In this ep of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", Hitch is standing in front of a sign that says "Lovers' Leap" as he sees a young couple go up the stairs presumably to commit suicide...before the lady comes back down and kisses another man! The actual story has Horace Meade (Alexander Scourby) flashbacking to when his then-alive wife Sybilla (Barbara Bel Geddes) was just familiarizing herself to the new home and her husband's demands which she makes clear she'll obey to the letter. She seems the perfect wife...maybe too perfect. But Horace starts to get suspicious of her when she mentions a mystery book that he thinks she'll imitate so instead of trying to kill her, he makes sure she stays as alive as long as he is...Not much of a shocking twist ending this time but quite touching concerning the characterizations of Horace and Sybilla especially how sweet the latter truly was to him. Actress Ida Lupino directed this one and her sensitive touch shows throughout. It's really one of the most thoughtful of "AHP" so on that note, I was throughly enchanted by "Sybilla".
4 Reviews
Barbara Bel Geddes once again shines on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" in the episode "Sybilla"
tavm10 August 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Touching!
Hitchcoc27 May 2021
Nicely done story about obsession. Sybilla is the perfect wife. She gives everything to her husband. Instead of happiness, he is filled with suspicion. What is she up to? What is her motivation? So he decides to kill her. But things aren't always what they seem. One brief comment about a mystery novel sends things awry.
Very moving story
searchanddestroy-116 September 2019
As for the previous episode, this topic and screenplay could easily have been done for another anthology Tv series, not necessarily AH PRESENTS show. Of course you have a twist ending but no criminal element at all. Yes, both epsiodes look like the same. very sensitive and poignant directing from the great Ida Lupino.
An all-female written and directed episode!
cpotato10108 February 2019
Unusual for the day.
Plus two excellent performance by the principle actors, Alexander Scourby and Barbara Bel Geddes.
I know Barbara Bel Geddes mostly from Dallas, as "Miss Ellie". I know the name Alexander Scourby, but at the moment I do not remember where from. But it is something I liked.
Here, it starts kind of like a cat and mouse tale. Except the "cat" is all in his mind.
Keeping with the animal motif, it turns out he "out-foxed" himself.
It is like the Joni Mitchell song refrain, "you don't know what you've got until it's gone". A truly sad ending.
btw, listen for some of his "diary dialog" as he settles into the marriage. Very amusing.
Plus two excellent performance by the principle actors, Alexander Scourby and Barbara Bel Geddes.
I know Barbara Bel Geddes mostly from Dallas, as "Miss Ellie". I know the name Alexander Scourby, but at the moment I do not remember where from. But it is something I liked.
Here, it starts kind of like a cat and mouse tale. Except the "cat" is all in his mind.
Keeping with the animal motif, it turns out he "out-foxed" himself.
It is like the Joni Mitchell song refrain, "you don't know what you've got until it's gone". A truly sad ending.
btw, listen for some of his "diary dialog" as he settles into the marriage. Very amusing.
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