sex, lies, and videotape (DVD)
With his provocative feature debut, twenty-six-year-old Steven Soderbergh trained his focus on the complexities of human intimacy and deception in the modern age. Housewife Ann (Andie MacDowell) feels distant from her lawyer husband, John (Peter Gallagher), who is sleeping with her sister, Cynthia (Laura San Giacomo). When John’s old friend Graham (a magnetic, Cannes-award-winning James Spader) comes to town, Ann is drawn to the soft-spoken outsider, eventually uncovering his startling private obsession: videotaping women as they confess their deepest desires. A piercingly intelligent and flawlessly performed chamber piece, in which the video camera becomes a charged metaphor for the characters’ isolation, the Palme d’Or–winning sex, lies, and videotape changed the landscape of American film, helping pave the way for the thriving independent scene of the 1990s.
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- New, restored 4K digital transfer, with new 5.1 surround mix from the original sound elements, supervised by director Steven Soderbergh
- Audio commentary from 1998 featuring Soderbergh in conversation with filmmaker Neil LaBute
- New introduction by Soderbergh
- Interviews with Soderbergh from 1990 and 1992
- New documentary about the making of the film, featuring actors Peter Gallagher, Andie MacDowell, and Laura San Giacomo
- Interview from 1989 with actor James Spader
- New conversation between sound editor/re-recording mixer Larry Blake and composer Cliff Martinez
- Deleted scene with commentary by Soderbergh
- Demonstration of sound restorations through the years
- Trailers
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by critic Amy Taubin and (Blu-ray only) excerpts from Soderbergh’s 1990 book about the film
New cover by Neil Kellerhouse