VIDEO ONE BIG UNHAPPY FAMILY.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

There is a coldness to the bright colors - the pastels, reds, greens - of writer/director Todd Haynes' ``Far From Heaven.''

Set in 1957 in Hartford, Conn., the film tells the story of Cathy (Julianne Moore) and Frank (Dennis Quaid) Whitaker, upper-middle-class parents of two children. The clan owes more to the movie depictions of idealized families of the era than to reality. And like those of the characters in the Douglas Sirk melodramas that Haynes drew inspiration from, the Whitaker marriage is less than perfect.

When you first see Frank and Cathy, they come across almost as a parody of those well-respected '50s TV couples - he a successful businessman and she a society hostess. Into this Haynes inserts a twist that Sirk never could - Frank is a closet homosexual. The word gay isn't used and neither is the term African-American, which refers to Haynes' other twist - Cathy's relationship with her black gardener, Raymond (``24's'' Dennis Haysbert).

Yet while Haynes examines issues that wouldn't be found in an Eisenhower-era film - though they certainly existed - he keeps the story in the cinematic language and style of the time without resorting to adding contemporary references. On top of that, he relies on the lush music of Elmer Bernstein to give the film its emotional and melodramatic foundation.

What Haynes has cleverly done by retaining the archness of the '50s dialogue, the restrained manners and the postcard look of the characters and the city is to give weight to even the smallest disapproving look or slight. These little tears in the ``civility'' of the community become more telling then they otherwise might, and larger moments - an outburst by a repressed Frank or an ugly comment directed at Raymond - are jarring, harsh.

In ``Far From Heaven,'' style in a way becomes substance - as Haynes captures raw emotions of people trying to come to grips with their deepest desires amid a world that is all about surfaces. In the Oscar-nominated Moore, Haynes found an actress who can convey so much of her inner world with a slight look or modulation in her voice. It's truly a great performance. Quaid and Haysbert are fine enough in their own right that they could have easily gotten Oscar noms.

The DVD of ``Far From Heaven,'' out today, contains a number of interesting extras, including a conversation with Moore and Haynes and a featurette on the making of a scene that gives the audience a look into how Haynes incorporated some of the style of Sirk into the film.

``Far From Heaven'' (Universal) lists for $26.98.

Play it again

Back in 1962, when Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer were cast as Maria and Tony in Robert Wise's film adaptation of ``West Side Story,'' it was no problem that neither was an accomplished singer. The filmmakers simply dubbed in the voices of Marni Nixon and Jim Bryant instead. If only they had done that with Renee Zellweger and Richard Gere in ``Chicago'' - despite its Oscar win.

But since the Bob Fosse stage production-turned-movie has claimed the first best picture award for a musical since ``Oliver!'' in 1968, it's perfect timing for the DVD release of a special edition of ``West Side Story,'' which also was a best picture winner. (It took 10 Oscars altogether.) Two other musicals are headed for DVD as well: The film version of Michael Bennett's `` A Chorus Line'' arrives on April 15 and the Fosse-directed and -choreographed ``Sweet Charity,'' starring Shirley Maclaine, is already out.

``West Side Story'' (MGM) lists for $39.98.

``A Chorus Line'' (MGM) lists for $14.95.

``Sweet Charity'' (Universal) lists for $14.98.

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Photo:

JULIANNE MOORE and DENNIS HAYSBERT in ``Far From Heaven''