Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writer (WGA):

Steven Soderbergh (written by)

Release Date:

18 August 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A sexually repressed woman's husband is having an affair with her sister. The arrival of a visitor with a rather unusual fetish changes everything.

Plot Keywords:

Yuppie | Interview | Philanderer | Marriage | Melancholy

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 12 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

James Spader	...	Graham Dalton
Andie MacDowell	...	Ann Bishop Mullany
Peter Gallagher	...	John Mullany
Laura San Giacomo	...	Cynthia Patrice Bishop
Ron Vawter	...	Therapist
Steven Brill	...	Barfly
Alexandra Root	...	Girl on Tape
Earl T. Taylor	...	Landlord
David Foil	...	John's Colleague

Directed by
Steven Soderbergh

Writing credits (WGA)
Steven Soderbergh		(written by)

Produced by
John Hardy	....	producer
Morgan Mason	....	executive producer
Robert F. Newmyer	....	producer (as Robert Newmyer)
Nancy Tenenbaum	....	executive producer
Nick Wechsler	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Cliff Martinez

Cinematography by
Walt Lloyd

Film Editing by
Steven Soderbergh

Casting by
Deborah Aquila

Art Direction by
Joanne Schmidt

Set Decoration by
Victoria Spader

Makeup Department
Sabrina Lopez	....	hair stylist
James Ryder	....	makeup artist
Amanda Schuler	....	hair stylist

Production Management
John Hardy	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mike Dempsey	....	first assistant director (as Michael Dempsey)
Alexandra Root	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Bonnie Amos	....	artwork
Amy Archinal	....	artwork
Bill Cancienne	....	swing crew chief
Aaron Glascock	....	property master

Sound Department
Vanessa Theme Ament	....	foley artist (as Vanessa Ament)
Larry Blake	....	sound editor
Larry Blake	....	sound re-recordist
Scott Chandler	....	foley recordist
David W. Gray	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Paul Ledford	....	production sound mixer
David E. Stone	....	foley editor (as Dave Stone)
Stephen Tyler	....	boom operator
Ben Williams	....	sound assistant
Ron Bartlett	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Matthew C. Beville	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Oscar Mitt	....	sound (uncredited)
Dave Moreno	....	weddington recordist (uncredited)
Steven Soderbergh	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Steven Soderbergh	....	sound re-recordist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Phil Beard	....	gaffer
Tony Brignac	....	second assistant camera
Buddy Carr	....	electrician
Gilly Charbonnet	....	grip
Michael Charbonnet	....	first assistant camera
Jonathan Coney	....	grip
Diana Gary	....	still photographer
David Jensen	....	best boy
Bennie Robertson	....	generator operator
J.D. Streett	....	key grip

Casting Department
Philip Jostrom	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Amanda Moore	....	wardrober
James Ryder	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Scott Hill	....	negative cutter
Dan Muscarella	....	color timer
Steve New	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Larry Blake	....	music recordist
Mark A. Mangini	....	musician: acoustic guitar (as Mark Mangini)
Sharal Churchill	....	soundtrack consultant (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Susan Bonfils	....	driver
Ross Neill	....	driver

Other crew
Howard Behar	....	legal services
Melissa Benedetto	....	production assistant
Jim Brannon	....	caterer
Billy Collins Jr.	....	production accountant
Davis Guggenheim	....	production coordinator: Los Angeles
John Kao	....	production executive
Louis Koerner	....	production assistant
Elizabeth Lambert	....	script supervisor
Nancy Mcintosh	....	production coordinator: Los Angeles
Harris Miller	....	legal services
Robert Mintz	....	completion bond
Rusty Smith	....	caterer
Harold Welb	....	production consultant

Thanks
John Dunn	....	special thanks
Mark A. Mangini	....	special thanks (as Mark Mangini)

Production Companies

• Outlaw Productions (I)
• Virgin

Distributors

• AMLF (France)
• BDM Distribution (1990) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Concorde Filmverleih (Germany)
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)
• Miramar Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Miramax Films
• Pathé (France) (video)
• Transmundo Films (Argentina)
• Transmundo Home Video (THV) (Argentina) (video)

Other Companies

• Completion Bond Company  completion guarantee
• Precision Film Cutting  negative cutting
• Sprocket Systems  foley recording
• Telecine Tech  film-to-tape transfer
• Ten Twenty Catering  catering
• Truman Van Dyke Company  production insurance
• Virgin Records  soundtrack (as Virgin Movie Music)
• Weddington Productions  post-production sound services
• Weiman Baucher Kuchel & Silber  legal services

Also Known As:

Sex, Lies... (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 (video rating) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Belgium:16 (video rating) | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-12 | Norway:10 (1989) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:7 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Outlaw Productions (I)

Trivia:

In one scene, we watch a videotaped confession by one of James Spader's character's past lovers. The director gave the script and a video camera to actress Jennifer Jason Leigh in order for her to tape the speech at home with the help of her boyfriend, but they never got around to it and, once filming began, a crewmember was used in the brief role.

Goofs:

Continuity: Graham and Anne's hands when they discuss therapy in the cafe.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ann: Garbage. All i've been thinking about all week is garbage. I mean, i just can't stop thinking about it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Step by Step: Sex, Lies and Videotape (#6.3)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Garbage

Lies and Videotape, but mostly talk

Yes, "Sex, Lies and Videotape" is about sex, lies and videotape. And, while the sex is mostly served in dialogue-form and not a single shot of nudity is present, there is some graphic lying and some explicit videotape. Kinky, right?

Well, not really. "Sex, Lies and Videotape" is Steven Sodenbergh's first film and it's not a bad one. It's just not entirely worthy of the praise it received, at Cannes for example. The situations in the film do create a fair amount of tension that moves the story along. But then, it'd be hard not to have some tension in a film about a woman whose husband is cheating on her with her sister, while she starts interacting with a stranger who is the husband's old college roommate and has a strange videotape fetish and may or may not be a pathological liar. (How do you believe someone who just confessed to having been a pathological liar to not being one anymore? The film doesn't really riddle that one for us.)

Clearly, these characters clash together. But it's not as heated or interesting as it was in later Sodenbergh's films like the spectacular "Traffic." The dialogues in "Sex, Lies and Videotape" range from good to incredibly awkward. But the real strength of the film is the actors. While James Spader clearly stands out - I have never seen him deliver such a subtle performance where every scene simply works for him - Andie McDowell is phenomenal, Peter Gallagher playing the scummy, treacherous husband yuppie lawyer type is great and Laura San Giacomo as the vulgar sister / lover is fabulous. Their performances make the script work, which, under normal circumstances with inferior actors would have seemed rather silly.