Women's presence in films - the Bechdel Test

[Quodlibet]

I just wondered how many of you had come across the Bechdel test before? It's a measure of checking whether the female presence in a film is actually notable or not.

Link here

I found it quite scary the extent to which I just don't notice that there aren't any significant female characters in a film - and I'd consider myself alert to this kind of thing!

Thoughts?

[ChocolateMoose]

It's been covered in the Guardian - see here www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/feb/27/sexism-equality-hollywood and here www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/sep/17/julie-julia-bechdel-test

[pagwatch]

I tend to get excited if I see a film where they don't refer to the main female as 'the girl' as in
' you arm the explosive device and I will save this small child from certain death... where is the girl? Oh , she has tripped over something invisible and has hurt her ankle...

[southeastastra]

ooh was a thread on here about this before will look

[SweetDreamerGirl]

A good website for this is bechdeltest.com

[ElephantsAndMiasmas]

Was it this thread southeastastra? Quite a few suggestions for ones to watch on there.

I watched "Waitress" last week and loved the way that the women worked together and had real feelings that didn't fit into the cliche. Not necessarily overjoyed about being pregnant/engaged etc.

[blackcurrants]

Elephants: I loved "Waitress" for that, too!

Of course, sometimes the films that pass the test aren't necessarily feminist in message - but it's shocking enough that there should be so few of them, that it's worth further analysis!

[ElephantsAndMiasmas]

Yeah, that's true blackcurrants, but the thing is I'm interested in hearing about men and women in all kinds of situations. Hearing from women in film at all is the first necessary step.

[Ryoko]

Hollywood films are rubbish anyway, should just watch films from the far east they are better anyway and have more and better female roles.

[blackcurrants]

Really Ryoko? Cool, I love good film recommendations: any titles, any particular directors to watch out for?