Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Melanie Bouvet The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

nbwritersinbox Looking for light entertainment? If you are, Sybil won't be for you...However, a remarkable combination of factors make this TV Drama one of the best ever made. Why it was never adapted as a feature film, I will never know. (Possibly, Hollywood Studios balked at the controversial subject matter the drama explores?) I refuse to believe a talented director couldn't produce an Oscar-winning production. It would sweep the board! Sally Field's central performance is astonishing, compelling and deeply moving throughout 198 gripping minutes. This, plus sensitive direction and a powerful storyline, tragically based on a real victim's remarkable recovery, propels Sybil into the top echelon of any film released in America. All credit must be extended to the company who bothered to re-release Sybil on DVD. This reviewer here, I can assure you, will be seeking a copy for his permanent collection.What makes Sybil important, is a thorough examination of why complex mental health issues arise, and the value of psychotherapy itself. Neither of these issues are easy to approach, or understand by film-makers, and indeed, audiences. But Sybil does not patronize, it examines, reflects and informs. Multiple Personality Disorder, as it was then called, is now known to be a form of dissociation. The sufferer takes refuge behind a number of different "characters", since without them, reality's unbearable. The sufferer's personality is literally "shattered" due to severe trauma, usually experienced in childhood.That (the real) Sybil was able to make a full recovery is a remarkable feat. There's a great deal to be learned about psychological therapy from watching this DVD. And, hope for all who's emotional health has been damaged in the past.

sdave7596 The 2 disc DVD of this remarkable film is long overdue. I was 14 when "Sybil" was first shown on NBC, and my mother allowed myself and my sister to watch it. I was probably too young then to comprehend what an amazing job the producers, actors, and writer did with this story. Sally Field was an unlikely choice by the acting standards of the time to take on the disturbed Sybil. She and Joanne Woodward and writer Stewart Stern recount all this in the fascinating extras on the DVD. Field was the last actor to audition for the part, and she won out over all the others. Field creates these separate and distinct personalities, taking us on a journey that leads to some horrifying childhood abuse. She is fascinating throughout, and you won't be able to take your eyes off her. Joanne Woodward as the kind and caring psychiatrist is excellent also. I could watch Woodward in any part, she always approaches her roles with intelligence and is very natural. Brad Davis plays a sort of love interest to Sybil, and he is charming and realizes something is amiss about her, but has no idea the depth to which she is disturbed. Sybil's mother (played by Martine Bartlett) is the portrait of evil, and she is a great actress, because you really believe she is a monster. Field won a well deserved Emmy for this, forever shattering her image as the cutesy "Gidget" type actress. Do yourself a favor and watch this movie - it is as good (and better in some cases) as anything released in the theaters.

MrGKB ...and still packs an emotional wallop that countless docudramas since have mostly failed to match. Originally presented on television in late 1976 with a hefty dose of commercial breaks, which are unfortunately more than apparent in the anniversary DVD presentation, "Sybil" is based on the true story of a Kentucky woman who developed multiple personalities to deal with the abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of her nutjob mother. Although heavily dramatized for the sake of compressing a rather lengthy story into three hours, Stewart "Rebel Without a Cause" Stern's penultimate teleplay hits all the right notes as it slowly draws us into Sybil's world. Under the care of psychiatrist, Cornelia Wilbur (played with great strength and understanding by Joanne Woodward), Sybil's personalities are revealed to us one by one as we slowly discover the root cause of her illness. When the final revelations are made in Act Three, the audience is thoroughly invested in the young woman's plight, and the catharsis of her self-discovery is intensely believable and very, very human.Noted director, Daniel "A Raisin in the Sun" Petrie, was brought in as a replacement to helm this one; it was the serendipitous choice. His touches are deft and never forced, especially in the extended takes in which Sybil's personalities battle for control of her mind. Mario "Carrie,""The Stunt Man" Tosi's cinematography is solid and assured, ably abetted by superlative production design, set decoration, and costuming, along with Michael S. McLean's careful editing. Leonard Rosenman's score is effective and never intrusive, a far cry from the manipulative scores of today's films. Everything about the film reveals the devotion and care of the principals involved in making it; I'll be very surprised if the upcoming remake can match that, although I could be wrong, given Jessica Lange's participation.At its core, though, "Sybil" ultimately rests in the hands of Woodward and Field, and these two fine actresses carry the film with all due respect and love right from its unsettling opening moments to its conclusion. Sally Field is simply wonderful, forever putting to rest her typecasting as the "Gidget"/"Flying Nun" comedienne. Her Emmy for the performance was, to me, a given, and in retrospect, a harbinger of her Oscar-winning stints in "Norma Rae" and "Places in the Heart," as well as her many other triumphs. Joanne Woodward, who signed onto the project first and was instrumental in assuring Field's being cast opposite her, gives Dr. Wilbur a dimensionality not often seen in such characters. How interesting that her first and only Oscar came from her portrayal, nearly two decades earlier, of multiple-personality disorder in "The Three Faces of Eve." The rest of the cast are no slouches, either. Brad "Midnight Express" Davis is sympathetic as the composite face of Sybil's "normal" world, while respected character actress Martine "Splendor in the Grass" Bartlett is truly chilling as Sybil's demented mother. William Prince is effective as the distant father in denial of his wife's illness and criminal behavior, Charles Lane is equally perfect as Sybil's shamefully negligent pediatrician, and Natasha "The Amityville Horror" Ryan shines quite brightly as the young, put-upon Sybil. Also, don't blink or you'll miss a brief, uncredited appearance by Gordon "WKRP/Maytag" Jump.All in all, one of the best productions to be offered by 70s television, on a par with, if not matching the length of, "Roots." I'll watch the remake whenever the opportunity arises, but it's going to have to be a mighty fine piece of work to top the original.

beth_1191 I think this was Sally Field's best acting movie out there. Sybil is quite a story, Joanne Woodward as the psychiatrist and Brad Davis, the man that dated and cared about Sybil are really a good human story. I've met one person with multiple personalities, but this movie gives a good idea as to what the person goes through, and until I saw the picture of the "real" Sybil, didn't realize this was a true to life story.What that "monster" did to a child is beyond what anybody should do to somebody else, ESPECIALLY a child. After the doctor found out that she was actually cut "down there" with a knives and the scenes with the enema was horrible! These days she would be blamed and convicted with child abuse and never see her child again, Sybil actually grew up and actually became an adult despite what her mother did to her.Just the whole plot of where the psychiatrist gets the personalities to come out and of course, Sally Field playing that many personalities, she was wonderful. Richard Loomis her boyfriend, didn't know what was going on, but I'm glad he was there to help her. But once the psychiatrist does some investigating to see if this is all real (the crayon markings in the box), the story gets very deep as she goes through these experiences with Sybil and eventually gets all her personalities and her to make peace with one another, so that they can live as one. These days somebody like that would be institutionalized or sheltered, but I'm glad to see the real Sybil that she actually did go to college and have most part of a normal life.I give it 10 out of 10 stars, just the story of a woman that was abused so bad that I guess her body protected her and made multiple personalities. I recommend this movie to EVERYONE and realize what it is to live with mental illness. Mental illness is still treated in today's society as "crazy", "looney", etc. I have depression and it's amazing people that don't know about the disease, just think it's something you can turn on and off as you please.