Interesting movie "test"

[PeterG]

So it was Whatever Happened To Baby Jane followed by The Hunger Games??

[Wyliefan]

On the same list, you'll find that the anti-abortion propaganda October Baby meets the test.

Ah, sweet irony.

Getting back to classic films, quite a few would pass: The Women, of course, and also Gone with the Wind, My Fair Lady, Gaslight, All about Eve, Stage Door, The Nun's Story, The Song of Bernadette, Stage Fright, The Old Maid . . .

Oh, and as for recent films: Les Miserables passes. There's Madame Thenardier's conversation with little Cosette and then with little Eponine. Also Fantine's conversation with the woman who wants to buy her hair. And you could count Fantine singing to Cosette, even though the latter isn't physically present.

[aliceanne]

Ah, sweet irony.

Getting back to classic films, quite a few would pass: The Women, of course, and also Gone with the Wind, My Fair Lady, Gaslight, All about Eve, Stage Door, The Nun's Story, The Song of Bernadette, Stage Fright, The Old Maid . . .

Oh, and as for recent films: Les Miserables passes. There's Madame Thenardier's conversation with little Cosette and then with little Eponine. Also Fantine's conversation with the woman who wants to buy her hair. And you could count Fantine singing to Cosette, even though the latter isn't physically present.

Who were the 2 female characters in My Fair Ladyand Gaslight? I remember those movies as being primarily about a woman and a man.

[Wyliefan]

In MFL, Eliza talks with Mrs. Pearce when the latter takes her up to her new room. In Gaslight, Paula talks with Elizabeth and Nancy (the cook and the maid), and I think (though I'm a little hazy on this) that she also talks with other women on the rare occasions that she goes out.

[aliceanne]

Fried Green Tomatoes? Kathy Bates character and that woman in the nursing home. Little Women. Jo talked to her mother and sisters about her career aspirations. They all talked about morality and money. Beauty Shop, Gina used to talk to her daughter and niece about their futures, and to Alicia Silverstone about careers. Steel Magnolias. The mother and daughter talked about taking risks and having a short life vs. playing it safe and having a long life filled with nothing special. Jane Eyre and Helen Burns in the latest version of JE. Hairspray (integration and careers). A League of Their Own.

[Cachoo]

One that stuck out was Hilary Swank and Francis O'Connor, the stars of "Iron Jawed Angels" about the suffragette movement and voting rights. And I just watched a movie, or mini-series (?) on the Sundance Channel called "Restless" and the three stars were women: Charlotte Rampling, Hayley Atwell and Michelle Dockery. But I often wonder how female actors sustain their careers. I hope it changes. It helped that both movies were about issues more than human relationships.

[skategal]

My Life Without Me.

Great movie by Sarah Polley, 3 adult female characters. Lead character learns she is dying and prepares for her death while shielding her young children, husband, mother and friend from the truth.

[Cachoo]

I think it took Hollywood a long time to realize women like going to movies in the summer too. I think "The Devil Wears Prada", "Bridesmaids" and "Julie and Julia" pass the test and did well at the box office.

[Cachoo]

Also since the 90's Jane Austen has been so popular on-screen. I think they pass the test because in Austen's day men literally controlled all of the wealth as women could not inherit. It might have been about romance but it was also about survival.
sorry for the doublepost...

[aliceanne]

Also since the 90's Jane Austen has been so popular on-screen. I think they pass the test because in Austen's day men literally controlled all of the wealth as women could not inherit. It might have been about romance but it was also about survival.
sorry for the doublepost...

I think it depends on who is producing it. Some of the more commercial movies have focused on romance, but Austen's novels are more about duty vs. romance or personal inclination which is a universal theme. However, she dealt with such a limited millieu that the only life altering decision her characters had to make was to marry or not.

[Scrufflet]

Interesting. I had never heard of the Bechdel thing. I just stopped watching movies because I didn't like them anymore, Partially because of the way females were portrayed.
My tv watching: always loved Buffy and Xena. The Good Wife has strong female characters. And recently, I went back to AbFab - hilarious, and they didn't need any men in the show to pull it off!

[michiruwater]

If you liked Buffy, Xena, and TGW, I highly recommend Battlestar Galactica, which also has a host of strong female characters that talk about a hell of a lot more than men.

[Scrufflet]

If you liked Buffy, Xena, and TGW, I highly recommend Battlestar Galactica, which also has a host of strong female characters that talk about a hell of a lot more than men.

Thanks for the suggestion! For some reason I never saw it the first time around. I'll check it out on the space channel.