I was a kid when I first saw what was undoubtedly a chopped-up version of 1944's "Double Indemnity" on TV. It was long before I had ever heard the term "film noir" and long before I discovered the hard-boiled crime novels of James M. Cain.

I distinctly remember having two reactions: What was Fred MacMurray, the amiable, pipe-and-slippers dad from "My Three Sons," doing in a film this obviously amoral? And why did that ankle bracelet Barbara Stanwyck wore even to the grocery store have such an unsettling effect on me?

A few years later, I would have an answer to these questions — and many more posed by what would become one of my all-time favorite films. "Double Indemnity," is, like all the greatest noirs, a film whose plot turns are only one of its enticements. You come away with new revelations on each viewing.

For that reason, the two-disc "Special Edition" (Universal, $19.98) is an essential addition to any DVD library. And unless someone turns up an alternate ending that redeems larcenous, adulterous Phyllis Dietrichson (Stanwyck) and wise guy Walter Neff (MacMurray), with whom she conspires to murder her husband, you shouldn't ever need to replace this one.

As with director Billy Wilder's other dark masterwork, "Sunset Boulevard," this is a tale told by a dead man, although technically Neff is breathing long enough to reveal how he was seduced into Phyllis' plot. It called for the murder of her loutish husband so the two of them could live happily ever after on the payoff of his double indemnity-clause life insurance policy.

The other angle of this triangle is not the victim, but dogged insurance investigator Barton Keyes, played by Edward G. Robinson. He smells a rat and won't stop until he discovers it.

Those who own this movie already would want to replace it if only for the substantially better video transfer that does a good job of recreating the stark contrasts of John Seitz's superlative cinematography and its Edward Hopper-inspired compositions. But the supplements are impressive, too, if not overwhelming. There are two commentaries, an anecdotal and informative one by critic Richard Schickel and another by screenwriter Lem Dobbs and historian Nick Redman that spends a lot of time on the snappy, smart script that Wilder cowrote with Raymond Chandler.

A new retrospective documentary, "Shadows of Suspense," spends as much time exploring the world of noir in general as it does this particular movie. The package also contains the not-awful 1973 made-for-TV remake that cast another TV nice guy, Richard Crenna, as Neff. In 1981, Crenna was the cuckolded husband in Lawrence Kasdan's fine homage to "Double Indemnity," "Body Heat."

ALSO NEW THIS WEEK

Even though it received generally positive reviews and featured state-of-the-art production work and a game cast, this year's "Poseidon" didn't float filmgoers' boats. The remake of "The Poseidon Adventure," one of the best of the '70s disaster epics, was off screens in less time than it took the luxury liner to sink. A few years ago, the two-disc special edition (Warner, $28.98) would have been nothing special. But the proliferation of wide-screen TVs and 5.1 surround sound systems would make this a home-video hit even if it weren't packed with making-of extras and a History Channel documentary that looks at the phenomenon of rogue waves like the one that turns the Poseidon keel up.

"Kicking and Screaming," released in 1995, was one of the first films to examine a generation of college graduates who were in little hurry to segue into adult life and responsibilities. They're played by Josh Hamilton, Eric Stoltz and Samuel Gould. This low-budget indie film had little effect outside the film-fest circuit. But this insightful and pitch-perfect debut of writer-director Noah Baumbach, who won a lot of admirers with last year's "The Squid and the Whale," gets its due thanks to a new director-overseen DVD (Criterion Collection, $29.95). The movie gets a Dolby 5.1 remix and includes interviews with Baumbach and cast members, as well as deleted scenes.

TV ON DVD

The oft-told tale of the Virgin Queen is told again in "Elizabeth I" (HBO, $29.98) with Helen Mirren as Elizabeth in a two-part, four-hour miniseries.

Fans of Hugh Laurie get a double dose this week, with the release of "House M.D. — Season 2" (Universal, $59.98), plus "Season 1" and "Season 2" of the British sketch show "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" (BBC, sold separately for $24.98, or together for $49.98). Laurie pairs with Stephen Fry to play a variety of characters.

"Threshold" (Paramount, $54.95) is a drama about an alien spacecraft on the ocean bottom. Features 12 episodes on three discs.

"Veronica Mars — the Complete Second Season" (Warner, $59.98), 22 episodes on six discs of the hip teenage detective show.