VIDEO PLAYING THE BLUES LYNCH'S 'VELVET,' THE LOOK OF SODERBERGH'S 'TRAFFIC' AND NEWMAN'S EYES RENEWED ON DVD.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

LET OUT YOUR INHALERS. David Lynch's 1986 ``Blue Velvet'' is in stores today on a special-edition DVD.

That's a reference to a sadomasochistic scene in which Dennis Hopper's character, Frank Booth, a psychotic gangster, uses a plastic gas mask to inhale helium (we think) in order to heighten his sexual excitement.

And if you haven't seen the film, you may have ``heard'' about the severed ear that figures so prominently in the plot.

The bizarre, the disquieting, the baffling, the grotesque, the repellent is David Lynch territory, which is why ``Blue Velvet'' was both reviled and lavishly praised upon its release. This is not a movie for the faint of heart - or anyone easily offended.

There's been an orgy of Lynch stuff released recently on DVD - ``Mulholland Drive,'' ``Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me'' and the first season of the ``Twin Peaks'' TV series - so if you want to do a study of the director's psyche or write a film thesis, here's your chance.

The new ``Blue Velvet'' edition - which looks quite smart on the new digital transfer supervised by Lynch - includes ``Mysteries of Love,'' a documentary featuring new interviews with cast and crew members, a deleted-scenes montage and an old interview with Lynch. In the end, though, being mysterious is a large part of Lynch's game. Don't look for definitive answers. Lynch is a painter besides being a filmmaker, and movies like ``Blue Velvet'' and ``Mulholland Drive'' are his dreamscapes - where the ``normal'' merges with the ``twisted.''

One of the memorable lines in ``Blue Velvet'' is: ``I can't figure out if you're a detective or a pervert.'' That pretty much goes to the heart of the film.

JAMMED WITH STUFF: Critic Stephen Holden of The New York Times described the cinematography of ``Traffic'' this way:

``The color scheme sandwiches a few lush patches between sequences filmed in two hues - an icy blue and a sun-baked yellow-orange - that are as visually discordant as the forces doing battle.''

Unlike in the vast majority of films, director Steven Soderbergh was his own cinematographer for the Oscar-winning ``Traffic,'' a multistory examination of the effects of the drug trade in America. He explains why and how he made his decisions to create the look of the film as part of his commentary for the new special edition of ``Traffic,'' which came out last week.

Based on the British miniseries ``Traffik,'' the movie featured an ensemble cast - Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro (who won a best-supporting-actor Oscar) among others - and there are 25 deleted scenes included on the second disc with commentary from Soderbergh and writer Stephen Gaghan.

Listening to Soderbergh - who is rapidly becoming a force in Hollywood while retaining an independent spirit - is alone worth the price of this two-set DVD from Criterion, but there are plenty of other additional notable features. I've heard from a number of directors that they learned a lot from watching those old laser discs. This DVD set would be of interest to any aspiring filmmaker, but film fans will have a grand time, too.

OWN NEWMAN'S: The 77-year-old Paul Newman will bring his powerful presence back to the screen this summer in Sam Mendes' ``Road to Perdition.'' But if you want to look back at what is one of the most distinguished Hollywood careers, pick up three of Newman's memorable films on new DVD editions - ``Hombre'' (1967), ``The Hustler'' (1961) and ``The Verdict'' (1977). For the latter two, he received best-acting Oscar nominations.

``Hombre'' - directed by Martin Ritt, written by Elmore Leonard and gloriously filmed with color by DeLuxe - finds Newman as a ``halreed'' loner trying to survive in the white-man's world of the Old West when he's caught up in a conflict with a number of less-than-admirable characters. There are some good lines in this fairly entertaining film, but it's Newman - and his piercing blue eyes - who carries the film.

As ``Fast Eddie'' Felson in ``The Hustler,'' directed by Robert Rossen, Newman gives a tremendous performance as an ambitious but self-destructive pool shark. The actor played the same character 26 years later in ``The Color of Money'' and won an Oscar, but the performance wasn't better. Once, actors got to show off their talents in Hollywood films that were character studies like this one, but now you're likely only to find them on the indie scene.

A portrait in black and white - literally (Gene Shuftan won an Oscar for cinematography) - ``The Hustler'' boasts an all-star supporting cast, including Jackie Gleason as ``Minnesota Fats,'' George C. Scott and Piper Laurie. The DVD includes a feature by Mike Massey, expert pool consultant, who gives a trick-shot analysis of every shot made in the film. The bottom line, though, is ``The Hustler'' is a classic.

In ``The Verdict'' Newman plays an ambulance-chasing lawyer whose life once held promise. A chance at redemption comes along in the form of a malpractice case against a powerful Catholic hospital in Boston. This 1982 film, directed by Sidney Lumet (``Serpico''), is another character study as Newman's Frank Galvin fights to find the humanity and compassion he lost to the bottle.

``The Verdict'' also has a strong supporting cast, including James Mason, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden and Lindsay Crouse. An intelligent script by David Mamet builds to a taut conclusion. Yet, it's hard to imagine anyone but Newman in the role; he just makes a good film that much better.

``Blue Velvet - Special Edition'' (MGM) list for $24.98 on DVD. It includes: the ``Mysteries of Love'' documentary featuring new interviews with Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan and other cast and crew members; an interview with Lynch; the ``Are You a Pervert'' deleted scenes montage and Siskel and Ebert television review.

``Traffic - Criterion Collection'' lists for $39.95 for the DVD. It includes three commentaries, 25 deleted scenes featuring commentary by Soderbergh and Gaghan, a film processing demonstration on achieving the look of Mexico sequences, an editing demonstration with commentary from editor Stephen Mirrione, a dialogue editing demonstration and additional footage featuring multiple angles from the scenes of the El Paso Intelligence Center and the cocktail party where the U.S. Senators, major politicians, lobbyists and others discuss the drug war.

``Hombre'' (Fox) lists for $19.99 for the DVD. It has no extras.

``The Hustler - the Special Edition'' (Fox) lists for $19.99 for the DVD. It includes a 21-minute mini-documentary about the making of the film and a featurette with pool expert Massey.

``The Verdict'' (Fox) lists for $19.99 for the DVD. It includes commentary by Lumet and Newman.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) Dennis Hopper, with Isabella Rossellini, takes a blow in ``Blue Velvet.''

(2) Dennis Quaid tries to protect Catherine Zeta-Jones from the fallout over her drug dealer/husband's arrest in ``Traffic.''

(3) Paul Newman in ``The Hustler.'' Enough said.