OUT ON VIDEO
A weekly update of video releases
* CALL NORTHSIDE 777 Many young filmmakers have revived the ``film noir'' style, which captivated the 1940s and '50s with its shadowy, suspenseful treatment of shadowy, suspenseful themes. So it's refreshing to see a fine example of the genuine article, made in 1948 and featuring James Stewart as a journalist bent on proving the innocence of a man sent wrongly to prison for 99 years. Henry Hathaway directed the story in a semidocumentary style that's ideally suited to its fact-based material. Richard Conte and Lee J. Cobb head the supporting cast as the convicted man and a crusty editor. This cassette includes the original coming-attractions trailer. (Not Rated, Fox Video)
* CIAO, PROFESSORE! - A clerical error sends a sophisticated Italian schoolteacher to a poverty-stricken district in the South, where he sheds his elitist interests and sets about educating a bunch of scraggy ruffians who'd be happy if he dis- appeared forever. Lina Wertmuller's comedy is far less ambitious than the best movies of her career, such as the classic ``Seven Beauties,'' but it serves up feisty situations and engaging characters without neglecting the filmmaker's longtime concern for social justice. Paolo Villaggio is just right as the title character. (R, Miramax)
* HEAD - The Monkees were the most shamelessly commercialized rock group of the 1960s, assembled by TV producers eager to capitalize on Beatlemania and its many spinoffs. Imagine everyone's surprise when the foursome made its movie debut in what might be the most frantically hip picture of 1968, leaping among skits, sketches, and routines with an anarchic abandon that attracted attention even in those psychedelic times. Much of the humor seems skimpy and silly today, but a few sequences are hilarious. Most interesting is the ease with which first-time director Bob Rafelson embraces an enormously wide range of '60s sensibilities, from flower-child whimsy to ferocious social protest. Co-produced and co-written by Jack Nicholson. (G, Rhino)