The Three Faces of Eve
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| The Three Faces of Eve | |
| Directed by | Nunnally Johnson |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Nunnally Johnson |
| Written by | Corbett Thigpen (book) Hervey M. Cleckley (book) Nunnally Johnson |
| Starring | Joanne Woodward David Wayne Lee J. Cobb |
| Music by | Robert Emmett Dolan |
| Cinematography | Stanley Cortez |
| Release date(s) |  United StatesSeptember 23, 1957 |
The Three Faces of Eve is the title of a 1957 book and film, loosely based on the true story of Chris Costner Sizemore, a woman who suffered from dissociative identity disorder.[1] Sizemore's identity was concealed in the book and film, and was not revealed until decades later.
The film stars Joanne Woodward, David Wayne, Lee J. Cobb, Nancy Kulp and Alistair Cooke. It was filmed at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia. Woodward won the 1957 Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.
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[edit] Film summary
Eve White is a quiet, self-effacing wife and mother who has headaches and occasional blackouts. Eventually she is sent to see a personality psychiatrist Dr. Luther, and while under hypnosis her "alter personality", wild, fun-loving Eve Black, discloses herself. With Eve Black on the loose, Eve White's husband leaves her and abandons their daughter. Under continued therapy, a third personality appears, the relatively stable Jane.
The rest of the film depicts Luther's attempts to reconcile the three faces of Eve, including uncovering a traumatic event in Eve’s childhood. Her beloved grandmother had died when she was six, and according to family custom relatives were supposed to kiss the dead person at the viewing, making it easier for them to let go. Eve's grief and terror led to her "splitting off" a second personality to accomplish things she herself did not want to do.
After discovering the cause of her disorder, Jane is able to remember everything that has ever happened to all three personalities. Luther asks to speak with Eve White, but when Jane tries to bring her out, she discovers that Eve White and Eve Black no longer exist. All three personalities are once again whole. She marries a man named Earl whom she met when she was Jane and reunites with her daughter Bonnie.
[edit] Film notes
Eve White is sent to an asylum after Eve Black tries to kill Bonnie. Jane is the origin of Eve White and Eve Black. Eve White does not know about Eve Black but Eve Black knows about Eve White. All personalities are in control while under hypnosis which is why Jane and Eve Black are able to reveal themselves to Dr. Luther.
[edit] The book
The book by Thigpen and Cleckley was rushed into publication and film rights immediately sold to director Nunnally Johnson in 1957, apparently to capitalize on public interest in multiple personalities following the publication of Shirley Jackson's 1954 novel The Birds' Nest,[2] which was made into the 1957 film Lizzie.
Chris Costner Sizemore has written at some length about her experiences as the real "Eve." In her 1958 book, "The Final Face of Eve," she used the pseudonym Evelyn Lancaster. in her 1977 book I'm Eve, she revealed her true identity. She has also written a follow-up book, A Mind Of My Own.
[edit] Awards
Woodward — at the time a relative unknown in Hollywood — won the Academy Award for Best Actress, and later went on to play Dr. Cornelia Wilbur in the film Sybil.
[edit] See also
- Mental illness in films
- Multiple Personality: Reality and Illusion - Fact based docu-drama that delves into the lives of four women with Multiple Personality Disorder including the life of Chris Costner-Sizemore
[edit] References
- ^ Thigpen, Corbett H. (1957). The Three Faces of Eve. ISBN 0-685-48779-2.
- ^ Jackson, Shirley (1954). The bird's nest. New York: Farrar, Straus and Young. OCLC 757989.
