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“Return to Glory: Michelangelo Revealed.” Crown. $39.95. Narrator Edwin Newman calls this 55-minute account of the ongoing restoration of the Sistine Chapel “a progress report.” Yes, but Nippon Television’s exclusive film record will also be perceived as an oblique attempt to answer charges that overzealous Vatican conservators are removing some of Michelangelo’s detailing and shading along with centuries of grime. “What we became used to seeing was not what Michelangelo painted,” spokesmen for the project insist, but that’s as close as they get to confronting the controversy. Instead, the film skims the surface of the chapel’s history, shows cleaning techniques used in its current transformation and presents a few before-and-after shots. This approach may satisfy viewers who only want to be assured that the magnificent images are still there and to see a rich sampling of the Renaissance master’s work, but it offers little insight. This is a dry, dignified--if rather superficial--treatment of a sticky subject. Information: (212) 254-1600. ** 1/2