Fails the Bechdel test
Les Miserables
1978. Directed by Glenn Jordan, written by John Gay and Victor Hugo.
The Bechdel test
Bechdel score
1 / 3
Fails
-
Yes
1. At least two women
8 women characters. 3 of them speak. -
No
2. Who talk to each other
Our parser found no scene where two women talk to each other. -
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.
The film
In late 18th Century (1795) France, in the middle of the French Revolution, the unemployed woodman Jean Valjean is arrested for stealing bread to feed his family and sentenced to five years in prison in Toulon. He tries to escape from prison due to the mistreatment of cruel Javert, increasing his sentence. Nineteen years later he is released but forced to carry ID that labels him a thief, making him unwelcome at inns and many other places but is helped by the kind Bishop Myriel that feeds and shelters him. However he steals his silverware in the dawn but he is arrested by two policemen and brought back to the bishop. The bishop tells that the silver objects were a gift and gives two additional candlesticks to Valjean. When the policemen leave the place, the bishop tells that he has bought his soul and now he should live an honest life. Jean Valjean becomes a well-succeeded businessman with the alias Madeleine, bringing prosperity to a small town by producing black beads that he had learned to make in the prison and then the becomes the major. His life changes when Javert is assigned the chief of police of his town. Javert arrests the beggar Fantine accused of prostitution but Madeleine asks him to release her and brings her home. He learns that she sends money to a couple to raise her daughter Cosette. Meanwhile Javert travels to Paris to denounce Madeleine, but he learns that Jean Valjean is arrested. But Madeleine confesses the truth to the court and releases the man. Now Javert will take him back to Toulon. What will Jean Valjean do ?
- Released
- 27 Dec 1978
- Genres
- Drama, History
- Rated
- Not Rated
- IMDb
- 7.3 / 10
- Awards
- Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. 2 nominations total
- Elsewhere
- View on IMDb
Starring, by lines spoken
- Women
- Men
- Not in the cast list
- Bigger name, more lines
- Valjean 132 lines, man
- Marius 73 lines, man
- Javert 62 lines, man
- Thenardier 53 lines, man
- Fantine 41 lines, woman
- Enjolras 40 lines, man
- Eponine 37 lines
- Cosette 33 lines, woman
- Madame Thenardier 24 lines, man
- Gavroche 18 lines, man
Full cast, 35 people
- Richard Jordan as Jean Valjean
- Anthony Perkins as Javert
- Cyril Cusack as Fauchlevent
- Claude Dauphin as Bishop Myriel
- John Gielgud as Gillenormand
- Ian Holm as Thénardier
- Celia Johnson as Sister Simplice
- Joyce Redman as Magliore
- Flora Robson as the Prioress
- Christopher Guard as Marius
- Caroline Langrishe as Cosette
- Angela Pleasence as Fantine
- David Swift as Troufiat
- Timothy Morand as Enjolras
- William Squire as Magistrate
- Geoffrey Russell as Court President
- Caroline Blakiston as Mme Thénardier
- Michael Sheard as Commissary
- Dexter Fletcher as Gavroche
- Joanna Price as Cosette as child
- Dave Hill as Chenildieu
- John Moreno as Cochopaille
- Roy Evans as Brevet
- Brian McDermott as Lebec
- Eileen Way as Lodger
- Struan Rodger as Javert's Aide
- Delena Kidd as Valjean's Sister
- Kenneth Colley as Police Prefect
- Christopher Burgess as Police Inspector
- Christian Rodska as Antoine
- Donald Sumpter as Agent
- Donald Bisset as Gillenormand's Servant
- Michael Barrell as Spectator
- Rupert Frazer as Gendarme
- Anthony May as Gendarme
Who talks, scene by scene
Lines of dialogue in every 3 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 25% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.
Women
Men
Scene 1 Scene 131
Hover, tap or tab to a bar to see those scenes: where they happen and who's talking.
Show the numbers
| Scenes | Women's lines | Men's lines |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | 0 | 11 |
| 4 to 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 to 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 to 12 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 to 15 | 0 | 9 |
| 16 to 18 | 0 | 7 |
| 19 to 21 | 0 | 4 |
| 22 to 24 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 to 27 | 29 | 24 |
| 28 to 30 | 10 | 7 |
| 31 to 33 | 7 | 0 |
| 34 to 36 | 12 | 35 |
| 37 to 39 | 0 | 1 |
| 40 to 42 | 0 | 5 |
| 43 to 45 | 9 | 20 |
| 46 to 48 | 2 | 10 |
| 49 to 51 | 0 | 1 |
| 52 to 54 | 0 | 4 |
| 55 to 57 | 0 | 3 |
| 58 to 60 | 1 | 24 |
| 61 to 63 | 2 | 11 |
| 64 to 66 | 0 | 0 |
| 67 to 69 | 0 | 9 |
| 70 to 72 | 0 | 17 |
| 73 to 75 | 0 | 24 |
| 76 to 78 | 4 | 29 |
| 79 to 81 | 9 | 24 |
| 82 to 84 | 5 | 8 |
| 85 to 87 | 0 | 2 |
| 88 to 90 | 1 | 2 |
| 91 to 93 | 0 | 9 |
| 94 to 96 | 0 | 13 |
| 97 to 99 | 0 | 34 |
| 100 to 102 | 0 | 8 |
| 103 to 105 | 0 | 36 |
| 106 to 108 | 0 | 18 |
| 109 to 111 | 0 | 0 |
| 112 to 114 | 0 | 1 |
| 115 to 117 | 0 | 18 |
| 118 to 120 | 10 | 7 |
| 121 to 123 | 5 | 16 |
| 124 to 126 | 5 | 27 |
| 127 to 129 | 4 | 4 |
| 130 to 131 | 5 | 9 |
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, 20 are women's.
120 lines from women, 493 from men.
- Women
- Men
Exhibit B: who's in it
8 women and 25 men in the cast. 3 women and 16 men from it get lines.
Characters
With lines
- Women
- Men
Exhibit C: who gets heard
The first woman speaks at line 63 of 820.
The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 194 lines.
Every line of dialogue, first to last
- First line by a woman
- Longest stretch with no woman speaking
Words spoken
Women speak 17% of the words (1,541), men 83% (7,709). Women have 20% 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
Two women
0
Two men
55
Exhibit E: behind the camera
1 of the 10 people in these jobs is a woman.
Across the whole crew, 10% of the people whose gender is listed are women.
- Directed by
- Glenn Jordan (man)
- Written by
- John Gay (man)
- From the novel by
- Victor Hugo (man)
- Produced by
- Norman Rosemont (man)
- Shot by
- Jean Tournier (man)
- Edited by
- Bill Blunden (man)
- Music by
- Allyn Ferguson (man)
- Production design by
- Wilfred Shingleton (man)
- Costumes by
- Olga Lehmann (gender not listed)
- Cast by
- Irene Lamb (woman)
The crew, department by department
-
Production
1 women, 2 men, 2 not listed
-
Writing
0 women, 2 men
-
Art
0 women, 1 men
-
Camera
0 women, 1 men
-
Costume & Make-Up
0 women, 0 men, 1 not listed
-
Directing
0 women, 1 men
-
Editing
0 women, 1 men
-
Sound
0 women, 1 men
- Women
- Men
- Gender not listed on TMDB
Exhibit F: how old the stars were
Women: 70 on average. Men: 54 on average.
The top-billed cast, at the film's release.
Women
Joyce Redman 63, Celia Johnson 70, Flora Robson 76
Men
Christopher Guard 25, Richard Jordan 41, Anthony Perkins 46, Ian Holm 47, Cyril Cusack 68, John Gielgud 74, Claude Dauphin 75
About this analysis
Our parser read the script: 131 scenes and 820 lines of dialogue. How the test works
