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

[[1]] The Unguarded Moment (1956) [imdb]

This movie passed 1 of 3 tests. It was entered by ShawmK on 2018-08-04 21:38:37.

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ShawmK said:
This is a textbook example of a strongly feminist film that nonetheless fails the Bechdel Test.

Esther Williams (in a non-swimming role) plays a High School music teacher who is sexually assaulted by one of her pupils. When she tries to report the incident, no one takes her seriously; they accuse her of "leading him on" and are more concerned with the damage her accusation will do to the school, and to the kid's future (he is the school's star football player). The other students and faculty ridicule her and accuse her of being a "loose woman" (the fact that she doesn't have a husband to look after her is repeatedly thrown at her) and she is eventually suspended.

This was a very unusual subject matter for a film in 1956. Isn't it wonderful how much better things are today?

Although the narrative revolves around Williams' character (and treats her very sympathetically) she is virtually the only major female character in the film. A couple of female students have occasional lines of dialogue and there is an un-named secretary, but the only other woman with any significant dialogue is the waitress in the local diner. She and Esther Williams do not interact.

Despite this, the film does a very good job of portraying a situation that will be familiar to far too many women.
Message posted on 2018-08-04 21:38:37

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