Alison bechdel came up with the bechdel test in the panels of her comic dykes to watch out for in 1985, and it was just in the form of one woman explaining her rule about movies to another. There are plenty of flaws with the bechdel test, but its a crude way to measure the inclusiveness of a film and we have 4,000 films rated on the metric. The study done by fivethirtyeight last year found that movies that passed the bechdel test performed just as well at the box office as their failing counterparts. The bechdel test follows two ambitious young women through a pivotal turning point in. But the shows that dont pass the test are about men who already have established careers, and so. The bechdel test doesnt speak to a question of film form like this one, and so by following it to the letter, we would miss a good deal of cinemas political significance. Its a quiz developed in 1985 by graphic novelist alison bechdel and her friend liz wallace that reveals. Mar 06, 2017 for the most part, the shows that pass the bechdel test are shows about women who are devoted to their careers, leslie knope, olivia pope, alicia florrick. Passing the test does not insure gender equality, and it completely ignores racial or sexual diversity. The test was named after alison bechdel, the american cartoonist and creator of the tony awardwinning musical fun home. It includes show recommendations, interviews and discussions about gender and representation on stage. Nov 11, 20 the bechdel test, if youre not familiar with it, is a benchmark for movies developed by alison bechdel in 1985. It was entered by grace lambertsmith on 20150924 21.
In 20, failing the bechdel test was bad for your movies bottom line not all that glitters is gold. Almost half of 2015s top movies failed the bechdel test. All conversations between the female characters are regarding mark watney, so the movie doesnt pass the bechdel test. The fact that a filmmakers gender correlates with the test, we can stop arguing about the merits of the bechdel test and start discussing hollywoods diversity problem i. The bechdel test for bechdel tests overthinking it. Speculative fiction that passes the bechdel test, popsugar 2020 a book that passes the bechdel test, passing the bechdel test, bechdelwal. A movie that fails the bechdel test is not necessarily problematic andor sexist for having failed it, and vice versa. The bechdel test, and other media representation tests, explained. But the shows that dont pass the test are about men who already have established careers, and so the relationships between women fall to the wayside. The martian passes the bechdel and race test but does not pass the russo test. A movies has two characters of sixfoot height or taller, who have a conversation. Watch late night with seth meyers highlight alison bechdel on the origin of the bechdel test on. To measure the extent to which women are includedor left out ofthe top films, the journal subjected the bestpicture nominees to the. Definition of bechdel test new word suggestion collins.
The thing about the bechdel test is that it doesnt require films to be even remotely femalefocused. Broadway passes the bechdel test with fun home alison bechdels bestselling graphic novel memoir about growing up gay with a closeted father doesnt seem like. Thr recently gave the 25 topgrossing films of 2016 the bechdelwallace test. Im personally giving it a pass because, like in man of steel, literally the whole of nasathe world is interested in this one guy and in the martian, their jobs. The bechdel test 1985 says that a film is not worth watching unless it fulfils three conditions it has to have at least two women who. Bechdel test definition in the cambridge english dictionary. It has to have at least two women who talk to each other about something besides a man it comes from allison bechdel s comic strip dykes to watch out for. It was entered by grace lambertsmith on 2015 0924 21. The bechdel test fest is an ongoing screening collective who present films with a positive representation for women in film.
If youre not familiar with test that was first penned by cartoonist alison bechdel, here are the requirements. John ostrander shelved 1 time as bechdeltestfailed avg rating 3. The bechdel test and disney films there is a strong gender imbalance in hollywood these days and throughout the history of film that has resulted in most studio films being very malecentric and featuring few if any female characters of substance. According to the bechdel test web page movies like elysium, red 2 and the wolverine pass the test but all the notes show that the conversations between women are token and in. The bechdel test also known as the bechdelwallace test, is a measure of the representation of women in fiction.
By lauren ocallaghan, zoe delahuntylight, sam loveridge, rachel weber, louise blain 07 march 2019 the best movies that pass the bechdel test are femalepositive and great watches in their own. Sep 02, 2009 the bechdel test 1985 says that a film is not worth watching unless it fulfils three conditions. Mar 17, 2015 minajs anaconda doesnt pass this bechdel test but starships, featured here, does. Testing the bechdel test pdxscholar portland state university. We provide the tools to quantify bechdel scores for both genders, and we measure them in movie scripts and large datasets of dialogues between users of. With the media constantly growing, the fact that movies still do not pass the bechdel test suggests that feminism is still fighting for equal representation of women. For a movie to pass the bechdel test, it must contain just one thing a scene. For the most part, the shows that pass the bechdel test are shows about women who are devoted to their careers, leslie knope, olivia pope, alicia florrick. Feb 15, 2016 and for a test that seems so simple, weve all enjoyed films that fail it. Nov 24, 2010 the bechdel test is a simple way to gauge the active presence of female characters in hollywood films and to judge just how wellrounded and complete those roles are. The requirement that the two women must be named is sometimes added. The bechdel test is named after cartoonist alison bechdel, whose 1985 dykes to watch out for comic strip criticized the way men dominated. Sep 16, 2016 the test was named after alison bechdel, the american cartoonist and creator of the tony awardwinning musical fun home. Apr 16, 2015 broadway passes the bechdel test with fun home alison bechdel s bestselling graphic novel memoir about growing up gay with a closeted father doesnt seem like an obvious choice for a musical.
Why the bechdel test is more important than you realize. And for a test that seems so simple, weve all enjoyed films that fail it. It comes from allison bechdels comic strip dykes to watch out for. The bechdel test is not meant to be an indicator of a films quality, plenty of good movies fail it and there are bad movies that pass it. At least two of them must have a conversation thats not about a white person. Additionally, passes the person of colour bechdel test juuust about as chiwetel ejiofor and donald glover talk about something, though im pretty sure its about saving matt damon. However, the test illuminates the matter of representation in mainstream films and raises questions about women specifically.
What is the bechdelwallace test and why does it matter. The bechdel test is a simple way to gauge the active presence of female characters in hollywood films and to judge just how wellrounded and complete those roles are. Pronunciation of bechdel test with 1 audio pronunciation, 8 translations and more for bechdel test. With colton apodaca, savannah gilmore, gabi van horn, chris wu. By lauren ocallaghan, zoe delahuntylight, sam loveridge, rachel weber, louise blain 07 march 2019 the best movies that pass the bechdel. In fact, of the top 20 movies, only four failed the bechdel test this year. The bechdel test was invented in the mid1980s when alison bechdels comic strip dykes to watch out for featured a character who refused to watch a. Girl talk is a weekly look at women in film past, present, and future there are only three requirements for passing cartoonist alison bechdels eponymous test to determine how active and. We screen events throughout the year in and around london and guest curate for film festivals nationwide. Sweden has just started rating its films according to the bechdel test. The bechdel test, which got its name from the work of comic strip artist alison bechdel, is a sort of gauge for female presence in fiction, but and i should point this out early it is not by itself indicative of a work that has feminist themes or a positive portrayal of women. Paper presented at the narrative and hypertext workshop, hypertext. Discussion about movies and if they pass the bechdel test. The bechdel test follows two ambitious young women through a pivotal turning point in their friendship.
In 1985, cartoonist alison bechdel wrote in her comic strip dykes to watch out for, that one of the characters only went to a movie. It asks whether a work features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. Speculative fiction that passes the bechdel test, popsugar 2020 a book that passes the bechdel test, passing the bechdel test, bechdel wal. Nov 12, 20 according to the bechdel test web page movies like elysium, red 2 and the wolverine pass the test but all the notes show that the conversations between women are token and in the case of red 2. The test is clear and objective, but importantly contains a strong latent normative sentiment, which is not captured by the bechdel test for bechdel tests. Dec 07, 2009 the bechdel test is a simple way to gauge the active presence of female characters in hollywood films and just how well rounded and complete those roles are. The racial bechdel test has the same simple rules as the bechdel test, applied to people of color. Nov 06, 20 the bechdel test was invented in the mid1980s when alison bechdel s comic strip dykes to watch out for featured a character who refused to watch a movie that didnt have at least two women who. Cinderella 1 point cinderella has plenty of conversations with lady tremaine, anastasia, and drisella about different things, so this one passes the bechdel test without a flinch. Watney does a log and reports that he is very much alive. She in turn got it from liz wallace at her karate class it can apply to any story but hollywood fails the test at a surprising. The bechdel test was inspired by cartoonist alison bechdels 1985 tongueincheek comic strip the rule. Bechdel credits the idea to her friend liz wallace, and says it was.
The bechdel test, originally inspired by a 1985 installment of alison bechdels comic dykes to watch out for, features a character with three. This page has a yearbyyear list of movies, along with their bechdel status. Currently, only the titles of the movies are searchable. Im personally giving it a pass because, like in man of steel, literally the whole of nasa the world is interested in this one guy and in the martian, their jobs.
We frequently host events inlcuding screenings and special guests, as well as a regularly updated blog. Bechdel theatre podcast is hosted by beth watson and pippa sa. In order to pass a movie must have 1 at least two named female characters who 2 talk to each other about 3 something other than a man its meant to point out how women arent really seen a central points to the action, and even in scenes between two or more women the object of their discussion is usually the male character at the center of the film. How the 2016 oscar nominees did on the bechdel test wsj. Popular bechdel test failed books showing 7 of 37 star wars. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts.
The bechdel test, if youre not familiar with it, is a benchmark for movies developed by alison bechdel in 1985. There is a strong gender imbalance in hollywood these days and throughout the history of film that has resulted in most studio films being very malecentric and featuring few if any female characters of substance. Dec 09, 2016 thr recently gave the 25 topgrossing films of 2016 the bechdel wallace test. In her 1985 comic dykes to watch out for, the cartoonist alison bechdel included a conversation between two women who are considering. The following parameters are relatively easy to meet, yet so few songs actually do. The bechdel test and the television shows that pass entity. The bechdel test is a simple way to gauge the active presence of female characters in hollywood films and just how well rounded and complete those roles are. No one is saying that vertigo is a shitty andor unimportant movie because it doesnt pass. Its a quiz developed in 1985 by graphic novelist alison. Minajs anaconda doesnt pass this bechdel test but starships, featured here, does. The rules of the bechdel test as explained in dykes to watch out for bechdel,1986. Stream these movies on amazon prime that pass, and surpass. In fact, there are entire genres actionadventure, for example that seem to fail the bechdel test, by and large. The bechdel test, and other media representation tests.
The bechdel test also known as the bechdelwallace test, is a measure of the representation. That said, the number of bechdel testpassing movies in the top 10 is encouraging. Nov 14, 20 the bechdel test doesnt speak to a question of film form like this one, and so by following it to the letter, we would miss a good deal of cinemas political significance. What the bechdel test doesnt tell us about women on film.
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