Sylvia (1965)

Taglines: Carroll Baker is the Fury. George Maharis is the Force. Sylvia is the Explosion!

Sylvia movie storyline. Sylvia West (Carroll Baker) seems just about perfect in the eyes of middle aged California millionaire Frederic Summers, who proposes marriage to her. She is beautiful, brilliant, financially independent, writes poetry, and seems to personify exactly what he wants in a woman. But as a precaution, Summers brings in a private investigator, the young Alan Macklin, to do a background check.

Macklin travels to Sylvia’s hometown of Pittsburgh, where to his surprise he learns that Sylvia has a history of selling sexual favors to middle aged men. Librarian Irma tells Macklin that Sylvia always liked to read and helped her select literature from the library. She reads books in between clients to numb out her feelings. Raped by her stepfather, Jonas, she is an incest survivor who has a hard time setting boundaries. After her rape she turns to a fanatic priest who takes her to Mexico who is later killed. She pays Oscar Stewart through sexual services to get her back to the US on a road trip.

Back in the US, Sylvia becomes friends with Jane, a sex worker, and helps her out after a life threatening accident. To pay for her medical bills Sylvia sells sexual services through a transvestite madam. Sylvia is raped and assaulted by one the clients, Bruce Stamford III, who buys her off to keep quiet about it. Sylvia invests the payoff, using advice from Jane’s husband. The investments helps Sylvia become financially independent and she publishes her poetry.

Sylvia is a 1965 American drama film directed by Gordon Douglas, written by Sydney Boehm, and starring George Maharis, Carroll Baker, and Peter Lawford. The film is based on the novel of the same name by E. V. Cunningham in 1960. Released by Paramount Pictures, it was filmed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Directed by: Gordon Douglas
Starring: Carroll Baker, George Maharis, Peter Lawford, Joanne Dru, Viveca Lindfors, Edmond O’Brien, Aldo Ray, Ann Sothern, Lloyd Bochner, Paul Gilbert, Nancy Kovack, Majel Barrett
Screenplay by: Sydney Boehm
Cinematography by: Joseph Ruttenberg
Film Editing by: Frank Bracht
Costume Design by: Edith Head
Set Decoration by: Sam Comer, Arthur Krams
Art Direction by: Roland Anderson, Hal Pereira
Music by: David Raksin
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: February 10, 1965 (United States)