Blue Hawaii (1961)
Comedy, Music • 1h 42m
Director: Norman Taurog
Cast: Elvis Presley, Joan Blackman, Angela Lansbury, Nancy Walters, Roland Winters, John Archer, Howard McNear, Steve Brodie, Christian Kay, Iris Adrian, Hilo Hattie, Jenny Maxwell, Pamela Austin, Darlene Tompkins, Lani Kai, Jose De Vega, Frank Atienza, Ralph Hanalei, Gregory Gaye, Bess Flowers, Gene LeBell, Patti Page, George DeNormand, Flora Hayes, Lillian Culver, Lenmana Guerin
Paramount 4K Blu-ray
Best English-friendly release · updated 1 year ago
UHD tiers
Caveat: audio only includes a 5.1 mix, no OG track
Overview
Chad Gates has just been discharged from the Army, and is happy to be back in Hawaii with his surf-board, his beach buddies and his girlfriend.
Director: Norman Taurog
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Director: Norman Taurog
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Warner Archive Blu-ray 4K restoration
Director: Norman Taurog
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Kino Lorber Blu-ray 4K restoration
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Director: Norman Taurog
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Director: Norman Taurog
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Director: Norman Taurog
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Director: Norman Taurog
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Director: Peter Faiman
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Australia Cut: Australia Fox DVD
International Cut: Paramount Blu-ray
Encore Cut: Germany Winkler Film 4K Blu-ray, censored but good encoding
Sources: movie-censorship.com (opens in a new tab)
US Paramount 4K Blu-ray, is the International US Cut and not the Encore Cut
Australia Cut: Laserdisc
The film exists in three versions:
- the original Australian cut (~104 minutes at 24fps/~100 minutes at 25fps);
- the American/international version (~98 minutes at 24fps/~94 minutes at 25fps) trimming some exposition in the Outback first half of the film and some shorter extensions of a few seconds in the New York section, altering some of the dialogue – including censoring a "fuck" to "screw" – but featuring one additional dialogue extension not in the Australian version (a comparison of the two cuts can be found at Movie Censorship);
- the Australian Encore Cut (~95 minutes at 24fps/~91 minutes at 25fps) which uses the international version source so it already has those alterations but also removes approximately three minutes consisting of parts of two scenes featuring Mick grabbing the crotch of a cross-dressing prostitute and a later sequence when he does the same thing at a party to a woman with a deep voice (a comparison of the international version and the Encore Cut can be found at Movie Censorship).
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Sources: capelight.de (opens in a new tab)
Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray > Paramount US, same black crush as the US disc but encoded by FiM and very good new supplements
Paramount US 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision
Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray has MEL Dolby Vision
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
3D version: Paramount 3D Blu-ray
Paramount 4K Blu-ray on October 26 2026
Director: Billy Wilder
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Paramount 4K Blu-ray. See caps
HDR/grading: nice, but some blown out
Encoding: inconsistent, smeared motion
DNR: inconsistent, frozen
Old Paramount Blu-ray is arguably a solid alternative choice
Paramount 4K Blu-ray mono is different version of the Blu-ray mono from the same old 2000 DVD transfer.
The 5.1 remix on the 4K Blu-ray is an appalling remix done by going wild with artificially generated stems from Park Road Post who were given the surviving mono to separate. The experience is jarring and fidelity to original mix in terms of level balance, directionality and impact is nonexistent. Not only does this sound painfully weird, but the Paramount mixers then did whatever they wanted in terms of LFE, sound pans and effect changes.
The original mono mix was not restored and still needs it badly. The 4K master is filled with frozen grain examples coming and going plus some HDR issues in addition to the usual Paramount problems. It is simultaneously better and worse than the Blu-ray master.
Director: Robert Altman
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Criterion 4K Blu-ray scheduled for Dec 2026 release
Director: Richard Linklater
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Original AR: Paramount 4K Blu-ray
IMAX AR: Paramount 3D Blu-ray
Director: Stanley Donen
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Directors: Arturo Perez Jr. & Samantha Jayne
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
More Comedy on Blu-ray
Director: Rob Reiner
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Arrow 4K Blu-ray releasing December 14 2026
Director: Chris Columbus
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Disney 4K Blu-ray has encoding issues with bitrates dipping into 40mbps, and Kaleidescape has better encoding than Disney see caps
Old Fox Blu-ray master is stretched and sharpened
Director: Archie Mayo
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Director: Jūzō Itami
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Director: Tsui Hark
Best format: UHD Blu-ray
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray or Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray or Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
There is a newer 4K restoration by L’Immagine Ritrovata, which should be of better scan quality. The 4K restoration used on all current 4K disc releases stems from a low-quality Cintel scanner. The newer restoration has yet to be released on home video.
Director: W.S. Van Dyke
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Warner Archive Blu-ray, 4k scan
Director: George Stevens
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Director: Raoul Walsh
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
Director: Frank Tuttle
Best format: 1080p Blu-ray
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