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COLORIZING PLAN TURNS TURTLE: “The Maltese Falcon” couldn’t escape the tinkering of the colorizers, but at least “Gamera, the Invincible” is safe. Later films about the giant jet-propelled turtle (we kid you not) may have been in color, but the original 1966 Japanese film was black and white. Celebrity Home Entertainment says it originally planned to have “Gamera” colorized, but “following an informal survey taken among science fiction/fantasy film fans,” the company canceled the plan. A small victory for art--or for something .

LASER VISIONS: For those who prefer to watch their movies on videodisc rather than videotape, these movies are due from MCA on June 11: “Monkey Business,” a wild 1931 shipboard comedy starring the Marx Brothers; “Topaz”--one of Alfred Hitchcock’s least interesting films, this 1969 Cuban-American espionage tale will still intrigue some fans; and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” the 1978 musical featuring the Bee Gees and just about everybody else (except the Beatles), considered a cinematic turkey but with a few sparkling moments. Coming July 16: Preston Sturges’ hilarious “The Palm Beach Story” (1942), Francois Truffaut’s atmospheric “Fahrenheit 451” (1966), a 1967 John Wayne Western, “The War Wagon,” and the 1986 film version of the play “ ‘night Mother.”

BREAK OUT: MPI Home Video has released a “lost episode” from the critically praised ‘60s British TV series “The Prisoner.” The tape is actually an alternative version of the chapter titled “The Chimes of Big Ben,” featuring these differences from the previously seen version: alternate theme music; a sequence that helps explain the significance of the bicycle symbol, and some additional scenes and variant takes. Price: $29.95. Information: (800) 323-0442.

VIDEO KICKS: You think the selection at your local video store is limited. Martial Arts Video in Wilmington specializes in tapes dealing with kung fu, karate, ninja, samurai and self-defense. Information: (213) 549-3390.