The Three Faces of Eve (1957)

Director:

Nunnally Johnson

Writers:

Nunnally Johnson (screenplay)
Corbett Thigpen (book) ...

Release Date:

23 September 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

THE STRANGEST TRUE EXPERIENCE A YOUNG GIRL IN LOVE EVER LIVED!

Plot:

A doctor treats a woman suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder.

Plot Keywords:

Multiple Personality | Hypnosis | Multiple Personality Disorder | Psychiatrist | Hypnotism

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Joanne Woodward	...	Eve White / Eve Black / Jane
David Wayne	...	Ralph White
Lee J. Cobb	...	Doctor Curtis Luther
Edwin Jerome	...	Doctor Francis Day
Alena Murray	...	Secretary
Nancy Kulp	...	Mrs. Black
Douglas Spencer	...	Mr. Black
Terry Ann Ross	...	Bonnie White
Ken Scott	...	Earl
Mimi Gibson	...	Eve - age 8
Alistair Cooke	...	Narrator

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) | 4-Track Stereo

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) (cut) | UK:PG (video rating) (1990) (uncut) | USA:Approved (certificate #18464) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

In her 1977 book, "I'm Eve," Christine Costner Sizemore, the real-life woman on whom the character of "Eve" was based, said that she had really had 26 multiple personalities, not just three; and that the popularity of the book and movie based on her life had only traumatized her further because Dr. Corbett Thigpen had forced her to sign over all rights to her story to him, and as a result she received nothing from the book or film.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In at least two scenes, including the opening with Eve being driven to the doctor's office, there are cars in the background newer than 1951 when the scene is indicated to be taking place.

Quotes:

The Soldier: When I spend 8 bucks on a dame, I don't just go home with the morning paper, y'know what I mean?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Outrageous! (1977)

Soundtrack:

Hold Me

Three People Inside Your Skin

For dramatic effect movies about mental illness always have the psychiatrist coming up with a miracle cure of the patient. You saw that in Spellbound with Gregory Peck and in The Snake Pit with Olivia DeHavilland. It's not that easy, but it does make for good cinema. To give credit where it is do, The Three Faces of Eve is about a real case of multiple personality disorder and Alistair Cooke's narration does give it a proper time frame, the cure is a matter of years here.

In only her third feature film Joanne Woodward became the Best Actress for 1957, ironically beating out Elizabeth Taylor who was descending into madness in Raintree County instead of being cured. I read somewhere that the Southern born Ms. Woodward remarked ironically that it took years of training for her to lose her southern accent and then she has to find it all over again to win her Oscar. I guess the Academy voters that year were as impressed as I was how she was able to flip into three different characters in many scenes. She's drab homemaker Eve White, a Tennessee Williams sexpot as Eve Black, and as Jane who's trying to leave both behind.

As good as Woodward is, my favorite scene in The Three Faces of Eve is when psychiatrist Lee J. Cobb tries to explain to Woodward's working class husband David Wayne about multiple personality disorder. The patient looks on Cobb's face and the blank expression on Wayne's face say more than ten pages of dialog. Another performance to look for is that of future TV physician Ben Casey, Vincent Edwards as a soldier trying to pick up Woodward in her sex kitten self.

Nunnally Johnson gets some real good performances out of his cast and a once in a lifetime role for Joanne Woodward.