VIDEO NEWS : Series Offers Berkeley Fans Some Kicks

Busby Berkeley’s daring film choreography is one of the things for which the videocassette was made. Video makes it possible to examine those exciting dance numbers, swooping crane shots, weird angles, surreal sets and erotic jokes over and over and frame-by-frame.

Fans of the outlandish master are in luck: This week MGM/UA Home Video is releasing “The Busby Berkeley Collection,” a series of new video releases and re-releases featuring some of the best musicals choreographed and/or directed by Berkeley.

The new releases are led by “Gold Diggers of 1935,” the last of Berkeley’s early-’30s triumphs and the one that ends with what’s arguably his greatest number, “The Lullaby of Broadway.” For “Lullaby,” Berkeley gave up his trademark, shot-from-above circles of figures and instead designed an incredible montage of stamping feet, huge sets with descending terraces, fantastic hordes of synchronized dancers, and sharply contrasting black-and-white tones. Driven by the powerfully arranged Warren-Dubin song, the energy of this number has to be experienced to be believed.

One note of warning: Except for the “Lullaby” extravaganza, “Gold Diggers of 1935” (the first significant film both choreographed and directed by Berkeley) isn’t as sparkling a movie as its thoroughly entertaining predecessor, “Gold Diggers of 1933”--but the good news is that MGM/UA has also repackaged the 1933 movie, along with the other three greatest Berkeley-choreographed early-’30s musicals--”42nd Street,” “Footlight Parade” and “Dames.”

“The Busby Berkeley Collection” is completed by three new video releases of song-and-dance films that Berkeley directed after the ‘30s: “Babes on Broadway,” a 1941 musical starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland; “Ziegfeld Girl,” made the same year with James Stewart, Lana Turner and Judy Garland; and “Million Dollar Mermaid,” one of the Esther Williams aquatic musicals that Berkeley directed--this one a 1952 filmography of swimmer Annette Kellerman.

The cassettes are $29.95 each, and making the deal even sweeter is the inclusion of a cartoon, short and/or original theatrical trailer on each tape--except for “42nd Street,” which is the only one of these films available in both black-and-white and colorized versions.

Other new releases:

“Ghostbusters 2” (RCA/Columbia, $89.95, PG). Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis returned to their kooky, spooky pursuits this summer, accompanied again by Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis and director Ivan Reitman. The result--more laughs, and more than $100 million at the box office. At this price, the blockbuster won’t sell copies the way those B-pictures (“Batman” and “Bambi”) will during the Christmas season, but it should be a huge rental hit.

“The Mighty Quinn” (CBS/Fox, $89.98, R). Denzel Washington plays the police chief of a Caribbean island investigating a murder that involves a boyhood pal (Robert Townsend) in this reasonably entertaining action/mystery.

And four Westerns from the ‘40s and ‘50s: “Western Union” (1941, directed by Fritz Lang), “Broken Lance” (1954, starring Spencer Tracy), “Buffalo Bill” (1944, starring Joel McCrea) and “The Bravados” (1958, starring Gregory Peck).

OTHER NEW VIDEOS

Though it’s on tape, not film, the 1984 BBC version of “King Lear” (Kultur, $29.95) is arguably the best version of the Shakespeare tragedy ever made--unless you prefer the powerful but oppressively stark 1971 film directed by Peter Brook and starring Paul Scofield (not currently available on video). The BBC version has great style and momentum, not to mention Laurence Olivier in the title role and John Hurt as the Fool.

MUSIC: “The Who Live: Featuring the Rock Opera ‘Tommy”’ (CMV, $19.98) is the complete, 135-minute version of the concert shown earlier this year on pay-per-view cable (an abridged version was shown later on free TV). Also taking part: Elton John, Phil Collins, Patti LaBelle, Billy Idol and Steve Winwood. “Milli Vanilli: In Motion” (6 West, $14.98) has 30 minutes worth of clips from the funk/dance singer whose album recently topped the charts. “See the Light: The Jeff Healey Band Live from London” (6 West, $19.98) features the blind guitarist’s trio in 90 minutes of concert footage and conceptual clips. “Keith Whitley: I Wonder, Do You Think of Me” (BMG, $15.98) contains six clips by the late country singer, plus interview footage.

KIDS: “The Maurice Sendak Library” (CC Studios, $19.95) is a half-hour made up of three animated stories plus a short documentary on author Sendak. “Norman the Doorman and Other Stories” (CC Studios, $19.95) is another 30-minute tape with three animated tales, these written by William Steig, Don Freeman and Robert McCloskey. “Shelley Duvall’s Tall Tales and Legends” (Playhouse, $19.98 each) are four 50-minute enactments from the woman behind the delightful “Faerie Tale Theatre” series, and like that series featuring well-known actors (Martin Short, Ed Asner, etc.). Random House is offering four new animated Dr. Seuss adaptations, the “Dr. Seuss Beginner Book Videos,” each containing three stories for young children (30 minutes, $9.95 each). The same company has two tapes debuting a “Richard Scarry’s Best” series: “Best ABC Video Ever” and “Best Counting Video Ever” (30 minutes, $14.95 each).