MovieChat Forums > Sybil (2008) Discussion > Really excellent retelling.

Really excellent retelling.


The myth of "Sybil" is widely known by now and somewhat defined by the television version from the 1970's starring a startling Sally Field.

This version, its length cut in half (90 minutes) compared to the original 1976 production which clocked in at 189 minutes, is still nonetheless riveting.

Tammy Blanchard is searing and revelatory here, proving that she can do absolutely anything. Her portrayal is half-parts homage to Sally Field's iconic turn, but also a frightening new creation all her own. She recedes and explodes and nearly shatters the television screen with her power and presence.

Jessica Lange, in a wonderfully understated turn, brings both sympathy and cunning to the role of Dr. Wilbur. Fans used to seeing Lange as the HBIC will do a double take at her wonderfully subtle and nuanced work here. She never goes for the easy, cheap, sympathetic take and her Dr. Wilbur is also not so easily convinced Sybil is telling the truth. When those few and fleeting moments come where Lange allows the doctor's guard to go down in order to fully embrace Sybil at her lowest, in her own private hell, the impact is all the more powerful.

Sybil may not reach the gritty heights of the original, but it doesn't try to. Cloaked in an aura of nostalgia and mystery, this version of the myth of Sybil doesn't provide all of the answers and actually forces you to ask your own questions. Often, it reminded me of an old black-and-white movie, except in Technicolor. There were sporadic moments of 1950's melodrama and film-noir and a bunch of other influences that were wonderfully fused together. That coupled with the fact that it is performed firmly and beautifully by two gifted titans - Lange and Blanchard - makes it a worthy 90 minutes spent.[/

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