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
Anne Beesley	...	The Selves (as Elizabeth Ann Beesley)
Virginia Campbell	...	The Selves
Missy Karn	...	The Selves
Tasha Lee	...	The Selves
Cathy Lynn Lesko	...	The Selves
Rachel Longaker	...	The Selves
Jennifer McAllister	...	The Selves / Vicky (as Jenifer McAlister)
Kerry Muir	...	The Selves
Karen Obediear	...	The Selves
Tony Sherman	...	The Selves
Danny Stevenson	...	The Selves
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gordon Jump	...	Tractor farmer (uncredited)
Lionel Pina	...	Tommy (uncredited)

Directed by
Daniel Petrie

Writing credits
Flora Rheta Schreiber		(book)
Stewart Stern		(teleplay)

Produced by
Jacqueline Babbin	....	producer
Philip Capice	....	executive producer
Peter Dunne	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Leonard Rosenman

Cinematography by
Mario Tosi		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Michael S. McLean		(as Michael McLean)
Rita Roland

Casting by
Dianne Crittenden		(as Diane Derfner Crittenden)

Production Design by
Tom H. John

Set Decoration by
John H. Anderson		(as John Anderson)

Costume Design by
Patricia Norris

Makeup Department
Janis Clark	....	hair stylist
Robert Norin	....	makeup artist (as Robert N. Norin)

Production Management
Gene Fowler Jr.	....	post-production supervisor (as Gene Fowler)
Marty Hornstein	....	unit production manager
Neil T. Maffeo	....	executive in charge of production
Lee Rich	....	production supervisor
Lynn Guthrie	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gary Adelson	....	second assistant director
Anthony Brand	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Russell Goble	....	property master
Al Rohm	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Victor Guarnier	....	sound effects supervisor
Dick Kupper	....	loop editor
Al Overton	....	post-production sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Holly Bower	....	still photographer
Gene Griffith	....	key grip
Joel King	....	camera operator
Joe Pender	....	gaffer
Joseph Cosko Jr.	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Shirley Rich	....	casting consultant

Editorial Department
LaReine Johnston	....	assistant editor (as La Reine Johnston)
Bob Pickarts	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Ken Runyon	....	music editor
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
H. Bud Otto	....	script supervisor
Patricia A. Sonsini	....	production coordinator
Cornelia Wilbur	....	psychiatric consultant (as Cornelia B. Wilbur)

Production Companies

• Lorimar Productions

Distributors

• Pallas Film (1980) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1976) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Howard A. Anderson Company  titles and opticals

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:

Continuity: On the day Sybil meets Dr. Wilbur, just before she "awakens" in the doctor's office we see a close shot of Dr. Wilbur's right hand as she takes notes. There is a ring on the doctor's right index finger. Then we switch immediately to wider shot of the doctor still writing, but there is no longer a ring on her right hand. It is clear that there was no break in writing between the shots.

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 "Psych: Who Ya Gonna Call? (#1.7)" (2006)

Sybil DVD was both informative and disappointing

The 30th anniversary DVD edition of Sybil was released in July. As Shirley Mason's (aka Sybil)long time friend, I was included in the documentary about the making of the movie. The documentary is a fascinating recap of how the movie was cast and how it came to be. However, I was disappointed that Shirley Mason is not mentioned anywhere in the documentary, and her name is not even shown on her paintings in the gallery. Shirley was a person to me, not a fictional character. I was told that her name couldn't be mentioned because of contractual agreements with the author of the book. Shirley Mason WAS Sybil and her life as an artist in Kentucky should not be minimized. Since Sybil is a story of abuse, but also one of recovery, I feel my friend was denied the recognition she deserves as a survivor of abuse, as a wonderful artist, as a warm, kind lady who lived a quiet life of dignity in Lexington. If and when my book, Life After Sybil... From the Words of Shirley Mason, gets published, I intend to correct that omission. Regards, Sybil's Friend ... Nancy Preston