Fails the Bechdel test

The Godfather

Name: The Godfather
Released: 1972

1972. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola.

The Bechdel test

Bechdel score

2 / 3

Fails

Yes 1. At least two women
13 women characters. 4 of them speak.
Yes 2. Who talk to each other
Women do talk to each other.
No 3. About something besides a man
Every conversation between women that our parser found mentions a man.

Second opinion

Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 2 out of 3.

The film

The Godfather "Don" Vito Corleone is the head of the Corleone mafia family in New York. He is at the event of his daughter's wedding. Michael, Vito's youngest son and a decorated WWII Marine is also present at the wedding. Michael seems to be uninterested in being a part of the family business. Vito is a powerful man, and is kind to all those who give him respect but is ruthless against those who do not. But when a powerful and treacherous rival wants to sell drugs and needs the Don's influence for the same, Vito refuses to do it. What follows is a clash between Vito's fading old values and the new ways which may cause Michael to do the thing he was most reluctant in doing and wage a mob war against all the other mafia families which could tear the Corleone family apart.

Released: 24 Mar 1972
Genres: Crime, Drama
Rated: R
IMDb: 9.2 / 10
Metascore: 100 / 100
Awards: Won 3 Oscars. 31 wins & 31 nominations total
Elsewhere: View on IMDb

Starring, by lines spoken

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

Michael 210 lines, man
Don Corleone 104 lines, man
Sonny 96 lines, man
Hagen 93 lines, man
Kay 64 lines, woman
Clemenza 46 lines, man
Sollozzo 35 lines, man
Connie 21 lines, woman
Bonasera 18 lines, man
Fabrizzio 18 lines, man

Full cast, 81 people

Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone
Al Pacino as Michael Corleone
James Caan as Sonny Corleone
Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen
Richard S. Castellano as Clemenza
Diane Keaton as Kay Adams
Talia Shire as Connie Corleone Rizzi
Gianni Russo as Carlo Rizzi
Sterling Hayden as Captain McCluskey
John Marley as Jack Woltz
Richard Conte as Barzini
Al Lettieri as Sollozzo
Abe Vigoda as Sal Tessio
John Cazale as Fredo Corleone
Rudy Bond as Cuneo
Al Martino as Johnny Fontane
Morgana King as Mama Corleone
Lenny Montana as Luca Brasi
John Martino as Paulie Gatto
Salvatore Corsitto as Bonasera
Richard Bright as Neri
Alex Rocco as Moe Greene
Tony Giorgio as Bruno Tattaglia
Vito Scotti as Nazorine
Tere Livrano as Theresa Hagen
Victor Rendina as Philip Tattaglia
Jeannie Linero as Lucy Mancini
Julie Gregg as Sandra Corleone
Ardell Sheridan as Mrs. Clemenza
Simonetta Stefanelli as Apollonia - Sicilian Sequence
Angelo Infanti as Fabrizio - Sicilian Sequence
Corrado Gaipa as Don Tommasino - Sicilian Sequence
Franco Citti as Calo - Sicilian Sequence
Saro Urzì as Vitelli - Sicilian Sequence
Roman Coppola as Boy on Street Who Attended Funeral (uncredited)
Sofia Coppola as Michael Francis Rizzi (uncredited)
Don Costello as Don Victor Stracci (uncredited)
Italia Coppola as Extra in Wedding Scene (uncredited)
Gray Frederickson as Cowboy on the Set at Woltz's Studio (uncredited)
Ron Gilbert as Usher in Bridal Party (uncredited)
Sonny Grosso as Cop Outside Hospital (uncredited)
Louis Guss as Don Zaluchi (uncredited)
Randy Jurgensen as Sonny's Killer #1 (uncredited)
Tony King as Tony - Stablehand (uncredited)
Tony Lip as Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Joe Lo Grippo as Sonny's Bodyguard (uncredited)
Lou Martini Jr. as Boy at Wedding (uncredited)
Raymond Martino as Corleone Family Member (uncredited)
Joseph Medaglia as Priest at Baptism (uncredited)
Carol Morley as Night Nurse (uncredited)
Rick Petrucelli as Lou - Sollozzo's Driver (uncredited)
Sal Richards as Drunk (uncredited)
Tom Rosqui as Rocco Lampone (uncredited)
Frank Sivero as Street Extra (uncredited)
Filomena Spagnuolo as Extra in Wedding Scene (uncredited)
Joe Spinell as Willi Cicci (uncredited)
Gabriele Torrei as Enzo the Baker (uncredited)
Nick Vallelonga as Wedding Party Guest (uncredited)
Conrad Yama as Fruit Vendor (uncredited)
Frank Albanese as Hitman (uncredited)
Chris Anastasio as Policeman (uncredited)
John Blower as Police Officer Outside Hospital (uncredited)
Max Brandt as Extra in Furniture-Moving Scene (uncredited)
Tybee Brascia as Dancer in Wedding Scene (uncredited)
Garrett Cassell as Chef (uncredited)
Carmine Coppola as Piano Player in Montage (uncredited)
Gian-Carlo Coppola as Baptism Observer (uncredited)
Robert Dahdah as Crowd Extra (uncredited)
Richard Fass as Tom Hagen's Son (uncredited)
Bobra Harris as Woman (uncredited)
Mickey Humm as Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Merril E. Joels as Toll Booth Collector (uncredited)
Paul Lambert as Mobster at Funeral with Barzini (uncredited)
Dave Moskin as Child (uncredited)
Joe Petrullo as Pallbearer (uncredited)
Burt Richards as Floral Designer (uncredited)
Giacomo Rossi Stuart as G.I. (uncredited)
Nino Ruggeri as Mobster at Funeral with Barzini (uncredited)
Palombizio Anthony V. as Bodyguard (uncredited)
Ron Veto as Extra in Hospital Scene (uncredited)
Matthew Vlahakis as Clemenza's Son (uncredited)

Who talks, scene by scene

Lines of dialogue in every 5 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 2% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.

Women

Men

Scene 1 Scene 226

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 5	1	41
6 to 10	0	4
11 to 15	18	23
16 to 20	3	29
21 to 25	0	34
26 to 30	0	2
31 to 35	0	1
36 to 40	0	30
41 to 45	7	17
46 to 50	4	10
51 to 55	3	31
56 to 60	2	19
61 to 65	0	31
66 to 70	0	42
71 to 75	0	4
76 to 80	7	25
81 to 85	5	6
86 to 90	0	24
91 to 95	0	41
96 to 100	0	20
101 to 105	0	12
106 to 110	0	0
111 to 115	0	1
116 to 120	14	13
121 to 125	0	0
126 to 130	1	13
131 to 135	12	13
136 to 140	0	11
141 to 145	0	4
146 to 150	0	28
151 to 155	0	14
156 to 160	0	18
161 to 165	0	25
166 to 170	0	8
171 to 175	0	11
176 to 180	0	26
181 to 185	8	41
186 to 190	5	51
191 to 195	2	13
196 to 200	0	0
201 to 205	0	7
206 to 210	0	6
211 to 215	2	16
216 to 220	0	13
221 to 225	11	10
226 to 226	0	0

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, 12 are women's.

105 lines from women, 788 from men.

Women
Men

Exhibit B: who's in it

13 women and 60 men in the cast. 4 women and 27 men from it get lines.

Characters

With lines

Women
Men

Exhibit C: who gets heard

The first woman speaks at line 25 of 907. The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 187 lines.

Every line of dialogue, first to last

First line by a woman
Longest stretch with no woman speaking

Words spoken

Women speak 7% of the words (904), men 93% (11,427). Women have 12% 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

Two men

Exhibit E: behind the camera

2 of the 16 people in these jobs are women. Across the whole crew, 5% of the people whose gender is listed are women.

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola (man)
Written by: Mario Puzo (man), Francis Ford Coppola (man)
From the novel by: Mario Puzo (man)
Produced by: Albert S. Ruddy (man), Francis Ford Coppola (man), Robert Evans (man)
Shot by: Gordon Willis (man)
Edited by: William Reynolds (man), Peter Zinner (man)
Music by: Nino Rota (man)
Production design by: Dean Tavoularis (man)
Costumes by: Anna Hill Johnstone (woman)
Cast by: Andrea Eastman (woman), Fred Roos (man), Louis DiGiaimo (man)