The Three Faces of Eve (1957)

A doctor treats a woman suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder.

Director:

Nunnally Johnson

Writers:

Nunnally Johnson (screenplay), Corbett Thigpen (book) (as Corbett H. Thigpen M.D.)

Stars:

Joanne Woodward, David Wayne, Lee J. Cobb

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joanne Woodward	...	Eve White / Eve Black / Jane
David Wayne	...	Ralph White
Lee J. Cobb	...	Doctor Curtis Luther
Edwin Jerome	...	Doctor Francis Day
Alena Murray	...	Secretary
Nancy Kulp	...	Mrs. Black
Douglas Spencer	...	Mr. Black
Terry Ann Ross	...	Bonnie White
Ken Scott	...	Earl
Mimi Gibson	...	Eve - Age 8
Alistair Cooke	...	Narrator

Storyline

Eve White is a quiet, mousy, unassuming wife and mother who keeps suffering from headaches and occasional black outs. Eventually she is sent to see psychiatrist Dr. Luther, and, while under hypnosis, a whole new personality emerges: the racy, wild, fun-loving Eve Black. Under continued therapy, yet a third personality appears, the relatively stable Jane. This film, based on the true-life case of a multiple personality, chronicles Dr. Luther's attempts to reconcile the three faces of Eve. multiple personalities.

---

Plot Keywords:

multiple personality | psychiatrist | multiple personality disorder | dissociative identity disorder | younger version of character | 

---

Taglines:

Every Adult Must See It!

---

Genres:

Drama | Mystery

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 November 1957 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Tres caras tiene Eva

Filming Locations:

Stage 8, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$965,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) 4-Track Stereo

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The reason for Eve's personality split as depicted in the film is complete fiction. According to a People magazine article in 1989, "As a 2-year-old, Eve had witnessed three unnerving scenarios within three months: a drowned man being pulled from a ditch, a sawmill worker sliced into three pieces and her own mother cutting herself severely on a piece of broken glass. Too young to deal directly with what she had seen, she developed the first in a line of alternative personalities, including the three that now revealed themselves, one by one, to the amazed [psychiatrist who diagnosed her as having multiple personality disorder]."

---

Goofs

(at around 33 mins) When Eve Black is in the hospital sitting on the bed talking with the Dr. and he mentions introducing E. Black to E. White, E. Black is holding a cigarette in her left hand. She "wakes up" as E. White and covers herself, but has lost the cigarette.

---

Quotes

Jane: It's not you marrying me. It's me marrying anybody. I'm sick. I am mentally sick, and I can't marry anybody, ever.

---

Crazy Credits

introducing Alistair Cooke distinguished journalist and commentator

---

Connections

Referenced in Student Bodies (1981)

---

Soundtracks

Hold Me
(uncredited)
Written by Jack Little (as Little Jack Little), Dave Oppenheim and Ira Schuster
Performed by Joanne Woodward

User Reviews

A must see performance

Joanne Woodward is SO good in this (she won the academy award for best actress). Her portrayals of Eve White (dowdy and dreary), Eve Black (sensual and wild) and the eventual Jane (pretty close to what you'd call normal) were nothing short of incredible due to the diversity of the personalities and the fact that she was able to achieve such believability. Got to see this one.