Sybil

What a moving, outstandingly brilliant film starring Joanne Woodward, Brad Davies and Sally Field who won an Emmy for her unforgettably, rare and treasuring performance as the susceptible and disturbed Sybil!

Psychological drama, based on a true story; Sally Field stars as Sybil Dorset, a 20-something supply-teacher who suffered unspeakably horrifying treatment from her volatile mother (Martine Bartlett) and subsequently developed sixteen different personalities. With the help of her caring psychiatrist (Joanne Woodward), she slowly but surely learns how to identify herself.

Sally Field could have been the Meryl Streep-like actress of this generation. Before watching Sybil, I was unaware of her erratic next role and as such was intrigued upon discovering she played a woman with multiple personalities. Watching her portray each character thoroughly is overwhelming and cherished. It's a shame both she Sybil are so underrated and ignored.

Joanne Woodward is equally cherished in her role as the sympathetic and patient psychiatrist who nurses Sybil back to a normal woman. She too seems rather underrated as I'd never heard of her until I watched Sybil. I may need to consider delving into her CV for some good movies to get a hold on.

The only problem with the video I managed to snatch off eBay was that fact it was a pirate copy AND didn't even get to the end of the sodding film! Despite getting towards the end of the film is still sadly disrupted my enjoyment of Sybil and now I don't know how it ends. I've posted a message on the message board and hope to have an answer from someone soon. However, all of what I watched was incredibly excellent and as I said earlier - overwhelming.

My only question would be why the hell hasn't this been released on DVD? Or even screened on British TV?! I will not rest until amazon.com sees sense and releases the full four hour, uncut version. With a range of special features, including commentary from both Sally Field and Joanne Woodward, a documentary on Shirley Ardell Mason - the real Sybil who passed away back in 1998 and a selection of different languages - including Spanish and French - for non-English speaking viewers.

UPDATE: To my delight, I have recently realized that whoever they are have finally seen sense and agreed for a two disk, full, uncut version of the original Sybil - accompanied with several special features - is to be released on May 23rd 2006. To celebrate its 30th anniversary. I've already marked it in my calendar. Tick-tock ... tick-tock ... tick-tock ...

I have D.I.D. Out of the many portrayals and interviews that people in the media are exposed to, Sybil is about as close to the real thing that I've seen. Although I do tire seeing people with DID/MPD being portrayed as helpless and totally out of it. I have several friends that have DID and none of them are as portrayed in the media. I am a Paramedic and police dispatcher and have been for ten years... before that, I worked as a therapist as a social worker. I've always held a job and on those rare instances when the entire personality system does fall apart (all puns intended), there is almost always someone inside the personality system to take the reins. That's what is inherent about DID... the ability to persevere and "act normally" through the rough stuff. Sybil paved the way for future generations the way that Joanne Woodward paved the way for her generation into a better understanding of the way that DID works. I'm happy that they released the DVD (although I have yet to purchase it) now on the 30th anniversary. It is a testament to the perseverance of the human condition in times of severe abuse. I only wish that I could have met Shirley Ardell Mason and congratulated her and thanked her for her courageousness.

This was a deeply harrowing movie to watch, and unbelievably so when it came out in 1976. A small child in the grip of her homicidally insane mother, who inflicted sadistic torture on her, while her ineffective husband looked the other way when the signs of abuse were obvious.

There's a small performance in this movie that haunted me more than almost anything else in the film; the part of the grandmother, played by Jessamine Milner, who was as much a victim and prisoner in the home of her psychotic daughter as Sybil was. The difference was she was aware of the extent of her daughter's insanity.

What must it be like to be a prisoner in your own adult child's home, knowing she is inflicting abuse on your grandchild and will do the same to you if you speak? That kind of helplessness must be sheer hell to live with. She could have told her son-in-law or the police at any time (if she was able to get out of the house), but would they have done anything? Or turned a blind eye, considering the time?

Jessamine Milner's performance was so honest and affecting, it stands out as one of the most painful parts of the film, and she is in only two minutes of it! She was born in 1894, and was almost 80 when she made the film. She apparently was in her mid-seventies when she went into film! She's a mystery, and other than her few TV appearances in the late 70s, nothing apparently is known about her. However, she deserves a mention somewhere because of her performance in this difficult to watch film.

My psychology class watched this earlier in the year (in my last year of high school) and I have to say it disturbed the sh*t out of me. I can't believe a little girl actually went through all of that, no wonder she developed DID(Dissociative Identity Disorder), I could barely cope with watching the movie let alone go through it in real life! Makes me want to cry just thinking about it..I think child abuse is the saddest thing in the world, people putting their kids in tumble driers or whatever, I hate knowing that sh*it like that goes down all the time.. I mean there has got to be something seriously wrong with you when you treat a child that way. Hats off to the actress that played the mother, I don't think many people have the balls to play a part like that.

I loved it for the time it was made it was made great, Sally Feild was touching, sweet, innocent and all around wonderful in it. She showed us emotion and fear. No wonder she is such a great actress. One of the first serious ones she did after Gidget & Flying Nun, she showed us just how great she could be. Its a long, heartbreaking story and i definitely recommend it to anyone who is serious about sitting down and watching it. I see there making another one, a new one. No one will ever be able to do it like Sally. I hope they don't ruin a great movie by adding things or embellishing way to much. It would ruin the story and depth of it all.