An image is stably reproduced in a special reproduction mode of still, frame advance or slow motion mode without residual image and/or blur. A video signal reproducing apparatus operates to alternately repeat the steps of interrupting a de-emphasizing process at a time at which the de-emphasis process for one video image signal period is completed, holding a content of a frame memory constituting the de-emphasis circuit without refreshing the content and performing a de-emphasis process based the content of the memory during a subsequent video image signal period.