Sybil (1976) (TV)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Daniel Petrie

Writers:

Flora Rheta Schreiber (book)
Stewart Stern (teleplay)

Release Date:

14 November 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The true story of a young woman named Sybil, whose childhood was so harrowing to her that she developed at least 13 different personalities. |

Plot Keywords:

Multiple Personality | One Word Title | Psychiatrist | Mental Illness | Mental Illness Explored

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Joanne Woodward	...	Dr. Cornelia Wilbur
Sally Field	...	Sybil Dorsett
Brad Davis	...	Richard J. Loomis
Martine Bartlett	...	Hattie
Jane Hoffman	...	Frieda Dorsett
Charles Lane	...	Dr. Quinoness
Jessamine Milner	...	Grandma Dorsett
William Prince	...	Willard Dorsett
Penelope Allen	...	Miss Penny
Camila Ashland	...	Cam
Tommy Crebbs	...	Matthew Loomis
Gina Petrushka	...	Dr. Lazarus
Harold Pruett	...	Danny
Natasha Ryan	...	Child Sybil
Paul Tulley	...	Dr. Castle

Runtime:

USA:198 min (original television version) | Finland:133 min (theatrical version) | USA:187 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Lorimar Productions

Trivia:

Joanne Woodward, who plays the Doctor, starred in another famous film about multiple personalities, The Three Faces of Eve (1957) where she starred as the titular Eve. However, unlike Sybil, she had only a trio of personalities.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the scene where Sybil first goes to see Dr. Wilbur and explains what happened in the water, we hear her say "... and I was in the water." But her mouth says something different.

Quotes:

Dr. Cornelia Wilbur: [Hugging Sybil] Once a long time ago when I was a little girl in Montana, I was laying in the grass looking at the ants. And the sun was warm on my back and the grass was deep and soft and the insects were buzzing... everything was drowsy. Then all of a sudden, I saw this one ant who was struggling to pick up this grain of sand that was far too heavy to carry alone...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Phantom Brother (1988)

A Modern Masterpiece of movie making

Sybil, originally aired way before my time, but I got a chance to see it two years ago in my health class in school. Recently while channel surfing, I came across the movie again. I have always had an interest in Multiple personalities, or MPD. Having studied it in a Human Behavior class, I have become obsessed with learning more about it.

The movie Sybil is about the life and lives of at least 16 different people all sharing the body of one person. The movie deals with a hard subject and has some pretty disturbing scenes. One scene that is very unsettling happens towards the end of the movie where Sybil's crazy mom locks her in a trunk. The things that he r mother put her through are so horrible. It's a shame that this young woman's life was full of obstacles. Sally Field definitely deserved an Emmy for her compelling, complex performance as the title character. She goes from each personality flawlessly. She is a very talented actress, the performance only proves that she can play any part. Joanne Woodward, who in this film has switched roles from her Oscar winning performance in The Three Faces Of Eve, where she played a woman with MPD, does an equally outstanding job. Brad Davis turns in one of his best performances. The movie itself is one of the best made for television movies. It grabs you and holds you until it's chilling ending. Sybil is a movie surrounded hope, but covered in sadness. It is an excellent piece of movie making. I give it 4/4.