Sybil

Warner | 187 minutes | 1977 | Not Rated | Directed by: Daniel Petrie |
Standard DVD reviewed by: Fusion3600

Sybil Dorsett (Sally Field) has experienced blackouts her entire life, episodes where she would find herself in places and situations, with no idea how she arrived there. She always assumed this was normal and as such, never made much of a fuss over her blackouts. Even when she once lost two years in one extended blackout, she was never open to the idea that she had a problem. But when she meets Dr. Cornelia Wilbur (Joanne Woodward), she is able to trust in her and talk about her situation. Wilbur soon learns that Sybil has multiple personalities, not just a couple either, but a total of thirteen. The personas emerge in certain situations, when stress or other factors come into play, triggering specific personalities to surface. Most of the personalities are harmless, some even have a lot of charm, but danger lurks within others. One such personality, known as Marsha has severe depression and even suicidal tendencies. So Sybil is in harm's way, since one of the violent personalities could take over and in the process, hurt or even kill Sybil, without her ever knowing what was happening. Soon Dr. Wilbur devotes herself to the unusual case, but can she really help Sybil?

This powerful mini-series has been released in shorter versions on home video, but for this 30th Anniversary edition, Warner has given us the complete version. Sybil is a fantastic mini-series and has become a part of pop culture dialogue, in regard to multiple personality disorder situations. The film's story is based on real life events and is quite incredible, steeped in dramatic moments and thick tension. Yet this is not the usual made for television melodrama, this is a well crafted drama that doesn't need the sucker punches, this is strong stuff that speaks for itself. One reason the movie works to well is the performance of Sally Field in the lead role, a role that in lesser hands, could have ruined the entire production. Field is able to portray the various personalities in a realistic fashion, not over the top theatrics. Her performance is based in realism and we believe her, so by turn, the rest of the movie falls into place. The movie also lays on the tension when it needs to, so no sidestepping the brutal truth about this condition and what it does to this woman. In some scenes, you might find it hard to watch, but that is how it should be. Sybil is an example of how good a mini-series can be and while not fun to experience, this release is still recommended.

Sybil is presented in full frame, as intended. This is a made for television production shot in 1977, so to expect perfection is to expect miracles. But Warner has served up a solid presentation that kicks off with a clean, though not pristine print. The colors seem bright and natural, with no bleeds or such, while flesh tones look natural and consistent at all times. I was impressed with the contrast also, which has well balanced black levels and that ensures shadow depth and detail level remain solid throughout. The image looks a little dated at times, but that is to be expected to a certain level, I think. A few problems do surface, but I found this to be a very nice transfer despite those flaws.

The focus here is on dialogue, so power isn't a frequent guest and presence is rather limited. The sound effects are presented in fine form, even if not that powerful, but the material never demands much more than basic treatment here. A few scenes do need a slight increase in presence and the music also drives up a little, in those instances, the surrounds do perk up a little. No issues with the dialogue either, as vocals seem crisp enough and always balanced, so you never have to fiddle with the volume to hear it all. This release also includes subtitles in French and Spanish.

This release includes three featurettes, none of which are that in depth, but are still worth a look. When I saw "Sybil Therapy Session," I expected to find some footage of the real life Sybil, but instead just interviews on how the real life materials were put to use by the production.