Thinking she was smothering, Sybil used her purple crayon to scratch on the inside of the bin so someone would know she had been there.

Sybil, by Flora Rheta Schreiber, tells the story of the recovery of the pseudonymous Sybil Dorsett (in real life, Shirley Mason), a woman who suffers from multiple personality disorder because of severe childhood trauma. Woodward herself had starred in The Three Faces of Eve, in which she portrayed a woman with three personalities, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for the role.

The film, originally 198 minutes long, was initially shown over the course of two nights on NBC in 1976. Vickie, who knows everything about the other personalities, tells Wilbur about some of them, including Marcia, who is suicidal and wants to kill herself, and Vanessa, who plays the piano although Sybil has not played in years and swears she forgot how to play piano. Sybil meets them at a cafeteria for lunch.įinally, she is able to express her rage against her mother.ĭue to high public interest, the A 128-minute edit of the film was shown in cinemas in Australia, opening in January 1978.Colin Bennett, 'Sybil Gets Herself Together' Melbourne Richard rescues her and calls Wilbur. Wilbur hypnotizes Vickie and asks about the purple. Wilbur hypnotizes Sybil to introduce her to the other personalities. Vickie relates a memory of a time Sybil's mother locked young Sybil in the wheat bin in the barn. Vanessa invites Richard and his son Matthew to have Christmas dinner, after which Richard spends the night in Sybil's apartment. Wilbur takes her patient to her home by a lake and hypnotizes her into having all 16 personalities be the same age as she and become just aspects of Sybil. Chief among them is Victoria, a Although she had promised never to hypnotize Sybil, later into the treatment, Dr. Wilbur a Christmas card, but Sybil made everything purple, a color that frightens Peggy. At the same time, the personality Vanessa falls in love with a charming neighbor named Richard.

Eventually, 16 identities varying in age and personal traits begin to emerge. This girl introduces herself as Peggy, and Wilbur realizes that Sybil is suffering from Vickie introduces herself to Wilbur at the next session.

Sybil movie synopsis