Bechdel Test Movie List

I'm not so sure about that rating. There are a few scenes that might qualify as a pass (although I may have to rewatch it to make sure).

1. Near the beginning, Anna and Kitty talk about whether or not Anna is going to the ball, and Kitty's youthful idealism. Bronsky does come up in the conversation, but is far from the only topic.

2. Dolly and Kitty talk about the former's baby (not sure if it's male or female) and also relationships.

3. At the opera, Anna and Princess Michaela talk about the various society women (although that's mostly Michaela talking, so it might not count).

4. Towards the end, Dolly - I think it's Dolly - comes up to Anna in the restaurant and talks to her about how brave she was to do what she did, and about the relationship status of other couples.

I believe that one of the two scenes where Anna speaks to Countess Vronskaya on a train passes this movie, but I can't say I remember for sure.

I feel the movie passes on some small conversations, but I also feel that the structure of the Bechdel test, though a great way to measure the depth and complexity of female characters/interaction with a lot of works, doesn't quite do justice to Anna Karenina because of the psychological quality of the work, and the dynamics of family and society represented. AK relies more on an understanding of what's going through the character's heads and on a consideration of historical context than some of the dialogue. Similarly, the female relationships represented are complex, but not in way that can lend itself to easy conversations between the female characters - they were constrained by society and their own family drama. Perhaps in this regard the test may fail to accommodate certain period pieces. At the same time, there are many more significant conversations between women in the book that could have been included in the film.