Monday, April 11, 2016
The Writers, Directors, and Producers who Make Films that Fail the Bechdel Test
poly-graph.co: Rather than generalize a sexist system, one theory is simple: filmmakers, unintentionally, make movies about themselves (i.e., write what you know). Since the most powerful producers, writers, and directors are men, male-themes permeate into Hollywood’s output. To see if women are more likely to write about women (i.e., pass the Bechdel test), we compiled the genders of the producers, writers, and directors on thousands of films.
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I personally have never liked the idea of the Bechdel test as a serious measure of anything, but lately it’s been spreading like wildfire and actually catching some critical attention in the media. I’m happy to see that the data is taking into account who writes and produces these movies now, as opposed o just having all the movies in the world crammed together. I feel like this data is actually starting to connect to the bigger picture that some other recent articles have been dealing with – women in the upper structures of the entertainment industry. It is clear to see by the data that when women are in charge of a project, these proportions clearly favor the ways of womanhood. Women understand the crazy idea that women are real people – which is apparently something men just can’t wrap their heads around. The movies written and directed and produced by women have the most diverse, complex, and dynamic women characters. And that’s a fact.
I am sick of women being treated as a footnote in the story of humanity. When is Hollywood going to wake up? Just looking at the public (and very male) outrage which ensued when the world realized that the next Star Wars film would have (GOD FORBID) two female leads - it's horrifying. I know the Bechdel test is crude. I saw plenty of films I myself love and cherish on the failed list. But at least it's a method. The sad thing is that if more men were willing to acknowledge the test it would probably have a lot more credibility. Instead, we are left to beg for acknowledgement. What I love about this article is that instead of just acknowledging the problem, it attempts to explain why it exists. And it's absolutely right - what we see on screen reflects those involved in production. It is hard to ignore the fact that all seven films with only female writers passed the test, not to mention that just adding one female writer to a film can triple its likelihood of passing. I don't know whether to jump for joy or punch the next man I see, knowing still that this is because the only people who acknowledge active female voice without being asked to are women. When are male writers going to realize that "women are people too" is an outdated outlook as it is? Women are people. Period. End of discussion. Portraying them as anything less is a disservice to all viewers, male or female or otherwise.
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