Passes the Bechdel test

Priscilla

Name: Priscilla
Released: 2023

2023. Directed by Sofia Coppola, written by Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon and Sofia Coppola.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

Yes 1. At least two women
23 women characters. 11 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
In 2 scenes out of 163.
Yes 3. About something besides a man
In those scenes, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.

Second opinion

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

The film

When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend. Through Priscilla's eyes, Sofia Coppola tells the unseen side of a great American myth in Elvis and Priscilla's long courtship and turbulent marriage, from a German army base to his dream-world estate at Graceland, in this deeply felt and ravishingly detailed portrait of love, fantasy, and fame.

Released: 03 Nov 2023
Genres: Biography, Drama, Music
Rated: R
IMDb: 6.4 / 10
Metascore: 79 / 100
Awards: 6 wins & 35 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

Women
Men
Not in the cast list
Bigger name, more lines

Elvis 224 lines, man
Priscilla 151 lines, woman
Terry 17 lines, man
Captain Beaulieu 14 lines, man
Joe 8 lines, man
Mrs. Beaulieu 8 lines, woman
Dodger 5 lines, woman
Mom 4 lines, woman
Patsy 4 lines, woman
Vernon 4 lines, man

Full cast, 41 people

Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla
Jacob Elordi as Elvis
Ari Cohen as Captain Beaulieu
Dagmara Dominczyk as Ann Beaulieu
Tim Post as Vernon Presley
Lynne Griffin as Grandma 'Dodger'
Dan Beirne as Joe
Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll as Alan 'Hog Ears'
Dan Abramovici as Jerry
Matthew Shaw as Charlie
Tim Dowler-Coltman as Red
R Austin Ball as Larry
Olivia Barrett as Alberta
Stephanie Moore as Dee
Luke Humphrey as Terry West
Deanna Jarvis as Carol West
Jorja Cadence as Patsy
Josette Halpert as Becky
Evan Annisette as Mike Stone
Stephanie Moran as Girl at Party
Daniel Lipka as Don Beaulieu
Raine Monroe Boland as Lisa Marie Presley (3 years)
Emily Mitchell as Lisa Marie Presley (5 years)
Kamilla Kowal as Memphis Party Guest
Gwynne Phillips as Suzie
Conni Miu as Sandy
Megan Dallan as Janet
Tonia Venneri as Lisa Marie's Nanny
Erin Mackinnon as Algebra Teacher (Germany)
Mary Kelly as Teacher (ICHS)
Paige LeBlanc as School Girl #1
Anna Mirodin as School Girl #2
Sarah Dodd as Sister Adrian
Alanis Peart as Math Teacher (ICHS)
Kelaiah Guiel as Hollywood Blonde
Andrew Mackay as Maitre D'
Kelly Irene Whyte as Joanie
Shawn Gordon Fraser as Black Jack Dealer
Kassandra C.A. Gray as Memphis Singer
E. Fegan DeCordova as L.A Bible Woman
Kelly Penner as Young Director

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 4 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 1% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 163

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 4	7	7
5 to 8	8	11
9 to 12	7	11
13 to 16	13	23
17 to 20	6	4
21 to 24	4	16
25 to 28	3	7
29 to 32	7	5
33 to 36	1	0
37 to 40	4	10
41 to 44	9	9
45 to 48	3	4
49 to 52	4	0
53 to 56	4	4
57 to 60	10	4
61 to 64	1	2
65 to 68	9	9
69 to 72	6	21
73 to 76	2	7
77 to 80	5	5
81 to 84	6	0
85 to 88	4	7
89 to 92	2	11
93 to 96	2	6
97 to 100	7	9
101 to 104	3	8
105 to 108	4	11
109 to 112	8	15
113 to 116	2	3
117 to 120	4	11
121 to 124	1	2
125 to 128	3	8
129 to 132	2	4
133 to 136	4	4
137 to 140	1	1
141 to 144	3	3
145 to 148	8	5
149 to 152	1	1
153 to 156	3	0
157 to 160	7	6
161 to 163	0	0

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.

MRS. BEAULIEU: That one's pretty. PRISCILLA: It's my Easter dress, I can't wear this. MRS. BEAULIEU: I hope you have fun tonight. I'm sorry it's been so hard on you here but I know you'll make some new friends soon. PRISCILLA: I don't want new friends.

DEE: Oh Honey, you can't be out here making a public display of yourself. PRISCILLA: Oh, I didn't think it-- DEE: Well you had better start thinkin'.

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 41 are women's.

188 lines from women, 274 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

23 women and 14 men in the cast. 11 women and 10 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

A woman speaks the first line. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 13 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 30% of the words (1,469), men 70% (3,462). Women have 41% 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

Two men

Exhibit F: behind the camera

7 of the 16 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 42% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Sofia Coppola (woman)
Written by: Sofia Coppola (woman)
Produced by: Lorenzo Mieli (man), Sofia Coppola (woman), Youree Henley (man)
Shot by: Philippe Le Sourd (man)
Edited by: Sarah Flack (woman)
Music by: Deck d'Arcy (man), Laurent Brancowitz (man), Thomas Mars (man), Christian Mazzalai (man)
Production design by: Tamara Deverell (woman)
Cast by: John Buchan (man), Courtney Bright (woman), Jason Knight (man), Nicole Daniels (woman)