to raise money, from the Concert attendees, for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund. The "goal" was to raise $25,000.00 but Elvis, has he had done for three decades now, exceeded the goal by 300% for a total in excess of $75,000.00. Elvis committed to this Concert/TV appearance by bringing down his weight, getting some needed rest prior, and surrounding himself with "positive influences". Elvis LOVED Hawaii and had many great memories of his time there both personally and professionally. This film is different from the critically acclaimed "Elvis, Thats The Way It Is" or "the 68 Singer Special" (aka: the Comeback Special) as Elvis had been touring, to sold out audiences, for three years already. Nonetheless, Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii has some excellent candid moments; from the opening scenes where Elvis arrives via Helicopter to when he interacts with fans, including a great scene when he kisses a baby, and when Colonel Parker has a hard time maneuvering the Jeep Elvis is riding in to get to their destination. Elvis' "song set" was perfectly suited for the 1970's and Elvis voice was in great condition and he looks good as well. For all of the stress of the divorce, which was uncommon back in the 1970's as opposed to today, and being a "part time single Father" if you look closely into Elvis' eyes there is a sadness inasmuch as there is a mentality of reserving his movements. At the time this was filming no one knew that Elvis would (sadly) die approximately four years later at the age of 42. Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii is a great film which captures Elvis magnificent stage presence, and his vocal styling, that was 100% PURE and not "enhanced" like far too many "entertainers" today. I have always enjoyed Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii and I hope that other members of IMDb.com do as well. Take care and may God bless you. Jeff Schrembs

This is it, folks. This is the greatest concert of all time. To me it's to see the light.Elvis Presley looks more handsome than ever in the film. He sings better than ever, but doesn't do so much rock 'n' roll than he made in the '68 Comeback Special (original name "Elvis"). There he was king of rock 'n' roll, in Aloha from Hawaii he is King of Music.Special Edition and Deluxe Edition DVD's includes the new edition which is much better than the original US version, which was aired later than the live concert to Asia, Europe and other areas.10/10

This Was by far the best Elvis Presley Concert I have ever seen, I love the way he moves to the song "Fever" I have every single Elvis Concert on DVD but this one truly takes the cake over the others. I also think that The American Eagle Jumpsuit he wore in this show was his finest. It was cool to see a lot of Elvis' great humor on stage too, like during "Suspicious Minds" he changes the words, "Well don't you know I'm court in a trap I can't walk out "I HOPE THIS SUIT DON'T TEAR UP BABY" and when he spilt water all over his piano player. Fantastic concert. I love it when he sings, "You Gave Me A Mountain" that is one of his best songs.

Elvis performances 30 odd songs to a capacity crowd at a charity concert in Hawaii. He performs his own songs and several good covers. The concert was broadcast worldwide at the time (1973).I'm not a big Elvis fan and I only really like him in his early days when he was younger and fitter. This concert finds him still very much a good performer but he is in his white jumpsuit, rhinestone covered, sideburn sporting Vegas period. For much of the show he sounds great but he is starting to get a bit heavy and he sweats very heavily from early on.This isn't a major complaint because the music is mostly very good and Elvis still `had it', if you knw what I mean. The majority of the film is the concert itself – it's shot in split screen at times (who said 24 was innovative!) and is quite tacky in terms of lights etc but the music holds it all together.The main criticism is that all the split screen shots of Hawaii are very plastic and look like a travel agency has put it together. It detracts from the music when it's on but happily it's limited to the start and end of the film.Overall if you hate Elvis then you'll not enjoy this and if you hate his Vegas period then you may struggle with this show. However the music is very good and Elvis himself still looks OK if not as good a showman as he was. Ignore the tourist bits and enjoy the songs of a legend.