Bechdel Test Movie List

/bech·del test/ n.
1. It has to have at least two [named] women in it
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something besides a man

[[3]] Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) [imdb]

This movie passed 3 of 3 tests. It was entered by Tracey on 2009-07-17 09:39:05.

Reviews

Comments

the opoponax said:
really? even counting the "grownup" female characters like Professor McGonagal and Mrs. Weasley? bummer...
Message posted on 2009-07-20 21:15:24
T.J. said:
What about Narcissa and Bellatrix Lestrange? And Professor McGonagal asks Leanne (the friend of Katie Bell, the girl who touches the cursed necklace) about what happened to Katie.
Message posted on 2009-07-27 20:13:48
Mireille said:
I also think it passes - Katie and Leanne argue about the necklace.
Message posted on 2009-07-30 19:47:46
neil said:
Considering those comments (haven't seen it myself) I've changed the rating to 3 out of 3.
Message posted on 2009-07-30 20:09:08
G.L. disagreed with the rating and said:
Ginny and Luna do talk to each other about nargles, or something, on the train. For about two seconds.
Message posted on 2010-01-31 04:04:23
IF said:
Well, Narcissa and Bellatrix talk about Draco, and about Voldemort.
Message posted on 2010-05-02 22:12:21
Mary said:
Also, in most of the movies, two female characters will discuss men, but often the men being discussed are Death Eaters or Voldemort, so they are discussing men that they have no romantic interest in and are relevant to current events happening within the series. It's like discussing politics.
Message posted on 2010-05-13 21:33:14
Bob Summersgill said:
Women discussing plot issues involving men, but not relationships with the men should count for test 3.
Message posted on 2010-05-21 12:34:43
Kim disagreed with the rating and said:
I disagree with the distinction - discussing men with whom the women have no romantic involvement- and don't think it should count. It still makes the men the focal point and the women bit players revolving around them. Their 'ghost' presence creates an imbalance.
Message posted on 2010-06-03 00:11:27
Renee said:
The women cannot discuss men AT ALL for this to count. Think about it, men can go on indefinitely in a movie without mentioning a woman.
Message posted on 2010-06-17 09:49:17
Sar said:
Discussing "Death Eaters" is not the same as discussing men, because (a), not all Death Eaters are men, and (b) it's a monolithic group, so it's like saying that talking about the British government is discussing men.
Message posted on 2010-07-29 03:29:49
Allie said:
I just wanted to put in a brief mention that Narcissa and Bellatrix are not talking about a "man" they're talking about a boy, that boy being Narcissa's very at risk son. Just interesting to think about whether that counts. I think a mother talking about their child with her sister would pass, but I'm sure some, knowing Draco is male, might disagree.
Message posted on 2011-07-19 13:06:43
Nan said:
Allie: Talking about ANY male person makes you fail the test, it doesn't matter if it's the woman's own son.

Sar: Agree about the "Death Eaters" - they are a monolithic entity neither male nor female, and if two named women talked about them the movie would pass.
Message posted on 2011-11-04 18:51:06
Jen said:
@Nan: The rule says 3. About something besides a MAN

I'd like to think a boy is not a man, even though Draco (or at least Tom Felton) at that point is effectively a man. While it's true that men in movies could go ages without talking about a woman, much less a girl, it seems the potential is there to disqualify a woman talking about her pregnancy because the baby happens to be a boy vs. a girl.
Message posted on 2011-12-01 04:45:59
Jamie said:
I would say that the test applies to any males. Otherwise, what about movies with anthropomorphic characters? I mean, what if it was Lord of the Rings, and Eowyn and Arwen happened to bump into each other and have a conversation about Legolas? He's an elf, not a man, but I think we'd agree that it would still fail the test.
Message posted on 2012-07-28 00:13:10
Perfectly Idiomatic said:
Molly also implores Tonks (and Lupin) to stay the night at their house. I'm pretty sure it's Tonks who replies that they'd best be off- two men are present, Arthur and Lupin, but I'd always been under the impression that it counted as a pass if two women spoke even if men were there, too.
Also, doesn't Narcissa say something racist to Hermione? Or did I just imagine this?
Message posted on 2012-08-27 02:37:49
Emma said:
Perfectly Idiomatic: I believe that Narcissa being racist (bloodist?) to Hermione was not included in the film, only the novel. But I do agree that a woman talking to her sister about her son should not count, also because she is not just rambling about her son but talking about how worried she is about him.
Message posted on 2013-01-16 03:19:19
David said:
Even if we disregard the Narcissa/Draco dialogue, the 3/3 rating definitely does stand at least because of the short Luna/Ginny conversation about "wrackspurts."

Luna: Quibbler?
Ginny: Oh, please! *reads, pauses* What's a wrackspurt?
Luna: They're invisible creatures. They float in your ears and make your brain go fuzzy.
Message posted on 2013-07-05 08:49:34
OrigamiMind said:
As to whether talking about a son counts: DEFINITELY, don't pass conversations that are revolving around male characters. People are using this for statistical analysis. Respect the data.
As to whether talking about pregnancy counts (if the result will be male): If it is discussed as a medical condition/life event and the conversation and does not really regard the baby; e.g.: sickness, body changes, cravings, discomfort, fears of giving birth, etc.
Message posted on 2014-04-01 21:06:11
J said:
There is a careful distinction you have to make here. If two women talk about the generic threat of Death Eaters and magical politics that is a pass.

If they are like "Oh, that Voldemort guy is bad" then they are talking about a man.

Romantic interest isn't a factor of the rule. If two female Hogwarts teachers discuss the latest prank pulled by the Wesley Twins or that they are sad about what happened to Dumbeldore that is a conversation about men. It fails the test.

Message posted on 2014-04-05 20:00:31
Billy said:
But is Voldemort still a man?
Message posted on 2014-05-21 02:14:45
SSS said:
David's right. Luna also talks to Ginny about the thing on her shoulder going "he's lovely, they've been known to sing on Boxing Day."

You can hear Katie and Leanne fighting about the necklace briefly. And the part when Mcgonagall asks Leanna what happened definitely counts.

With Bellatrix and Narcissa, they're both talking TO Snape about helping Draco. The only time they talk solely to each other is before they go inside Snape's place when they're arguing about whether Snape can be trusted since Voldemort does. So.
Message posted on 2015-02-06 05:09:59
Erigalus said:
I don't really remember if the names of Katie and Leanne are mentioned in the movie. Would it theoretically still count if we knew their names only from the books?
I know that the movie would still pass either way through the interaction between Ginny and Luna, I was just wondering if the first rule (at least two named characters) still applies if the characters are named outside the movie.
Message posted on 2017-06-08 21:20:49
Wayne said:
PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL: You're sure Katie did not have this in her possession when she entered the Three Broomsticks?

LEANNE: It's like I said. She left to go to the loo, and when she came back she had the package. She said it was important that she deliver it.

...

PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL: Very well, thank you, Leanne, you may go.
Message posted on 2023-08-11 04:59:47

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