Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Sex, Lies, and Videotape Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 15, 2018

Steven Soderbergh's "Sex, Lies and Videotape" (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film; new documentary featuring Peter Gallagher, Andie MacDowell, and Laura San Giacomo; archival audio commentary with Steven Soderbergh and filmmaker Neil LaBute; deleted scene; and more. The release also arrives with a 46-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Amy Taubin, excerpts from Steven Soderbergh's diaries written at the time of the film's production, and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Cheaters

There are hundreds of different films that over the years have targeted the games that the two sexes like to play, but they are actually quite easy to group in two categories. In the first you could place all of the comedies whose main ambition was to ridicule the players that engaged in hilarious but unwinnable battles for superiority. In the second you would have the films that sought to understand the motives of the players and from time to time examined the mechanics of their games.

Steven Soderbergh’s Sex, Lies, and Videotape is one of only a few films that can easily be placed in both categories. It has a very interesting dark sense of humor but also produces an outstanding deconstruction of the ‘perfect environment’ in which the two sexes usually feel emboldened to turn against each other. There are so many truths in it that remain relevant nearly thirty years after its release.

The film quickly introduces four characters whose lives are defined by lies, but only two seem genuinely conformable with them. John (Peter Gallagher) is an ambitious lawyer who is happily married to Ann (Andie MacDowell) and having an affair with her sister Cynthia (Laura San Giacomo). The three routinely see each other but their interactions are so mechanical that neither the marriage nor the affair actually feels legit. When John’s college roommate Graham (James Spader) appears and engages them, suddenly the awkwardness of their relationships is revealed and they slowly begin to reevaluate their needs and goals. But John is also drawn into the process and, against his wish, eventually is forced to reexamine everything that supposedly makes him feel alive.

Soderbergh uses sex as a litmus test to expose the common lies that allow men and women to comfortably mistreat each other while pretending to care for their needs and feelings. Also, the concept of it -- whether it is a largely insignificant physical act or a crucial element of a healthy relationship -- and the ways in which it is intentionally and unintentionally abused becomes a catalyst for very interesting observations about their evolving philosophies of life. So a seemingly straightforward story about a couple of cheaters, a frustrated housewife and a guy with a fetish gradually becomes something far bigger and admirably ambitious.

The brilliance of the film, however, comes from the casual fashion in which it looks and pulls in different directions but remains coherent. Given the nature of the discussions and how easy it could have been to simply load them with familiar clichés, it is indeed very impressive to see how effortlessly the film avoids them and even retains an authentic sense of humor. It is a real treat to view.

Soderbergh also edited the film which makes the end product that much more impressive because it was his directorial debut.

The light ambient soundtrack was created by Cliff Martinez whose credits now include such box-office hits as Drive, Only God Forgives, and Traffic.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Steven Soderbergh's Sex, Lies, and Videotape arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a DFT Scanity film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used jitter, flicker, small dirt, grain, and noise management.

The sound was initially remastered in 2009 by sound editor/re-recording mixer Larry Blake. The original stems and premixes were transferred to 96 kHz files, and a new set of stems was created, featuring music upmixed to 5.1 surround. In spring 2018, the original dialog-edit were located, and the film's dialogue was completely remixed by Larry Blake and Steven Soderbergh, with special attention paid to noise reduction.

Transfer supervisors: Lee Kline, Steven Soderbergh.
Colorist: Joe Gawler/Harbor Picture Company, New York.
4K scanning: Deluxe, Culver City, CA.
Re-recording mixer: Larry Blake.
Dialogue prep: Matt Coby.
Archival sound transfer: Nicolas Bergh/Endpoint Audio."

The release is sourced from a brand new 4K restoration that is an absolute stunner. I have the previous release of the film that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment produced in 2009 and can assure you that even though it was quite good for its time the improvements in quality that the new release offers are frequently quite dramatic. For example, there are numerous areas where black crush is eliminated and now there is substantially more detail (compare screencapture #11 with the corresponding screencapture from our review of the previous release). Even during daylight sequences there are notably better nuances on display (see screencapture #2). Depth and especially density are also a lot more pleasing, and if you view your films on a larger screen, I can guarantee that you will see a serious improvement in quality in all key areas that we scrutinize in our reviews. The new restoration also has a superior color scheme, boasting better primaries and wider ranges of healthy nuances. Image stability is excellent. All in all, I would say that currently this is probably one of the best looking releases in Criterion's entire Blu-ray catalog. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Sex, Lies, and Videotape Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (96kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio was fully remastered for this release and on my system I can hear quite a difference. Cliff Martinez's soft ambient soundtrack is lusher and I think that clarity, in particular, is significantly better. (Sound editor/re-recording mixer Larry Blake did additional work to remove and/or minimize native limitations such as background noise). The dialog is stable and always very easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report. (For additional notes on the restoration/remix, please see the screencaptures provided with our review).

Sex, Lies, and Videotape Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers -
  
  1. Soderbergh Cut. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).
  2. Miramax Cut. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Interviews with Steven Soderbergh -
  
  1. Interview One (2018) - in this new segment, Steven Soderbergh discusses the exact moment in which Sex, Lies, and Videotape was conceived as well as the architecture and main themes of his film. Parts of the segment address questions that were previously submitted by fans of the film. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).
  
  2. Interview Two (1992) - in this archival video interview, Steven Soderbergh discusses the rapid evolution of his career after the success of Sex, Lies, and Videotape, some of the main themes in it and visual style, his love for Jaws, etc. There are also comments about the production of Kafka. The interview was conducted for The Dick Cavett Show. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).
  
  2. Interview Three (1990) - in this archival video interview, Steven Soderbergh recalls what inspired him to shoot Sex, Lies, and Videotape, and discusses the manner in which it was edited, the specific role sex has in the film, Peter Gallagher's performance, etc. The interview was conducted in Washington D.C. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Something in the Air: Making "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" - in this brand new documentary, actors Peter Gallagher, Andie MacDowell, and Laura San Giacomo recall their work with Steven Soderbergh during the production of Sex, Lies, and Videotape and discuss his directing methods. The actors also address the qualities of the characters that they play in the film. The documentary was produced for Criterion in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (29 min).

• James Spader - presented here is an excerpt from NBC's Today show with actor James Spader in which he discusses his contribution to Sex, Lies, and Videotape and recalls the day when he learned about the film's success at the Cannes Film Festival. The interview was conducted in September 1989. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Larry Blake and Cliff Martinez - in this new filmed conversation, sound editor/re-recording mixer Larry Blake and composer Cliff Martinez discuss their professional relationships with Steven Soderbergh, the role music has in his films, and the scoring and sound editing of Sex, Lies, and Videotape. The conversation was recorded exclusively for Criterion in April 2018. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Deleted Scene - presented here is a deleted scene featuring Ann (Andie MacDowell) and her therapist (Ron Vawter), which can be seen with an optional audio commentary by Steven Soderbergh. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Generators, Noise Reduction, and Multitrack Audiotape - in this new documentary, sound editor/re-recording mixer Larry Blake discusses the additional work that was done to remove and/or minimize native limitations such as background noise that were present on the original edit of Sex, Lies and Videotape. There are also very interesting comments about the cutting of the dialog. The documentary was produced in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Audio Commentary - this archival audio commentary features writer/director Steven Soderbergh and filmmaker and playwright Neil LaBute. It was recorded in 1998 and was also included on the first North American Blu-ray release of Sex, Lies, and Videotape that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment produced in 2009.

• A Note on the Picture and Sound Restorations - please see the screencaptures that are included with our review.

• Booklet - a 46-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Amy Taubin, excerpts from Steven Soderbergh's diaries written at the time of the film's production, and technical credits.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Steven Soderbergh's award-winning directorial debut, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, has a very interesting dark sense of humor but also produces an outstanding deconstruction of the 'perfect environment' in which the two sexes usually feel emboldened to turn against each other. Nearly thirty years after its premiere the film still looks very stylish and modern, and because of the drastic nature in which social media altered the ways in which we communicate in certain ways seems even more relevant today. Criterion's upcoming release is sourced from a spectacular new 4K restoration that was supervised and approved by director Soderbergh, and at the moment it may very well be the best looking and sounding one in the label's Blu-ray catalog. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.