Bechdel Test Thread

I think Spirited Away would pass as a 'feminist' film. It doesn't push a feminist message per se, but the story of the film is definitely feminist in its approach.

The main character of the film is a girl who ends up in a magical land with her parents, who get turned into pigs. Fearing herself an orphan, she finds work in a bath house, from where her adventures are based. Many of the other characters are female, and indeed the society seems to be led by strong matriarchs. The girl conquers her fears to help the people and creatures she encounters. The characters are mainly helpful an kind, and even the ones that initially appear scary for the main part turn out to be that way because they are trying to overcome their own problems. There is none of the 'scary monster - kill it' machismo that you get in a lot of films.

Yes, the girl does get a very innocent love interest- but she has to, well not slay, but cure a dragon to rescue the prince. And instead of living happily ever after with him she eventually returns to her parents- transformed back into humans- and to her normal life.

The only problem with the film is that it is not suitable for young (British) children as it is in Japanese with subtitles.

The Event finally had an episode that passed: two women had a conversation about how one was going to shoot the other, without any "my boyfriend will come and find me".

Passing doesn't make the film pro-feminist, failing doesn't make it anti-feminist. It's just interesting to see how many fail, and the general trend indicates that something is wrong in the world.

Thistledew, I think animations are some of the most important, in terms of the Bechdels test and feminism. Animations are so prominent in childhood, and subsequently helps to shape our DC's imaginations.

But I think it's important to remember that passing the Bechdel test does not make a film pro-feminist. Cinderella, for example, passes the Bechdel test, yet fails miserably as a feminist text (film)

Do animations count?

I think many of the Studio Ghibli (sp?) films pass with flying colours. I'm thinking in particular of Spirited Away in which many of the main characters are great, strong females. It works well for adults as well as children.

No, Trillian, of course having few men in a film or making the men idiots doesn't make a film feminist. I was just saying that's why I enjoyed it

Potiche passes with flying colours

3 good female roles, a few women extras, all talking politics, factories, strikes etc. as well as relationships, family, love. Suzanne (Catherine Deneuve) really is the centre of the film, even such a big (in all ways) actor as Gerard Depardieu is secondary in this.

And it's hilarious. I recommend it!

Love & Other Drugs - epic fail. And not just for not passing the test.

Whip it- pass.
Six degrees of separation- spoiler I think it fails because the only time I can remember two named female characters talking to each other is when one tells the other she is getting married. But maybe that is a pass because she, the daughter, is only getting married to annoy her parents and the groom is never named or mentioned. Does 'getting married' count as talking about a man? Views?

Black swan passes.

I've watched a couple of films recently that passed with flying colours - Mamma Mia was one, as was the new St Trinian's film, which has about three male characters in the whole thing. I'm not sure I'd class it as a feminist film, exactly, but I was quite heartened by all the female anarchy and the way the men are all idiots.

The Bechdel test has actually made me rethink several films which I kind of dismissed as vacuous fun before - things like Legally Blonde and Miss Congeniality. They actually look pretty damn feminist compared to some of the crappy romcoms that have come out more recently.

Battlestar Galactica (the new one - don't think the old one would pass do you?).

Agree with the Phil Rickman books - lots of female characters who are generally fairly reticent about talking "relationships".

Buffy obviously.

this is a superb test, I like it.

I just finished watching the Shadow Line. there were four female characters - joseph's wife, glickman's girlfriend, gabriel's wife and gabriel's mistress. (it's not doing very well is it?)

the only dialogue that any of them have with eachother (so far as I can recall) is when gabriel's mistress confronted gabriel's wife to talk about .... gabriel.

It's a FAIL isn't it?

But I will admit that I enjoyed the show a lot, and so did Mrs Stubborn. But this test I will remember from now on.

Random episode of that Star Wars cartoon thing, Clone Wars, passed.

Although I'm still annoyed that the male warrior characters wear robes and full body armour while the females ones wear boob tubes and tiny tank tops. Why, huh, why?

I'd rather do Hammond (but not be seen in public with the shortie) than the other two.

Watching the final season of 24 last night, it struck me that not only are there a few female characters, but they would never dream of talking to each other about men. It's all data-handling, and drawing concealed weapons to advance the incoherent stream of consciousness plotline.