Originally aired as a made-for-television miniseries in Sybil in 1976. Sally Fields starred as the titular Sybil, with Joanne Woodward playing the role of Sybil's psychiatrist, Cornelia Wilbur. Based on the book Sybil (book) by Flora Rheta Schreiber, the movie dramatises the life of a shy young graduate student suffering from multiple personality disorder. With the help of her psychiatrist, Sybil gradually recalls the harrowing childhood abuse that led to the development of sixteen personalities. Sally Fields's portrayal of Sybil won an Emmy.
The film, originally 198 minutes long, was initially shown over the course of two nights. In the video version of Sybil, the film has been trimmed, with one version running 122 minutes and another, extended version running 132 minutes. Several key scenes, including Sybil's final climatic "introduction" to each of her sixteen selves, are missing in both versions. The film is shown frequently on television, often with scenes randomly restored or deleted to adjust for time contraints and varying viewers. As of this writing (September of 2004), an unedited Sybil has not yet been released on DVD.
For more information on the story behind this film, please visit Sybil (book).