The Glitch in Prints of ‘Tides’ Laser

Throughout the home video/laser disc industry, they’re joking that it wasn’t an earthquake we felt last week, but the reaction of notorious perfectionist Barbra Streisand, the director-star of “The Prince of Tides,” when she found out about the mistake on the Columbia TriStar laser disc of her movie.

In the transfer from film, two scenes inadvertently were dropped, totaling 52 seconds. An ardent fan of the movie reportedly discovered the error and told Columbia TriStar, which is releasing the $40 disc. A source at the company said that corrected copies will be available Aug. 24.

Meanwhile, stores are still carrying the flawed version. Several people who have seen it report that even if you don’t know the movie, you can tell something is missing. (Some retailers reported that a few consumers mistakenly thought the glitch applied to the videos of the movie. It doesn’t. Those 52 seconds were lost only on the laser disc version.)

A special $100 Criterion package of “Prince of Tides,” featuring a Streisand commentary audio track and footage not included in the original theatrical release of the film is due in stores Thursday.

Time Out: Paramount has announced a new release date for its AIDS education video, “Time Out: The Truth About HIV, AIDS and You,” hosted by Arsenio Hall and Magic Johnson. It’s now due out Sept. 15 instead of Sept. 10.

Geared to the teen crowd, the 44-minute program has the look of a music video. It will sell for $10 but some retailers, like the Wherehouse and Blockbuster chains, plan to rent it at no charge.

Paramount may have trouble getting “Time Out” in stores in some parts of the country, however. Several retailers, who requested anonymity, said they probably wouldn’t carry the video because they consider it too frank and risque, especially a section dealing with putting on a condom.

Speaking of Delays: Philips, which had insisted it would be the first to put out a digital compact disc (DCC) recorder, has announced that its launch will be delayed by a month or so because of manufacturing problems. It’s now scheduled for late October, about the same time that Technics and Tandy will put their recorders on the market.

The long-awaited DCC player has a duel function--playing back and recording a digital tape in addition to playing standard audiotapes.

Some consumer electronics retailers fear that the production problems might be more serious and the delay longer than Philips cares to admit publicly. A further possible problem is that Tandy and Technics recorders may be affected because both companies use Philips parts. At the moment, though, there’s no indication the Philips delay will impact either Tandy or Technics.

What’s New on Video: Here are some new releases:

“Wayne’s World” (Paramount, no set price). The on-target performances of Mike Meyers (Wayne) and Dana Carvey (Garth) as geeky heavy-metal maniacs who star in a cable TV show set in Wayne’s basement are the reason to see director Penelope Spheeris’ amiably silly sendup of adolescent buddydom--geared, of course, to teen males.

“Life Is Sweet” (Republic, $90). Extraordinary, low-key, quirky comedy that got only limited release, despite enormous critical acclaim. It’s by writer-director Mike Leigh and focuses on a weird, lower-middle-class English family.

“Hear My Song” (Paramount, no set price). Whimsical, sentimental comedy, burdened by a slow second half, about a Liverpool club owner (Adrian Dunbar) who loses his club and his lover. To get out of that mess, he must convince a famed tenor (Ned Beatty), in exile in Ireland, to come back to England for a concert.

“Flamingo Road” (MGM/UA, 1949, $20). In one of her most enjoyable soap operas, Joan Crawford plays a tough dancer who, while stranded in small town, romances two men (Zachary Scott and David Brian) and tackles a villainous politician (Sydney Greenstreet).

“The Tin Star” (Paramount, 1957, $15). This exciting Western is evidence why Henry Fonda is usually ranked on a par with Gary Cooper and James Stewart (all just under John Wayne, of course) in the hierarchy of Western screen actors. Fonda plays a grizzled bounty hunter teaching an inexperienced sheriff (Tony Perkins) how to cope with outlaws.

Upcoming on Video: “Medicine Man” (Wednesday), “Memoirs of an Invisible Man” (Wednesday), “Rock-a-Doodle” (Wednesday), “White Men Can’t Jump” (Thursday), “Fried Green Tomatoes” (Thursday), “Final Analysis” (Aug. 26) and “The Lawnmower Man” (Aug. 26).

New on Laser: Just out: “Hook” (letterbox), “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot,” “Naked Lunch,” “Rush,” “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse,” “Juice,” “Europa, Europa” (subtitled) and “Shining Through.”

Also: “Little Caesar” and “Public Enemy” (MGM/UA, $40). A double feature of two movies that helped define the American gangster film genre. “Little Caesar” (1930), featuring Edward G. Robinson in his most famous role, now seems dated because of Robinson’s excessively theatrical performance but “Public Enemy” (1931), starring James Cagney, is still a vibrant, exciting movie--largely thanks to Cagney, a master of screen acting.

“The Defiant Ones” (MGM / UA), 1958, $35). Race relations, ‘50s style. Gripping tale of escaped prisoners-one black (Sidney Poiter) and one white (Tony Curtis)-shackled together and on the run in the South, forced to learn racial tolerance.