Passes the Bechdel test
Mary Poppins
1965. Directed by Robert Stevenson, written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi and P.L. Travers.
The Bechdel test
Bechdel score
3 / 3
Passes
-
Yes
1. At least two women
13 women characters. 6 of them speak. -
Yes
2. Who talk to each other
In 1 scene out of 1. -
Yes
3. About something besides a man
In that scene, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.
Second opinion
Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 3 out of 3.
The film
When Jane and Michael Banks are faced with the prospect of a new nanny, they are pleasantly surprised by the arrival of the magical Mary Poppins. Embarking on a series of fantastical adventures with her and her Cockney performer friend, Bert, they try to pass on some of her sunny attitude to their preoccupied parents.
- Released
- 18 Jun 1965
- Genres
- Comedy, Family, Fantasy
- Rated
- G
- IMDb
- 7.8 / 10
- Metascore
- 88 / 100
- Awards
- Won 5 Oscars. 23 wins & 17 nominations total
- Elsewhere
- View on IMDb
Starring, by lines spoken
- Women
- Men
- Not in the cast list
- Bigger name, more lines
- Mr. Banks 168 lines, man
- Mary Poppins 156 lines, woman
- Bert 105 lines, man
- Jane 97 lines, woman
- Mrs. Banks 83 lines, woman
- Michael 77 lines, man
- Mr. Dawes 54 lines, man
- Ellen 29 lines, woman
- Admiral Boom 27 lines, man
- Uncle Albert 26 lines, man
Full cast, 30 people
- Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins
- Dick Van Dyke as Bert / Mr. Dawes Sr.
- David Tomlinson as Mr. Banks
- Glynis Johns as Mrs. Banks
- Hermione Baddeley as Ellen
- Karen Dotrice as Jane Banks
- Matthew Garber as Michael Banks
- Elsa Lanchester as Katie Nanna
- Arthur Treacher as Constable
- Reginald Owen as Admiral Boom
- Ed Wynn as Uncle Albert
- Reta Shaw as Mrs. Brill
- Arthur Malet as Mr. Dawes Jr.
- Jane Darwell as Bird Woman
- James Logan as Bank Doorman
- Don Barclay as Mr. Binnacle
- Alma Lawton as Mrs. Corry
- Marjorie Eaton as Miss Persimmon
- Marjorie Bennett as Miss Lark
- Doris Lloyd as Depositor (uncredited)
- Dal McKennon as Penguin Waiters / Carousel Guard / Horse / Fox (voice)
- Daws Butler as Turtle/Penguin (voice) (uncredited)
- Bill Lee as Ram (voice) (uncredited)
- Alan Napier as Huntsman/Reporter #3/Hound (voice) (uncredited)
- Thurl Ravenscroft as Hog / Andrew's Whimper (Voice) (Uncredited)
- J. Pat O'Malley as Pearly Drummer/Master of Hounds/Huntsman/Hound/Horse/Penguin/Reporter #2/Photographer (Voice) (Uncredited)
- Marni Nixon as Geese (Voice) (Uncredited)
- Betty Lou Gerson as Old Crone (Uncredited)
- Richard M. Sherman as Penguin / Pearly (Voice) (Uncredited)
- Robert B. Sherman as Pearly Banjo Player (Voice) (Uncredited)
Who talks, scene by scene
We couldn't read who says what in this film's script, so there's no dialogue chart for it yet.
The evidence
- Straight from the script
- Counted from the script and the credits
Tap an exhibit to open it.
Exhibit A: the passing scenes
The scene our parser counted as passing, word for word.
ELLEN: Now, now, Katie Nanna! Mrs. Banks! She's home! MRS. BANKS: Our daughter's daughters will adore us And we'll sing in grateful chorus "Well done, Sister Suffragette" Good evening, Katie Nanna, Ellen. W…
MRS. BANKS: George, I think we should listen. JANE: You said you wanted our help.
MARY POPPINS: On second thoughts, I believe a trial period would be wise. Hmm. I'll give you one week. I'll know by then. I'll see the children now. Thank… MRS. BANKS: George? Aah! George, what on earth are you doing? I thought you were interviewing nannies.
ELLEN: The position has been filled. JANE: I'm afraid the nursery isn't very tidy. MARY POPPINS: It is rather like a bear pit, isn't it?
MARY POPPINS: No. Made of. JANE: This is your room, and there's a lovely view of the park. MARY POPPINS: Hmm. Well, it's not exactly Buckingham Palace. Still, it's clean. Yes, I think it will be quite suitable. Just needs a touch here and there.…
Exhibit B: every 100 lines
Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 44 are women's.
390 lines from women, 488 from men.
- Women
- Men
Exhibit C: who's in it
13 women and 17 men in the cast. 6 women and 9 men from it get lines.
Characters
With lines
- Women
- Men
Exhibit D: who gets heard
The first woman speaks at line 14 of 895.
The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 64 lines.
Every line of dialogue, first to last
- First line by a woman
- Longest stretch with no woman speaking
Words spoken
Women speak 40% of the words (4,525), men 60% (6,728). Women have 44% of the lines, so their lines run shorter than men's.
Exhibit E: 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
44
Two men
37
Exhibit F: behind the camera
None of the 7 people in these jobs are women.
Across the whole crew, 8% of the people whose gender is listed are women.
- Directed by
- Robert Stevenson (man)
- Written by
- Don DaGradi (man), Bill Walsh (man)
- Shot by
- Edward Colman (man)
- Edited by
- Cotton Warburton (man)
- Music by
- Richard M. Sherman (man), Robert B. Sherman (man)
The crew, department by department
-
Visual Effects
0 women, 10 men
-
Art
0 women, 8 men, 1 not listed
-
Sound
1 women, 7 men
-
Costume & Make-Up
1 women, 4 men
-
Other crew
1 women, 4 men
-
Writing
1 women, 4 men
-
Directing
0 women, 4 men
-
Camera
0 women, 1 men
- Women
- Men
- Gender not listed on TMDB
Exhibit G: how old the stars were
Women: 40 on average. Men: 48 on average.
The top-billed cast, at the film's release.
Women
Karen Dotrice 9, Julie Andrews 29, Glynis Johns 41, Hermione Baddeley 58, Elsa Lanchester 62
Men
Matthew Garber 8, Dick Van Dyke 39, David Tomlinson 47, Arthur Treacher 70, Reginald Owen 77
Exhibit H: the money
It made 22.2 times what it cost.
- Budget
- $4.7 million
- Box office
- $103 million
From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.
About this analysis
Our parser read the script: 1 scenes and 895 lines of dialogue. The bechdeltest.com rating comes from that site’s readers. How the test works
