jrsousa I was trying hard to remember about when I used to watch this movie with my siblings, but couldn't tell if this movie is the same miniseries that I watched in Brazil in the 80s, it probably is, because there is no other. I had the impression the miniseries was longer than 2 episodes, maybe they aired shorter episodes to fit into a week of show. It's an amazing movie, and even though as a kid I couldn't follow or understand much of the movie, some scenes got deeply marked in my memories, such as the image of Sybil showing her fists. Having come across a few podcasts among my mp3 of voices of Sybil, it reminded me of the movie and I decided to see it again.

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.

T Y I hadn't seen this in full ever, but some scenes which I did manage to see as a very young child are as vivid as when they were first broadcast. This makes viewing the movie, which is unusually powerful for ANY medium (TV, cinema) a dissociative experience. I don't know what's coming and all of a sudden a deeply-rooted image or sound slaps me in the face. This is a grueling, traumatizing, horrific movie, but one that is authentically so. It's hard to believe TV was ever this courageous, or so dramatically mature. In retrospect, I should not have been allowed to watch this before I was an adult.For some time, multiple personality disorder (or D.I.D.) was under a cloud. And whether or not it's true, this movie is frightening. I find the explanation that a personality fractures to cope with abuse to be feasible. Man is, after all, a social animal. And when the sole persona has no alternatives, a society might be created of alternate figures to displace negative qualities onto, and to generate missing supportive others, to aid in awful situations. I find the serially solo appearance of said personalities (and their lack of knowledge of the others) to be less probable. The book noted 16 personalities. OK, so you can list the attributes of 16 personalities. That's a dead end! What function does each of 16 personalities do for such a person? And the exponential reporting of cases since 1977 is suspect.Sally Field is so committed to the part, I'm sitting here with mye eyes welling up from some of her episodes (under the piano), and sometimes just the anxiety and anguish she shows in some scenes. I've never seen anything like it. It's harrowing. Joane Woodward does a beautiful job playing the exact right person for Sybil to chance upon. I cannot even imagine how nerve-wracking it must have been to watch this with commercials for Ex-Lax and Pepto Bismal interrupting key parts.The later portion the movie is compromised by a few overused, conventional devices, including the "What is Love?" and "Let me fix everything with a hug" tropes. And Brad Davis in a "super-sensitive 70's single-dad" role is a poor, dated touch. The character is pure sap. He creeps me out almost as frequently as the Mother episodes.

Fhantome 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.