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Fails the Bechdel test

Kundun

1998. Directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Melissa Mathison.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

0 / 3

Fails

  1. No 1. At least two women
    Fewer than two women characters.
  2. No 2. Who talk to each other
    Our parser found no scene where two women talk to each other.
  3. No 3. About something besides a man
    Not reached: the film fails an earlier rule.

Second opinion

Not rated bechdeltest.com readers haven't rated this film.

Poster for Kundun

The film

The Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama as 'Kundun', which means 'The Presence'. He was forced to escape from his native home, Tibet, when communist China invaded and enforced an oppressive regime upon the peaceful nation of Tibet. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in 1959 and has been living in exile in Dharamsala ever since.

Released
16 Jan 1998
Genres
Biography, Drama, History
Rated
PG-13
IMDb
7 / 10
Metascore
74 / 100
Awards
Nominated for 4 Oscars. 7 wins & 13 nominations total
Elsewhere
View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

  • Women
  • Men
  • Not in the cast list
  • Bigger name, more lines
  1. Tenzin Gyatso 218 lines, man
  2. Lord Chamberlain 44 lines, man
  3. Mother 35 lines, woman
  4. Norbu Thundrup 35 lines, man
  5. Lhamo 21 lines, man
  6. Father 16 lines, man
  7. General Chiang 16 lines
  8. Kashag Member 15 lines
  9. Taktra Rinpoche 14 lines, man
  10. Mao Tse Tung 13 lines, man
Full cast, 37 people
  • Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong as Dalai Lama (Adult)
  • Tencho Gyalpo as Mother
  • Tsewang Migyur Khangsar as Father
  • Gyurme Tethong as Dalai Lama (Age 12)
  • Robert Lin as Chairman Mao
  • Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin as Dalai Lama (Age 5)
  • Tenzin Yeshi Paichang as Dalai Lama (Aged 2)
  • Tenzin Topjar as Lobsang (5-10)
  • Tenzin Lodoe as Takster
  • Geshi Yeshi Gyatso as Lama of Sera
  • Losang Gyatso as The messenger
  • Sonam Phuntsok as Reting Rinpoche
  • Gyatso Lukhang as Lord Chamberlain
  • Losang Samten as Master of the Kitchen
  • Jigme Tsarong as Taktra Rimpoche
  • Tenzin Trinley as Ling Rimpoche
  • Namgay Dorjee as Kashag/Nobleman #1
  • Phintso Thonden as Kashag/Nobleman #2
  • Chewang Tsering Ngokhang as Layman #1
  • Jamyang Tenzin as Norbu Thundrup
  • Tashi Dhondup as Lobsang (Adult)
  • Jampa Lungtok as Nechung Oracle
  • Karma Wangchuk as Deformed Face Bodyguard
  • Kim Chan as Second Chinese General
  • Henry Yuk as General Tan
  • Ngawang Kaldan as Prime Minister Lobsang Tashi
  • Jurme Wangda as Prime Minister Lukhangwa
  • Salden Kunga as Tibetan Doctor
  • John Wong as Chinese Comrade
  • Gawa Youngdung as Old Woman
  • Tenzin Rampa as Tenzin Chonegyl (Age 12)
  • Vyas Ananthakrishnan as Indian Soldier
  • Stanley Ipkiss
  • Ken Leung as (voice)
  • Yoon C. Joyce as Chinese soldier (uncredited)
  • R. Gern Trowbridge as Monk (uncredited)
  • Ben Wang as General Chang Ching-Wu (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 5 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 13% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 213

Hover, tap or tab to a bar to see those scenes: where they happen and who's talking.

Show the numbers
ScenesWomen's linesMen's lines
1 to 51113
6 to 10612
11 to 1596
16 to 2029
21 to 2556
26 to 3015
31 to 3514
36 to 40010
41 to 45012
46 to 5007
51 to 55017
56 to 60738
61 to 65014
66 to 70042
71 to 7503
76 to 80013
81 to 85027
86 to 9000
91 to 9507
96 to 10008
101 to 10506
106 to 110014
111 to 115023
116 to 120019
121 to 12501
126 to 13005
131 to 135623
136 to 140016
141 to 14504
146 to 150033
151 to 15507
156 to 16000
161 to 165010
166 to 170014
171 to 17519
176 to 180012
181 to 18546
186 to 19005
191 to 19504
196 to 20002
201 to 20505
206 to 21004
211 to 21304

The evidence

  • Straight from the script
  • Counted from the script and the credits

Tap an exhibit to open it.

Exhibit A: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 10 are women's.

53 lines from women, 479 from men.

  • Women
  • Men

Exhibit B: who's in it

1 women and 9 men in the cast. 1 women and 7 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

  • Women
  • Men

Exhibit C: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 2 of 611. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 209 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

  • First line by a woman
  • Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 9% of the words (503), men 91% (4,861). Women have 10% of the lines, so their lines run shorter than men's.

Exhibit D: the test the other way

Two named men talk to each other about something besides a woman. It passes the reverse test.

Conversations between two named characters

Exhibit E: behind the camera

4 of the 11 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 31% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by
Martin Scorsese (man)
Written by
Melissa Mathison (woman)
Produced by
Barbara De Fina (woman)
Shot by
Roger Deakins (man)
Edited by
Thelma Schoonmaker (woman)
Music by
Philip Glass (man)
Production design by
Dante Ferretti (man)
Costumes by
Dante Ferretti (man)
Cast by
Adil Abdelwahab (man), Ahmed Abounouom (man), Ellen Lewis (woman)

The crew, department by department

  • Directing

    2 women, 6 men, 6 not listed

  • Costume & Make-Up

    0 women, 2 men, 5 not listed

  • Production

    4 women, 3 men

  • Art

    1 women, 4 men, 1 not listed

  • Sound

    1 women, 3 men, 2 not listed

  • Other crew

    0 women, 1 men, 4 not listed

  • Editing

    1 women, 1 men, 2 not listed

  • Camera

    0 women, 2 men

  • Women
  • Men
  • Gender not listed on TMDB

Exhibit F: the money

It made 20% of what it cost.

Budget
$28 million
Box office
$5.7 million

From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.

About this analysis

Our parser read the script: 213 scenes and 611 lines of dialogue. How the test works

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