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Passes the Bechdel test

Mr. Turner

2014. Directed by Mike Leigh, written by Mike Leigh.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

  1. Yes 1. At least two women
    25 women characters. 14 of them speak.
  2. Yes 2. Who talk to each other
    In 1 scene out of 1.
  3. Yes 3. About something besides a man
    In that scene, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.

Second opinion

Disagree bechdeltest.com readers give it 1 out of 3.

Poster for Mr. Turner

The film

Mr. Turner explores the last quarter century of the great if eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851). Profoundly affected by the death of his father, loved by a housekeeper he takes for granted and occasionally exploits sexually, he forms a close relationship with a seaside landlady with whom he eventually lives incognito in Chelsea, where he dies. Throughout this, he travels, paints, stays with the country aristocracy, visits brothels, is a popular if anarchic member of the Royal Academy of Arts, has himself strapped to the mast of a ship so that he can paint a snowstorm, and is both celebrated and reviled by the public and by royalty.

Released
31 Oct 2014
Genres
Biography, Drama, History
Rated
R
IMDb
6.8 / 10
Metascore
94 / 100
Awards
Nominated for 4 Oscars. 20 wins & 72 nominations total
Elsewhere
View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

  • Women
  • Men
  • Not in the cast list
  • Bigger name, more lines
  1. Turner 439 lines, man
  2. Mrs Booth 142 lines, woman
  3. Turner Snr 78 lines, man
  4. Haydon 65 lines, man
  5. Mrs Somerville 52 lines, woman
  6. Hannah 48 lines, woman
  7. Mayall 43 lines, man
  8. Shee 33 lines, man
  9. Dr Price 32 lines, man
  10. Sarah Danby 28 lines, woman
Full cast, 73 people
  • Timothy Spall as JMW Turner
  • Dorothy Atkinson as Hannah Danby
  • Marion Bailey as Sophia Booth
  • Paul Jesson as William Turner Snr
  • Lesley Manville as Mary Somerville
  • Martin Savage as Benjamin Robert Haydon
  • Ruth Sheen as Sarah Danby
  • David Horovitch as Dr Price
  • Karl Johnson as Mr. Booth
  • Peter Wight as Joseph Gillot
  • Joshua McGuire as John Ruskin
  • Stuart McQuarrie as Ruskin's Father
  • Sylvestra Le Touzel as Ruskin's Mother
  • Leo Bill as JE Mayall
  • Kate O'Flynn as Prostitute
  • Sinéad Matthews as Queen Victoria
  • Karina Fernandez as Miss Coggins
  • Richard Bremmer as George Jones
  • Mark Stanley as Clarkson Stanfield
  • Jamie Thomas King as David Roberts
  • Tom Wlaschiha as Prince Albert
  • Patrick Godfrey as Lord Egremont
  • Niall Buggy as John Carew
  • Fred Pearson as Sir William Beechey
  • Tom Edden as CR Leslie
  • Clive Francis as Sir Martin Archer Shee
  • Robert Portal as Sir Charles Eastlake
  • James Fleet as John Constable
  • Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Henry William Pickersgill
  • Simon Chandler as Sir Augustus Wall Callcott
  • Edward de Souza as Thomas Stothard
  • Oliver Maltman as Theatre Actor
  • Sam Kelly as Theatre Actor
  • Sandy Foster as Evelina
  • Amy Dawson as Georgiana
  • Alice Bailey Johnson as Young Lady Singer
  • Alice Orr-Ewing as Second Young Lady
  • Veronica Roberts as Lady Stuckley
  • Richard Dixon as Mr Manners
  • Michael Keane as Clergyman
  • James Norton as Clarinettist
  • David Ryall as Footman
  • Nicola Sloane as Brothel Keeper
  • Eleanor Yates as Ruskin's Wife
  • Fenella Woolgar as Lady Eastlake
  • Richard Cordery as Dinner Guest
  • James Dryden as Cornelius
  • Marcello Magni as Colourman
  • Mark Wingett as Mariner
  • Ruby Bentall as Unhappy Couple
  • Lee Ingleby as Unhappy Couple
  • Pearl Chanda as Theatre Actor
  • Ned Derrington as Theatre Actor
  • Phil Elstob as Theatre Actor
  • Peter Hannah as Theatre Actor
  • Francesca Zoutewelle as Theatre Actor
  • Billy Holland as Boy Actor
  • Michael Culkin as Gentleman Critic
  • Vincent Franklin as Gentleman Critic
  • Nicholas Woodeson as Gentleman Critic
  • Elizabeth Berrington as Lady Critics
  • Eileen Davies as Lady Critics
  • Bob Goody as Gallery Visitor
  • Terrence Hardiman as Gallery Visitor
  • Theresa Watson as Gallery Visitor
  • Judi Scott as Neighbour
  • Angela Curran as Neighbour
  • Amanda Lawrence as Hannah's Friend
  • Judith Amsenga as Dutch Lady
  • Helen Cooper as Dutch Lady
  • Stuart Matthews as Market Trader (uncredited)
  • Nicholas Jones as Sir John Soane
  • Robert J. Fraser as Art Student (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.
SARAH DANBY: We are indeed. HANNAH: Have you been out strolling, Aunt Sarah? SARAH DANBY: No, neice. I’ve been to collect my pension at Leicester Fields, it being the first of the month. HANNAH: Indeed.
HANNAH: Good afternoon, madam. MRS SOMERVILLE: It is Mrs Somerville - HANNAH: Yes. You are expected. MRS SOMERVILLE: Thank you most kindly. What an elegant residence.
SARAH DANBY: Have you no feelings? Speak! SARAH DANBY: Come, Evelina, there is nothing here for us. MRS BOOTH: You're tired, my dear.

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 27 are women's.

333 lines from women, 893 from men.

  • Women
  • Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

25 women and 43 men in the cast. 14 women and 28 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

  • Women
  • Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 2 of 1,280. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 162 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

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

Words spoken

Women speak 31% of the words (3,179), men 69% (6,927). Women have 27% of the lines, so their lines run longer 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

Exhibit F: behind the camera

4 of the 9 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 32% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by
Mike Leigh (man)
Written by
Mike Leigh (man)
Produced by
Georgina Lowe (woman)
Shot by
Dick Pope (man)
Edited by
Jon Gregory (man)
Music by
Gary Yershon (man)
Production design by
Suzie Davies (woman)
Costumes by
Jacqueline Durran (woman)
Cast by
Nina Gold (woman)

The crew, department by department

  • Art

    2 women, 5 men, 3 not listed

  • Production

    4 women, 3 men, 3 not listed

  • Costume & Make-Up

    4 women, 2 men, 3 not listed

  • Sound

    0 women, 3 men, 3 not listed

  • Camera

    0 women, 2 men, 2 not listed

  • Visual Effects

    0 women, 1 men, 2 not listed

  • Directing

    0 women, 1 men, 1 not listed

  • Editing

    0 women, 1 men, 1 not listed

  • Women
  • Men
  • Gender not listed on TMDB

Exhibit G: how old the stars were

Women: 58 on average. Men: 65 on average. The top-billed cast, at the film's release.

Women

Dorothy Atkinson 48, Lesley Manville 58, Ruth Sheen 62, Marion Bailey 63

Men

Timothy Spall 57, Peter Wight 64, Karl Johnson 66, Paul Jesson 68, David Horovitch 69

Exhibit H: the money

What it cost and made, where TMDB lists it.

Budget
Not listed
Box office
$22.2 million

From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.

About this analysis

Our parser read the script: 1 scenes and 1,280 lines of dialogue. The bechdeltest.com rating comes from that site’s readers. How the test works

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