I added another title to my #VHS collection today—another film, like The Alamo and Raintree County, whose uncut #roadshow versions are only to be found on aging videotapes. (Technically, there is a DVD of the roadshow version, but apparently no restoration work was done on the additional footage.) That film is George Roy Hill's #Hawaii, adapted from the James Michener novel and one of the highest grossing films of 1966, a 190-minute epic about Christian missionaries in 19th-century Hawaii, with Max von Sydow, Julie Andrews, Richard Harris, an early role for Gene Hackman, Carroll O'Connor, the film debut (as an extra) of Bette Midler, and Jocelyn LaGarde as Queen Malama. LaGarde, a Tahitian woman who spoke no English and learned her lines phonetically, and went to win a Golden Globe and receive an Oscar nomination for what was her only film appearance—the only performer in history so to do. I watched much of the film this evening, verifying to my delight that the original overture, intermission, entr'acte, and exit music were included here, and noting that the image quality is not too bad for a 27-year-old tape. (Some sequences, presumably the excised footage from the roadshow, do look noticeably weaker, but for 30 cents I'm not complaining too much.) It's an odd film in some respects as well, encompassing incest, gratuitous native nudity, epidemics, hardline evangelism, ostentatious sneezing, and Max Von Sydow forcing Julie Andrews to eat a banana. The film also won a Golden Globe for Elmer Bernstein's score, and received Oscar nominations in 6 additional categories: Cinematography (Color), Costume Design (Color), Original Score, Song ("My Wishing Doll"), Sound, and Visual Effects. #videotape #MaxVonSydow #JulieAndrews #RichardHarris #GeneHackman #BetteMidler #CarrollOConnor #JocelynLaGarde #GeorgeRoyHill #DaltonTrumbo #JamesMichener #overture #intermission