It Would Be `Cruel' Punishment To Watch This

"Cruel Doubt," NBC miniseries, 9 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday, KING-TV.

Enough already! I don't ever want to hear anything more about the sad saga of the Von Stein family from North Carolina. CBS gave us an earlier depressing two-hour version of the 1988 killing of Leith Von Stein and the near murder of his wife, Bonnie, a crime that eventually implicated her teenaged son, Chris. It was titled "Honor Thy Mother" and aired April 26.

Now NBC is here with an equally depressing re-enactment, only twice as long with much more detail, and titled "Cruel Doubt."

John Gay's script has been adapted from a book about the crime by Joe McGinniss, who has made a career out of writing books about crime. (His "Blind Faith" and "Fatal Vision" also went the miniseries route.) And director Yves Simoneau has brought together a good cast - with Blythe Danner taking the central role of Bonnie Von Stein (played by Sharon Gless in the earlier version), Danner's daughter, Gwyneth Paltrow, portraying Bonnie Von Stein's daughter, Angela, and Matt McGrath portraying Chris.

But good artistic efforts by everyone involved cannot obscure the fact this is a thoroughly downbeat, even uninteresting, story. Although McGinniss spent a great deal of time with the Von Stein family, he (and scripter Gay) are not able to give the actors much with which to work. Angela remains a pouty enigma, Chris is a shallow, rather stupid and sulky druggie while Bonnie Von Stein doesn't appear to have any particular quirks or character traits that make her at all singular. Obviously, the woman suffered a great deal, both physically and mentally, but neither Danner nor Gless were able to give her any kind of depth or dimension. Danner makes her a bit more charming than Gless did and, if anything, Gless' characterization was a bit more believable.

But after spending four hours with these people, going over and over the crime with a battery of law-enforcement and legal types (well portrayed by Miguel Ferrer, Ed Asner, Dennis Farina, Ben Masters and Adam Baldwin), hearing tedious testimony from Chris' two equally dreary buddies-in-crime, played by Travis Fine and Neal McDonough, I fail to see the point of making this movie.

NBC says it is "enormously proud" of "Cruel Doubt," on the grounds there is some lesson to be learned from observing this "seemingly normal family whose members are, in fact, dysfunctional." The lesson, as far as I can see, is to steer as clear of them as possible. To make us sympathetic to what happened to the Von Steins, they have to be interesting enough to engage our interest, our emotions. As portrayed in both "Cruel Doubts" and "Honor Thy Mother," they remain enigmatic stick figures. "Cruel Doubts" is a well-acted miniseries but the result was not worth the effort. --------------------------------------------------------------- You'll enjoy this `Version' "The Japanese Version," 7, 11 p.m. Sunday, Discovery Channel/cable. --------------------------------------------------------------- It's possible to enjoy this lively documentary on two levels: On one hand, it's a funny and engaging look at how Japanese culture has imported varied aspects of American culture, then twisted and bent them for their own needs.

But it's also a provocative and scary look at how pervasive is the view of America as presented by films and television. To watch a group of Japanese men in a Tokyo bar sing songs from TV Westerns, while dressed Western style - and not self-conscious about it - is to realize TV has an lot to answer for.

But filmmakers Louis Alvarez and Andrew Kolker don't insist you necessarily view their dandy film that way. As a kind of guided tour to contemporary Japan, it's endlessly informative and entertaining - weddings with gigantic cakes made of rubber, a Tokyo "charm school," snack foods with English words printed on them - eat and learn! - and "love hotels."

Especially interesting is a segment on how some Americans, who have learned Japanese, have become celebrities in Japan, appearing in a variety of roles, as both experts and entertainers. Also a standout is a segment on "Ultraquiz," a Japanese TV show that shoots segments in the U.S. and offers a wild view of our country as it appears to the Japanese.

"The Japanese Version" shows TV can redeem itself, when placed in the right hands, such as those belonging to Alvarez and Kolker, whose excellent "American Tongues" you may recall from PBS' "P.O.V." series. --------------------------------------------------------------- A look on the `Wild' side "Northwest Wild: Edge of the Continent," 6:30 p.m. Sunday, KING-TV. --------------------------------------------------------------- Producer/writer John Stern, photographer/editor Darrell Suto and narrator Penny LeGate have collaborated once again on another "Northwest Wild" special that offers a thoughtful look at the state's coastal ecosystem, with special emphasis upon how Native Americans view it and their place in it. It's both a lesson in ecology - and a pleasing video tour of some spectacular scenery.