MovieChat Forums > Sybil (2008) Discussion > Discrepancies

Discrepancies

posted 16 years ago by malbert0623
5 replies | jump to latest

Not having read the book, and knowing little about the real-life stories, I wonder if anyone has information about two aspects of the TV movie that were different from the 1976 version, and which appears more "authentic" to the real Sybil's story:

(1) In the Sally Field version, she (well, one of her alters, at least) falls for a winsome street performer who as an adjacent apartment, a son, and a window view from Sybil's apt. In the newer version, she dates an artist of some kind.

(2) The alter, Marcia, is a New York accented tomboy tough girl persona in the recent version. In the 1976 rendition, Marcia is a sepulchre young girl obsessed with suicide.

Anyone with knowledge of the book?

[–] Xander1972 16 years ago

I just watched all of the special features from the special edition of the 1976 version so I can answer number 1 for you. The screenwriter created the street performer character as a way to "show how Sybil interacted with the outside world." Also, keep in mind Sybil actually lived in Lexington, KY not NYC. NYC was used to protect her anonymity back before we knew who she was after her death. Not sure about number 2. I read Sybil years and years ago but too long ago for me to remember :)

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] indy_go_blue44 16 years ago

Agree with #1, Richard Lumus was fictional but the writer (Daniel Stern) somewhat based his character on a young man in the book named Danny, who was Sybil's best friend between her reappearance after the two year post-Grandma's death hiatus and his moving away to Texas and the first "public appearance" of Vicky.

Sybil did attend Columbia U and after initially meeting a few times with Dr Wilbur in Omaha, NE (in the book anyway) recontacted her in NYC where Dr W had a private practice. After her healing, she was an art teacher at a small school in Ohio before moving to Lexington where Dr W was a professor at the UK medical school and lived there until her death in 1998.

In the book, Marcia had a more outgoing personality than in either movie. On her own she joined a bookclub, interacted with the other personalities, and either she or Mary (sorry, can't remember for sure which) tried to purchase a house. But Marcia also carried the guilt for wishing her mother dead (briefly touched on in S'76 when Dr W talks about the "box that grew and grew until it became a coffin big enough to hold your mother." I guess the "biker b*tch" was artistic license.

Btw, in the book Marcia came very close to committing suicide at one point by throwing herself into the East River. The rooftop scenes in both movies were artistic license also.

**********
Is that a rumor or did you just make that up? -Mom

[–] sybilanne09657 16 years ago

Mary tried to buy the house and I think Vicky stopped Marcia from throwing herself into the River.

"This isn't weaving for weavings sake!"

[–] chris-5413 15 years ago

I've read the book and own the DVD. I have been a huge fan of "Sybil" since I first saw the movie in 1976 and have seen it many, many times. The street performer is complete fiction, it was written for the screen play to make the story flow.

I will say that Marcia was one of the personalities who feared that doomsday was near...in the book and original movie but I suppose they change things to make the story more interesting in both. Anyway, I did not see the remake since I didn't know there was one but I seriously doubt if a two hour made for TV movie could possibly do it justice.