The Color of Lies Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

The Color of Lies Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 23, 2022

Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of Twisting the Knife: Four Films by Claude Chabrol.

Arrow Video has been revisiting a number of films by Claude Chabrol that have had previous releases on Blu-ray courtesy of Cohen Media Group. Arrow's recent compendium Lies and Deceit: Five Films by Claude Chabrol contained Cop au Vin and Inspector Lavardin, released by Cohen in a "double feature" called The Inspector Lavardin Collection; and Betty and Torment, which Cohen released as part of 3 Classic Films by Claude Chabrol. And in fact the third film in Cohen trifecta of "classic films", The Swindle (the link points to the Cohen release), is included here, along with The Color of Lies (the link points to the Cohen release) and Nightcap (the link once again points to the Cohen release). That means that much like Lies and Deceit's Madame Bovary, this compendium also features one film that Cohen didn't put out in years past, The Flower of Evil (La Fleur du Mal).

The Color of Lies is one of the three films in this collection which had a previous release on Blu-ray from Cohen Media Group. For those wanting a plot recap and the ability to compare screenshots, I suggest heading over to my The Color of Lies Blu-ray review of the Cohen release.

The Color of Lies Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Color of Lies is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.67:1. This is the one film in this set which Arrow does not advertise on its website as having had a 4K restoration, but the insert booklet lumps it in with the others in the set, stating only that "the films in this collection were restored and supplied by MK2". This is at the very least very similar if not absolutely identical to the Cohen release, with a nicely suffused palette that offers some especially vivid primaries, notably the blues of the seaside locale. Grain resolves naturally, but this has the same somewhat processed look that I mentioned with regard to the Cohen release, and some of the dark scenes in particular are pretty rough looking without much substantial detail (see screenshot 9 for an example).

The Color of Lies Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with the video side of things, I frankly didn't notice any significant difference between the LPCM 2.0 audio on this disc and the LPCM 2.0 audio on the Cohen disc. Ambient environmental effects are well rendered throughout the many outdoor scenes, and dialogue and another peculiar score from Matthieu Chabrol are also presented without any issues. Unlike the Cohen release, which featured forced subtitles, the English subtitles on this release are optional.

The Color of Lies Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Barry Forshaw & Sean Hogan


• Nothing is Sacred (HD; 13:57) is a visual essay by film critic Scout Tafoya and looks into how concepts of art and legacy play into the film.


• Introduction by film scholar Joël Magny (HD; 2:33) feature Magny narrating as scenes from the movie play, and is in French with English subtitles.


• Scene Commentaries by Claude Chabrol (HD; 20:08) include scenes of Chabrol actually recording the commentaries. In French with English subtitles.


• Behind the Scenes (HD; 25:47)


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:14)


• Image Gallery (HD)

The Color of Lies Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Color of Lies might make for an interesting double feature with The Flower of Evil, also included in this set from Arrow, since both offer supposed "murder mysteries" where the "whodunit" aspect becomes positively secondary to some of the dysfunctions on display (aside and apart from people killing each other, that is). Technical merits are on a par with the previous Cohen release, and the supplementary package is very enjoyable. Recommended.