Sex, Lies, and Videotape Blu-ray delivers stunning video and great audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
With smoldering sensuality and biting humor, the surprising relationship between the three title
subjects is revealed in sex, lies, and videotape, the most-talked about erotic comedy of the
decade. James Spader (Stargate) ran away with the Best Actor prize at the Cannes Film
Festival for his brilliantly understated and seductive performance as Graham, a long-lost
college friend who drifts back into town and into the lives of John, a self-involved philanderer,
his angelic wife, Ann, and her saucy sister, Cynthia. One by one, each is drawn into the very
personal project Graham is working on, leaving the relationships between them forever
transformed. A monumental debut effort from first-time feature director Steven Soderbergh,
this comic original includes riveting performances by Peter Gallagher (The Player), Andie
MacDowell (Michael) and Laura San Giacomo (TV's "Just Shoot Me").
For more about Sex, Lies, and Videotape and the Sex, Lies, and Videotape Blu-ray release, see the Sex, Lies, and Videotape Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on November 19, 2009 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.0 out of 5.
Few motion pictures both push the known boundaries of the art of filmmaking and at the same
time weave a fascinating character-driven tale that, despite its vicarious tone, intimately draw its
audience into the experience, creating a cinematic masterpiece that goes beyond celluloid and
into the realm of the surreal. Sex, Lies and Videotape is one of those pictures, an
organic work of art that meshes a palpable sense of realism with an understated but wholly
implied exploration into the deepest depths of the human condition, an examination of the most
raw and basic of desires: the place of intimacy in the lives of four interconnected
individuals and how their sexualities come to affect not only their relationships but their very
essences as they explore deeply-rooted feelings, pains, pleasures, and everything in between,
with the resultant aftermath not necessarily focusing on the physical but instead on the internal
human psyche. Though its name might imply otherwise, Sex, Lies and
Videotape
engenders more of a mental stimulation, the film a wonderfully compelling and rich experience
that both challenges and captivates the mind, a reflection of the film's exploration of how
external pleasures influence the entire spectrum of the human condition.
The Sony Handycam...perfect for finding the truth behind the sex and lies on videotape.
Housewife Ann Mullany (Andie MacDowell, Groundhog Day)
has been visiting a psychiatrist in hopes of analyzing her recent obsessions over things which she
has
no control. In her personal life, she seems comfortable in her naiveté, pleased to be married to a
man with a
good job and living in a nice house, content to be happy on the outside yet unfulfilled on the
inside. She's also going through a phase where she's become uncomfortable touching her
husband, John (Peter Gallagher), a high-powered lawyer who is secretly having an affair with his
wife's sister, Cynthia (Laura San Giacomo, Pretty Woman).
When John's old college friend Graham (James Spader, Stargate) comes to
town, Ann soon learns that that he harbors several secrets, including a collection of videotapes
that feature his female acquaintances verbally sharing their deepest intimate stories and
fantasies for his private consumption. Though it troubles Ann, it intrigues Cynthia who agrees to
become Graham's latest videotaped subject. Nevertheless, circumstances eventually lead Ann
back to Graham's apartment for an appointment with the camera for a videotaped confessional
on sex and lies that
could tear everyone's lives apart.
While its many awards -- including the coveted Palme d'Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival --
are certainly appropriate considering the strength of the entirety of the film, Sex, Lies and
Videotape is the sort of movie better experienced firsthand and without expectations based
either on its long list of accolades or its somewhat misleading title. Granted, Sex, Lies and
Videotape is indeed about sex, lies, and videotape on a very superficial level, but there seems
to be something of a stigma around that string of words that imply that the film is something
that it is not. Far removed from the sort of erotic material one might expect going into a
screening of the film without any foreknowledge other than the title, Sex, Lies and
Videotape surprises in every regard, from the absence of nudity to the intellectually --
rather than physically -- stimulating presentation of both narrative and technical expertise on
display on
either side of the camera. Sex, Lies and Videotape uses the physical realm as a tool
through which to explore a deeper and more intimate
aspect of humanity, and while the film certainly contains in its narrative several twists and turns,
it never falls into any sort of traditional categorization, instead playing as its
own entity with its own set of rules, its own style, and its own purpose.
Sex, Lies and Videotape makes the leap from pointed yet traditional drama to unique
work of art not necessarily through the basics of the story but rather through the story's
structure and ability to so deeply explore past the superficialities the define the vast majority of
pictures. Writer/Director Steven Soderbergh (the Ocean's trilogy), on a
budget of just over $1,000,000, proves here
and perhaps better than anywhere else that remarkable filmmaking isn't necessarily done in the
digital realm or on vast sets with intricate camerawork and sweeping cinematography. A great
movie can come in any shape or size, and while Sex, Lies and Videotape is more prone
to reside on the "less is more" 12 Angry Men side of the ledger rather than a great
picture on the other end of the spectrum where glitz and glamor rule, like Star Trek, the
common thread across all three is a strong, involving story that by extension allows everything
else -- a juror's table, starships and phasers, or video cameras and sexual interludes -- to vanish
into the depths of the story, becoming merely extensions of the narrative rather than its defining
elements. Soderbergh also directs with extraordinary simplicity. Static camera shots and
deliberately subtle touches that juxtapose two contrasting elements -- particularly as it pertains
to the strained relationship between Ann and John -- show Soderbergh a master of the craft; he
allows not only the story but the mesmerizingly natural and spot-on-in-tone performances from
his quartet of lead actors to lend to the film a simple yet highly alluring and intellectually
stimulating approach that makes Sex, Lies and Videotape a true work of cinematic art.
Sex, Lies and Videotape winds onto Blu-ray with an exceptional 1080p, 1.85:1-framed
transfer. Featuring a newly-minted transfer approved by Director Steven Soderbergh (more
information available via a wonderful and hopefully soon-to-be standard extra entitled Notes
on
Remastering and Restoration that explains in-depth the processes behind creating the video
and audio transfers appearing on the Blu-ray), the film looks fantastic in every regard, featuring a
strong sense of depth and sharp, crisp details that accentuate every nuance of the film's set
design
and wardrobe. Both Ann and John's house and Graham's apartment appear inviting and
naturally
detailed, the image revealing a nice texture on walls, the wrinkles and creases in paper wall
hangings, and
chips in the paint on a door frame inside Graham's apartment. Color is neutral but pleasant; no
one
shade seems over-pumped or underdeveloped, whether those seen in the warm interiors or in
several brighter exterior shots. This is certainly not an eye-popping sort of transfer where color
and
detail are concerned, but then again it's not meant to be, either. With good blacks, stable flesh
tones, and a pleasant layer of film grain that remains intact over the entirety of the image,
Sex,
Lies and Videotape looks wonderful on Blu-ray, and considering the fact that it's
director-approved, it's hard to find fault with what is another first-class effort from Sony.
Also remastered as part of this Blu-ray release, Sex, Lies and Videotape's Dolby TrueHD 5.1
lossless soundtrack is rather unconventional in tone, but it's hard to argue with director approval
and intent. The film isn't particularly music-heavy, but several instances of musical playback
throughout deliver a thoroughly satisfying, room-filling, and altogether rich and inviting
presentation
that enjoys stellar clarity across the entire dynamic range. Still, the track is more memorable
for its unique approach to sound design, and the results as presented here are excellent for what
the soundtrack wishes to accomplish. The entire process is detailed in the above-referenced
supplement,
and the soundtrack audibly reflects the basics conveyed in the text; there's little rear-channel or
LFE presence, and dialogue -- while occasionally a bit rough around the edges and sometimes
slightly lost under a few ambient sound effects -- is generally strong and free of distortion, another
direct result of the extensive revitalization the mix underwent in preparation for what is described
as a "definitive" version of the Sex, Lies and Videotape soundtrack.
Sex, Lies and Videotape's Blu-ray release contains several extras, most notable among
them a commentary track with Writer/Director Steven Soderbergh and Neil Labute, Director of
In the Company of Men. They discuss the film's simplistic visual style, likes and dislikes
about the film in hindsight, filmmaking techniques, anecdotes revolving around the casting of the
roles, and plenty more. An affable and insightful track, fans of the film and the intricacies of low
budget filmmaking will want to listen to this one. 20 Year Reunion at the Sundance Film
Festival (480p, 3:26) features cast and crew speaking of the film prior to an anniversary
screening. Next up is a deleted scene (480p, 3:26) with optional director
commentary. Steven Soderbergh on the Trailers is a three-part feature that contains an
interview with the director (480p, 1:29) speaking on the assembly of two trailers, and both
trailers -- Soderbergh's original (480p, 1:33) and Miramax's in-house version (480p, 1:37) -- are
included. Steven Soderbergh on 'Sex, Lies and Videotape' (480p, 8:11) features the
director offering a bit more of an in-depth insight into his style, the film's quasi-autobiographical
nature, the performances of the cast, the film's thematic elements, the title, and more. Also
included
is the aforementioned text-based notes on the remastering process; BD-Live functionality; Sony's
"MovieIQ" that offers live, up-to-date details about
every scene, including cast and crew filmographies and biographies, soundtrack listings, and
more;
and 1080p trailers for Obsessed, Damages: Season
One, Casino Royale, The Da Vinci Code,
and
A River Runs Through
It.
Sex, Lies and Videotape delivers a simple story packed with rich complexities that make the
film a masterwork of cinema. Its difficult subject matter is handled expertly via Writer/Director
Steven Soderbergh's magnificent script and equally engaging direction that, like the story, takes on
an existence of its own as it delivers a superficially simple tone but with underlying complexities that
make it a dazzling example of what splendid direction and a strong sense of creativity -- particularly
on a small budget -- can do for a film. Also featuring incredible performances from Andi MacDowell
and James Spader, Sex, Lies and Videotape is a complete motion picture experience that's
required viewing for students of cinema and connoisseurs of first-rate filmmaking. Another
outstanding
Blu-ray release from Sony, Sex, Lies and Videotape delivers strong and director-approved
visual and sound
presentations in addition to an assortment of bonus materials. Highly recommended.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that it will release 'Sex, Lies and Videotape' on Blu-ray on November 17. Steven Soderbergh's first feature film won the Palme d'Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival, put Soderbergh in the spotlight and became one of ...
In an early announcement to retailers, it has been revealed that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release Steven Soderbergh's first feature film, 'Sex, Lies and Videotape', on Blu-ray on August 25. No technical specifications are available, but you can expect ...
