THE LASER STARTER SET

So, you’re ready to join the laser revolution? To see films in the condition in which they were first released, 60 years or six months ago? Or as their directors would have wanted them released initially, but didn’t get the cut they really wanted until now--for laser? Or with the director, writer, producer, actors and others integral to the filmmaking process telling you what was involved, how they went about it and what their frustrations were.

All that, plus state-of-the-art sound and picture can fill, even overpower, your TV room once you move beyond VHS to the next best thing to the Cinerama Dome. But once you’ve decided that Santa should put lasers on your list, where should he start?

During the relatively short history of laser discs, several dozen stand out as definitive editions. A sampling of some of the best to get you started:

Family Fare

The Ultimate Wizard of Oz (MGM/UA Home Video, $100): Few releases surpass this all-time classic in its latest incarnation. The 1939 trip down the yellow brick road with Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr and Jack Haley comes complete with superlative THX sound and picture that have rarely looked so good. Additional analog tracks offer the Arlen-Harburg score as it was being recorded and knowledgeable commentary by historian John Fricke, along with a hard copy of the original continuity script.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Touchstone Home Video/Image Entertainment, $TK): While an analog commentary track from director Robert Zemeckis on how he so imaginatively combined live action with animation would have added a lot, this is nonetheless one edition worth searching out in CAV. The two-disc set offers an education all its own when you freeze-frame the innovative tale to see how the toons hooked up with the likes of Bob Hoskins and Christopher Lloyd.

Mary Poppins (Disney Archive Collection/Image Entertainment, $70): One of the most successful combinations of music, live action and animation yet, a delightful score, exuberant cast (Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke) in a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious laser presentation, including storyboards that are next to the actual singing-dancing sequences for instant comparison.

Pinocchio (Walt Disney Home Video/Image Entertainment, $TK): Animated Disney films don’t get much better than this story of the little wooden puppet transformed into a boy. The restored CAV edition sparkles with rich color and detail. There’s a self-congratulatory “Making of a Masterpiece” documentary and brochure along for the ride.

Action-Adventure Films

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Pioneer/Carolco Home Video, $120): This overwhelming THX sound and picture CAV production may yet become the standard by which future laser productions are judged. Even if your sound system is rudimentary, this is a true experience; if you have modest surround-sound, you won’t know what hit you. The special effects are dazzling, and you can try to see how they were done by watching them one frame at a time. Fifteen minutes were added to this director’s cut and all are worth keeping. Supplementary materials include interviews with director Jim Cameron as well as storyboards, an analysis of how the effects were done and scripted scenes later deleted.

Apocalypse Now (Pioneer/Paramount Home Video, $TK): Francis Ford Coppola’s monumental look at U.S. involvement in Vietnam enveloped in Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” takes on new dimension in this letterboxed edition. Among the first laser discs to benefit from high-quality sound, it turns the “Ride of the Valykries” sequence of foraging helicopters into one of many memorable moments.

Star Wars Trilogy: The Definitive Widescreen Collector’s Edition (FoxVideo/Image Entertainment, $250): It seems that every new collector’s laser edition tries to outdo the last. No question that this CAV letterboxed edition of “Star Wars,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”--all of which comes blasting at you with awesome THX sound and picture--is the only way to watch the George Lucas extravaganza at home. While the presentation of the supplementary material, including an analog soundtrack, may not rank with the best supplements in other offerings, this is a stellar presentation. Plus, there’s Charles Champlin’s hardcover biography of filmmaker George Lucas included.

Blade Runner (the director’s cut): (Warner Home Video): Ridley Scott’s futuristic vision of 21st-Century Los Angeles took on mythic proportions when this version came to theaters in 1991, nine years after the film’s initial release. The original version is also available on laser, should you want to make comparisons. Unfortunately, there is no separate analog track detailing Scott’s redo.

North by Northwest (Criterion, $125): One of AlfredHitchock’s most enduring, re-watchable thrillers is given a superb CAV production, which includes storyboards, theatrical trailer and an interview with Hitchock. But, basically, it’s the 1959 film itself starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, handsomely presented, which makes all the difference.

Director-Approved Editions

The Player (Criterion, $125): The Rolls-Royce of supplementary disc packaging; this edition of Robert Altman’s now-classic 1992 dissection of Hollywood takes the prize. You could invest the better part of a weekend following the filmmakers and other Hollywood participants discussing the biz. Filmmaking 101 begins here.

The Last Picture Show (Criterion, $125): Director Peter Bogdanovich recut his acclaimed 1971 film solely for this edition, one of the first such ventures by a director, and a daring one that paid off. Bogdanovich’s approach to the intelligent analog audio track is that of both director and film historian, two roles he balances well. Stars Cybill Shepherd, Randy Quaid and others also help fill in the blanks articulately.

Classics

The Magnificent Ambersons (Criterion, $100): Orson Welles’ brilliant second film, mutilated by RKO from 131 to 88 minutes, is given the closest thing to a director’s cut by Criterion: an informative audio track by Welles historian Robert Carringer, along with supplementary material that includes the text of Welles’ original ending, as well as missing scenes and storyboards and the director’s original, uncut shooting script. By using the special laser features, you can get some idea of what might have been.

The 400 Blows (Criterion, $50): Criterion has done particularly well by the French director, enlisitng several scholars and co-filmmakers in this and a number of other works by Francois Truffaut. Letterboxing provides a good format for non-obtrusive subtitles as well as audio commentaries on two tracks, one in French and the other in English. Once you’re hooked, you’ll want the complete Truffaut collection.

Raging Bull (Criterion, $125): Director Martin Scorsese’s articulate audio commentary track helps explain why he is one of the world’s premier filmmakers. The power of his richly detailed black-and-white film with a tour-de-force performance by Robert DeNiro emerges in all its glory in this CAV edition, which also includes the shooting script, storyboards and Jake La Motta boxing footage.

The list continues to grow, with the editions above barely tapping the possibilities. Before you plunk down actual folding or plastic money, however, you might try renting some of the more sophisticated sets to be sure they’re what you really want in your emerging laser library.