Passes the Bechdel test

The Elephant Man

Name: The Elephant Man
Released: 1980

1980. Directed by David Lynch, written by Christopher De Vore and Eric Bergren and David Lynch.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

3 / 3

Passes

Yes 1. At least two women
30 women characters. 8 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
In 1 scene out of 9.
Yes 3. About something besides a man
In that scene, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.

Second opinion

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

The film

In Victorian London, Dr. Frederick Treves with the London Hospital comes across a circus sideshow attraction run by a man named Bytes. In actuality, the creature on display is indeed a man called "The Elephant Man", 21-year-old John Merrick, who has several physical deformities, including an oversized and disfigured skull, and an oversized, disfigured right shoulder. Bytes, his "owner", only wants whatever he can get economically by presenting Merrick as a freak. Treves manages to bring Merrick under his care at the hospital, not without several of its own obstacles, including being questioned by those in authority since Merrick cannot be cured. Treves initially believes Bytes' assertion that mute Merrick is an imbecile, but ultimately learns that Merrick can speak and is a well-read and articulate man. As news of Merrick hits the London newspapers, he becomes a celebrated curiosity among London's upper class, including famed actress Mrs. Kendal. Merrick is being treated much more humanely, but are Treves' actions a further exploitation of him? And as he becomes more famous, others try to get their two-cents'-worth from him; he remains a curiosity and a freak to most, including Bytes, who has since lost his meal ticket.

Released: 10 Oct 1980
Genres: Biography, Drama
Rated: PG
IMDb: 8.2 / 10
Metascore: 78 / 100
Awards: Nominated for 8 Oscars. 11 wins & 22 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Treves 264 lines, man
Merrick 154 lines, man
Carr 79 lines, man
Bytes 60 lines, man
Night Porter 43 lines, man
Mothershead 40 lines, woman
Anne 31 lines
Nora 23 lines, woman
Kendal 20 lines, woman
Boy 17 lines, man

Full cast, 83 people

Anthony Hopkins as Frederick Treves
John Hurt as John Merrick
Anne Bancroft as Mrs Kendal
John Gielgud as Carr Gomm
Wendy Hiller as Mothershead
Freddie Jones as Bytes
Michael Elphick as Night Porter
Hannah Gordon as Mrs Treves
Helen Ryan as Princess Alex
John Standing as Fox
Dexter Fletcher as Bytes' Boy
Lesley Dunlop as Nora
Phoebe Nicholls as Merrick's Mother
Pat Gorman as Fairground Bobby
Claire Davenport as Fat Lady
Orla Pederson as Skeleton Man
Patsy Smart as Distraught Woman
Frederick Treves as Alderman
Stromboli as Fire Eater
Richard Hunter as Hodges
James Cormack as Pierce
Robert Lewis Bush as Messenger
Roy Evans as Cabman
Joan Rhodes as Cook
Nula Conwell as Nurse Kathleen
Tony London as Young Porter
Alfie Curtis as Milkman
Bernadette Milnes as 1st Fighting Woman
Brenda Kempner as 2nd Fighting Woman
Carol Harrison as Tart
Hugh Manning as Broadneck
Dennis Burgess as 1st Committee Man
Fanny Carby as Mrs Kendal's Dresser
William Morgan Sheppard as Man in Pub
Kathleen Byron as Lady Waddington
Gerald Case as Lord Waddington
David Ryall as Man With Whores
Deirdre Costello as 1st Whore
Pauline Quirke as 2nd Whore
Kenny Baker as Plumed Dwarf
Chris Greener as Giant
Marcus Powell as Midget
Gilda Cohen as Midget
Lesley Scoble as Siamese Twin
Teri Scoble as Siamese Twin
Eiji Kusuhara as Japanese Bleeder
Robert Day as Little Jim
Patricia Hodge as Screaming Mum
Tommy Wright as First Bobby
Peter Davidson as Second Bobby
John Rapley as King In Panto
Hugh Spight as Puss In Panto
Teresa Codling as Princess In Panto
Marion Betzold as Principal Boy
Caroline Haigh as Tree
Florenzio Morgado as Tree
Victor Kravchenko as Lion / Coachman
Beryl Hicks as Fairy
Michele Amas as Horse
Lucie Alford as Horse
Penny Wright as Horse
Janie Kells as Horse
Lydia Lisle as Merrick's Mother
David Lynch as Man in the Bowler Hat in the Mob Chasing Merrick (uncredited)
Harry Fielder as Policeman (uncredited)
Jack Armstrong as Man at Lecture (uncredited)
Ralph G. Morse as Young Aristocrat (uncredited)
Fred Wood as Injured Man (uncredited)
Adam Caine as Kid at Train Station (uncredited)
Tony Clarkin as Thug from Pub (uncredited)
Dave Cooper as Man in crowd (uncredited)
Chick Fowles as Man in Pub (uncredited)
Juba Kennerley as Committee Member (uncredited)
Eric Bergren as Lyra Box Player #1 (uncredited)
Christopher De Vore as Lyra Box Player #2 (uncredited)
Jay McGrath as Man at Lecture (uncredited)
Henry Roberts as Man at Lecture (uncredited)
Kevin Schumm as Kid at Train Station #2 (uncredited)
Ian Selby as Courtier (uncredited)
Guy Standeven as Committee Member (uncredited)
Reg Thomason as Lecture Assistant (uncredited)
Jill Goldston as Nurse (uncredited)
Norman Gay as Doctor (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 1 scene, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 7% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 9

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 1	5	98
2 to 2	0	28
3 to 3	96	482
4 to 4	0	4
5 to 5	0	0
6 to 6	0	36
7 to 7	0	0
8 to 8	11	31
9 to 9	3	28

The evidence

Straight from the script
Counted from the script and the credits

Tap an exhibit to open it.

Exhibit A: the passing scene

The scene our parser counted as passing, word for word.

MOTHERSHEAD: Nora! Mind your duties... if you don't concentrate dear, you'll only make more work for the rest of us. Now, get about your business. ...and… NORA: I'm so sorry, Mrs. Mothershead. MOTHERSHEAD: Do get on with it, Nora.

Exhibit B: every 100 lines

Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 14 are women's.

115 lines from women, 707 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who's in it

30 women and 53 men in the cast. 8 women and 23 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit D: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 13 of 886. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 130 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 15% of the words (1,573), men 85% (9,005). Women have 14% 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

Two women

Two men

Exhibit F: behind the camera

3 of the 11 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 12% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: David Lynch (man)
Written by: David Lynch (man), Christopher De Vore (man), Eric Bergren (man)
Produced by: Jonathan Sanger (man)
Shot by: Freddie Francis (man)
Edited by: Anne V. Coates (woman)
Music by: John Morris (man)
Production design by: Stuart Craig (man)
Costumes by: Patricia Norris (woman)
Cast by: Maggie Cartier (woman)