The Bechdel Test

[megumidesu]

X-Men fails? Maybe I need to watch it again because I find myself not really believing that.

the first one fails . although it's debatable . there is a scene where rogue talks to mystique , but at the time mystique is disguised as a boy . so it depends whether you think that counts or not .
although actually the conversation between mystique and rogue is about professor xavier (a man) , so it would still fail lol

the sequels pass , though

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Most of the titles on that list were aimed at males.

There is a gender bias in movies, based largely on the expectations of what male/females are supposed to like.

The idea that a woman would want to see an action film like Aliens Vs Predators in Hollywood is laughable - it is a man's movie. Women prefer tear jerkers, romance comedies.

It is based on gender 'programming' and not on real tastes. But then Hollywood aims to please as many of the target population and I fear women do tend to like their emotional movies over action backed ones.

[megumidesu]

Most of the titles on that list were aimed at males.

There is a gender bias in movies, based largely on the expectations of what male/females are supposed to like.

The idea that a woman would want to see an action film like Aliens Vs Predators in Hollywood is laughable - it is a man's movie. Women prefer tear jerkers, romance comedies.

It is based on gender 'programming' and not on real tastes. But then Hollywood aims to please as many of the target population and I fear women do tend to like their emotional movies over action backed ones.

just because a movie is aimed at men doesn't mean it's okay for there to be minimal female presence in it ~

this article goes into some details about that , and how film students are often taught not to attempt to pass the test at all

http://thehathorlegacy.com/why-film-scho...hdel-test/

[OrphanPip]

Most of the titles on that list were aimed at males.

There is a gender bias in movies, based largely on the expectations of what male/females are supposed to like.

The idea that a woman would want to see an action film like Aliens Vs Predators in Hollywood is laughable - it is a man's movie. Women prefer tear jerkers, romance comedies.

It is based on gender 'programming' and not on real tastes. But then Hollywood aims to please as many of the target population and I fear women do tend to like their emotional movies over action backed ones.

It's kind of the point of Bechdel's joke that the movies marketed to men reduce women to background props.

Also, reminds me of Bechdel's critique of women in comics.

[Undreamt]

I am a bit suspicious that all of those films fail I just don't know the movies well enough to dissagree completly.

home alone - considering he has two sisters, and his mother is racing around the country I highly doubt there is no conversation between two women.

[megumidesu]

I am a bit suspicious that all of those films fail I just don't know the movies well enough to dissagree completly.

home alone - considering he has two sisters, and his mother is racing around the country I highly doubt there is no conversation between two women.

there's some shouting between female characters , which might count as conversation . and then kevin's mother talks to some women who are unnamed , about kevin
so it fails . although the yelling is debatable

[Chase]

I don't know. I mean, in the Lord of the Rings Defense, I mean, the Lord of the Rings had a woman slay a dragon - come on, a girl slew a dragon, that's not sexist. In the movie District 9, pretty much that South African scientist guy and that insect alien were the main characters, and the alien was a female, most of the other characters aside from them were evil. I don't really see why we should judge The Shawshank Redemption, I mean, Stephen King is a man and he's written books with female characters (who were at least semi-normal) who congregate with each other, like in Needful Things. It was in a male prison, where much more violence occurs than in female prisons.
I personally love Bones. I also love the character Olivia on Law and Order, though unlike Bones there aren't other female characters for her to normally talk with. Clarice Starling, gotta love her. Lisa Simpson. Donna Pinciatti.

[megumidesu]

I don't know. I mean, in the Lord of the Rings Defense, I mean, the Lord of the Rings had a woman slay a dragon - come on, a girl slew a dragon, that's not that sexist. In the movie District 9, pretty much that South African scientist guy and that insect alien were the main characters, and the alien was a female. I don't really see why we should judge The Shawshank Redemption, I mean, Stephen King is a man and he's written books with female characters (who were at least semi-normal) who congregate with each other, like in Needful Things. It was in a male prison, where much more violence occurs than in female prisons.
I personally love Bones. I also love the character Olivia on Law and Order, though unlike Bones there aren't other female characters for her to normally talk with. Clarice Starling, gotta love her. Lisa Simpson. Donna Pinciatti.

i pointed out earlier that this test isn't an indication of whether or not a film is sexist or not . it's just about female presence .

inglourious basterds fails , because none of the female characters ever speak to each other . but shosanna is one of the strongest female characters i've seen in a movie in a long time . and she isn't motivated by love of a man (which is a biiiig change from a lot of films)

so just because a movie fails the test doesn't make it sexist . it just means that there is a lack of female presence in the movie as a whole .

[Chase]

Come to think of it some of William Shakespeare's plays like Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummers Night Dream passes the test rather nicely.

[megumidesu]

Come to think of it some of William Shakespeare's plays like Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummers Night Dream passes the test rather nicely.

do they ?
as far as i can remember , the majority of conversation between women in those plays is about men .
i know juliet talks to her nurse about romeo and paris . and to her mother about paris
there might be a bit where the nurse and juliet's mother talk about juliet

but i don't know