Color on DVD

I got this movie on DVD (Facets Video), and the color quality is washed out and smeary. I notice that on the box, it says it's a black and white movie. I am guessing this is just a mistake, and it's not a colorized B&W movie, just a poor DVD transfer. It seems too bad because the cinematography is pretty striking, or might be if it were sharper. Can anyone who has seen the movie in another form enlighten me here?