A young woman whose childhood was so harrowing to her that she developed sixteen different personalities is treated by a doctor.A young woman whose childhood was so harrowing to her that she developed sixteen different personalities is treated by a doctor.A young woman whose childhood was so harrowing to her that she developed sixteen different personalities is treated by a doctor.
- Won 4 Primetime Emmys
- 6 wins & 5 nominations total
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe real "Sybil" was identified in 1998 as Shirley Ardell Mason, an art teacher who died in 1998 at the age of 75 in Lexington, Kentucky. Flora Rheta Schreiber, who wrote the book on which "Sybil" was based, gave her the name based on the women prophets of Greek mythology, the Sibyls, who spoke with multiple voices.
- GoofsWhen Sybil and Richard first ride the subway, a man wearing a hat is sitting next to them. Hours later, when they return on the subway, the same man is sitting next to them again.
- Quotes
Sybil Dorsett: Who dat?
Richard J. Loomis: Who dat who say who dat?
Sybil Dorsett: Who dat who say who dat who say who dat?
- Alternate versionsThe original TV-version ran two nights for a total of four hours (198 minutes minus the commercials). Most video copies are pared down in length, one running 122 minutes and another "expanded" to 132 minutes. Both these versions are missing key scenes such as:
- The introduction of of the alternate personality "Vanessa"
- Sybil's first date with Richard
- Her recollection of her childhood sweetheart.
- Sybil dissociating into the personality of an infant, leading to Dr. Wilbur's memorable statements "My god Sybil, what did that monster do to you? What happened in the green kitchen?"
- Dr. Wilbur confronting Willard Dorsett over him having left his daughter in the care of such an obvious and dangerously disturbed woman as Hattie
- Sybil's two male personalities arguing with Dr. Wilbur about them being able to father children
- Sybil finally confronting and learning to accept all of her personalities while under hypnosis
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 29th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1977)
Featured review
Great Movie
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.
helpful•70
- Fhantome
- Jul 23, 2006
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