The Laser Bin : Laserdiscs sometimes offer special features and content beyond the capabilities of videocassettes. Here are a couple of examples.

“King Kong” (Criterion, The Voyager Co., 2139 Manning Ave., Los Angeles, 90025, 1-800-446-2001, $74.95). This is the most complete, pristine copy of the ’33 sci-fi classic yet. The bulk of the print comes from a 35-millimeter negative from the Library of Congress. Scenes censored in 1938 were restored from 16-millimeter prints. Nineteen “chapters” identify key scenes you can zip to in seconds: Kong battling the tyrannosaurus; Kong destroying the Third Avenue El; the final Empire State Building shoot-down. Included is a visual essay on the making of “King Kong” by film historian Ronald Haver that includes original footage from “Creation,” Willis O’Brien’s pre-Kong prehistoric monster film. Audio track 1 has the original movie sound track with Murray Spivack’s incredible sound effects perfectly mated to Max Steiner’s ground-breaking musical score. On audio track 2, Haver offers a rambling commentary on the making of the film.