Horrific isn't it? How easy it is to just go on as though there's nothing left to motivate women to have something called, say, feminism to give voice to their voicelessness. But lordy the evidence is so conclusive, so prevalent...sigh.
Now I'm going to try and find the ones that do pass the test - off the top of my head I can think of two - Julie and Julia which I loved - and Nim's Island which I watched last night which was OK. Now I'm going to have to watch some of my favourite movies again to see whether or not they do.
Wow. I shall ask CK to read this bc as his daughter grows he has become more conscious of the need for positive female role models in her life. I have found his development of this understanding to be both interesting and touching and even more so his desire to proffer forward some himself. To date these have been televisual (and not terribly recent) but my girl is now deeply enamoured of Capt. Katherine Janeway from the Voyager (Star Trek) series.
Women (of which I am one) are totally complicit in this! Argh! Nora Ephron wrote "When Harry met Sally" for Pete's sake! OK, WHMS is hardly a feminist movie, but still, it was written by a woman! A talented, smart one! Who has moved on slightly to direct a movie containing more than two women who have names, and who talk about something other than men - cooking!!! To be fair, I haven't seen Julie & Julia so they may well talk about more besides. On the other hand, I don't know whether they talk to *each other* - so maybe even this movie fails the test.
There again, I regard Jodie Foster's character in Anna & The King as some kind of early feminist model - and that movie wouldn't pass this test either. If points one and two are met, is it really necessary that female characters talk to each *other*? Especially if they are talking to men about something other than men? Maybe in this current climate, yes. I'll have to think on that...
And my last 10 cents - more and more I am aware (perhaps because I am beginning to leave my child-bearing years, so my biological programming is beginning to permit this kind of rebellious thinking) that so much around us is focussed (surely unconsciously) on driving us to do what must be done for the sake of species longevity. Isn't the absence of direct breeding capability quite plausible as an unconscious motivator for the tragedy of homophobia??
Thanks for the reminder! Time to bechdel test every movie I watch from here on in. I know that most of Mr Duyvken's favourites are going to fail DISMALLY. More than a few of my favourite kids films will too. Books are definitely filling the gap for the kids/ya market but the medium of film offers so much it's a pity production/distribution houses aren't making more films that pass the test.
Wrong, Wrong, Wrong! Sorry, had to start off with that. I know yjis is an older post but I just clicked over from BB's blog and by the time I finished reading your profile I was at The Bechdel Test. The movies Miss Smartypants lists don't all fail the test! In X-Men, Jean Grey, Ororo Munroe / Storm, and Rogue / Marie D'Ancanto all talk to each other and have names. Hell at one point Jean Grey and Storm are talking about the jet that's trying to shoot them down - its being piloted by A WOMAN! Same with X-Men 2. Miss Smartypants also (incorectly)lists Transformers. Whats-his-face's mom, Judy, talks to Mikaela, Megan Fox's character. There, I feel better already. Nerdy, but better. So nice to meet you, Scot
PS...and, yes, I tend to rant occasionally. scoty31@comcast.net
12 comments:
Well that's just freaking horrifying.
wow!
that IS freaking horrifying indeed!
Horrific isn't it? How easy it is to just go on as though there's nothing left to motivate women to have something called, say, feminism to give voice to their voicelessness. But lordy the evidence is so conclusive, so prevalent...sigh.
That's full on. And really sad and mad making.
Now I'm going to try and find the ones that do pass the test - off the top of my head I can think of two - Julie and Julia which I loved - and Nim's Island which I watched last night which was OK. Now I'm going to have to watch some of my favourite movies again to see whether or not they do.
hell.............
I just get so annoyed by this. I'm so glad there's a test, so I can bang on and on to Mr Coffee from a more scientific standpoint.
This is SAD.
But if we search we will find amazing movies made by women or with wonderful women who don't talk JUST about men or with them.
I am sure.
Wow. I shall ask CK to read this bc as his daughter grows he has become more conscious of the need for positive female role models in her life. I have found his development of this understanding to be both interesting and touching and even more so his desire to proffer forward some himself. To date these have been televisual (and not terribly recent) but my girl is now deeply enamoured of Capt. Katherine Janeway from the Voyager (Star Trek) series.
Women (of which I am one) are totally complicit in this! Argh! Nora Ephron wrote "When Harry met Sally" for Pete's sake! OK, WHMS is hardly a feminist movie, but still, it was written by a woman! A talented, smart one! Who has moved on slightly to direct a movie containing more than two women who have names, and who talk about something other than men - cooking!!! To be fair, I haven't seen Julie & Julia so they may well talk about more besides. On the other hand, I don't know whether they talk to *each other* - so maybe even this movie fails the test.
There again, I regard Jodie Foster's character in Anna & The King as some kind of early feminist model - and that movie wouldn't pass this test either. If points one and two are met, is it really necessary that female characters talk to each *other*? Especially if they are talking to men about something other than men? Maybe in this current climate, yes. I'll have to think on that...
And my last 10 cents - more and more I am aware (perhaps because I am beginning to leave my child-bearing years, so my biological programming is beginning to permit this kind of rebellious thinking) that so much around us is focussed (surely unconsciously) on driving us to do what must be done for the sake of species longevity. Isn't the absence of direct breeding capability quite plausible as an unconscious motivator for the tragedy of homophobia??
Thanks for the reminder! Time to bechdel test every movie I watch from here on in. I know that most of Mr Duyvken's favourites are going to fail DISMALLY. More than a few of my favourite kids films will too. Books are definitely filling the gap for the kids/ya market but the medium of film offers so much it's a pity production/distribution houses aren't making more films that pass the test.
Wow. Definitely eye-opening!
Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!
Sorry, had to start off with that.
I know yjis is an older post but I just clicked over from BB's blog and by the time I finished reading your profile I was at The Bechdel Test.
The movies Miss Smartypants lists don't all fail the test!
In X-Men, Jean Grey, Ororo Munroe / Storm, and Rogue / Marie D'Ancanto all talk to each other and have names. Hell at one point Jean Grey and Storm are talking about the jet that's trying to shoot them down - its being piloted by A WOMAN! Same with X-Men 2.
Miss Smartypants also (incorectly)lists Transformers. Whats-his-face's mom, Judy, talks to Mikaela, Megan Fox's character.
There, I feel better already. Nerdy, but better.
So nice to meet you,
Scot
PS...and, yes, I tend to rant occasionally.
scoty31@comcast.net
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