The Bechdel Test

In 1985 a woman named Alison Bechdel wrote a comic strip satirizing how few women appear as major characters, and appear to have lives, in movies. The immediate result was something nicknamed the Feminist Movie Test, or the Bechdel Test. Here it is: a film has to have at least two, named women in it, who talk to each other at some point, about something besides a man. That’s it: two women who exist and talk about stuff. The bar for feminism in film is barely off the ground and yet sadly few films pass the test. Every one of my favorites failed miserably. The only film I showed in my history courses that passed the test was Iron Jawed Angels, a film about women’s suffrage. This test helped raise awareness of gender discrimination in the industry, but also created a rich national dialog about the absence of women of substance in the media. If women barely exist in the films, don’t have friends or meaningful conversations outside of men, what conclusions will children draw about women? It wouldn’t be a far cry to suggest they might conclude that girls don’t think about important things and are only interested in men. Thankfully today there are more options for history teachers. 

Bechdel Test

“I hope… to encourage historians to view different dimensions of women's work and thought in context. Only then will we understand the scope of women's contributions to history as distinct from their appreciation of the limitations of the society in which they operated. Each stage of the development of "herstoryography" merits our full attention, with careful thought to the way in which all dimensions exist and relate one to the other, and with caution for the possible ways we may inadvertently create our own barriers to that which we most wish to discover…" –Janis L. MacDonald

Movies

Jamestown is a historical fiction series about tobacco brides who arrive in Jamestown shortly after it's settled. None of the events are true, but it's fun to imagine this unique world these women entered.

The Abolitionists from American Experience highlights the lives and work of six abolitionists, three men and three women, who dedicated their lives to end slavery. 
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Harriet is about the life accomplishments of Harriet Tubman.
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Into Light is the story of Inez Milholland who gave her life for woman suffrage in America.
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Iron Jawed Angels tells the story of American Women suffragists in the final push for the 19th Amendment.
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The Vote by American Experience is a documentary series created to show the many sides of the woman suffrage movement on its 100th anniversary. 

Prohibition is a documentary that highlights the rise and fall of the 18th Amendment. It centers on the women behind the temperance movement, like the WCTU, Anti-Saloon League, and prominent figures like Carrie Nation. 

Self Made is a TV series about the life and career of Madam CJ Walker, the first female millionaire in US history.
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The Roosevelts is a documentary that dives deep into the lives and work of Teddy, Franklin, and Eleanor Roosevelt.
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The Rape of Recy Taylor is a documentary film about the life and rape of Recy Taylor-- arguably the spark for the Montgomery Civil Rights movement. 
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The Help is historical fiction portraying life for Black housekeepers in the American south.
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Jackie is a recent biopic about Jackie Kennedy's experience after the assassination of her husband as she shaped his legacy. 
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Maya Angelou from American Masters celebrates her life and work.
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Hidden Figures is about the women of color who worked as computers behind the Space Race.
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On the Basis of Sex is a film about the early career and landmark cases taken on by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, future second woman nominated to the Supreme Court.
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RBG is a documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A much watch in any history class about the last century.
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Mrs. America is about the many women from diverse backgrounds on both sides of the Equal Rights Amendment movement.
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Documentaries

Barbarians Rising: Warrior Queen Boudica shows the rise and fall of Boudica.
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The White Queen and the series that follow are based on a historical fiction novel about the rise of the Tudor family in England. The main characters are the women, who through marriage gain and lose the crown.
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The Tudors tells the story of Henry VIII and each of his six wives. Remember the old school tale: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.
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Elizabeth tells the story of Elizabeth's Golden era.
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Witches: A Century of Murder is about the witch trials that plagued England under Kings James IV and I and Charles I.

Catherine the Great is about the career of Catherine of Russia and her challenges as a female leader.
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Victoria is a TV series about the rise and career of Queen Victoria, whose reign spanned much of the 19th century.
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Suffragette tells the stories of English women who grappled with a way to have their voices heard in the early movement.
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The Danish Girl is historical fiction based losely on the life and marriage of a transgender pioneer.
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A Call to Spy is about the first British and American women spies that worked on the ground in France during WWII.
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The Guernsey etc. is based on a novel of the same name, about post war England.
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Frida is a film about the first Mexican woman to have her work displayed at the Louvre in Paris, FR.
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The Crown is a TV series that shows the rise and career of the current Queen of England, Elizabeth II. Her reign began shortly after WWII.
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Taking Root is a documentary about the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Wangari Maathai. She was from Kenya and her work was on environmental protection.
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The Iron Lady is a biopic of Margaret Thatcher.
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How to teach with films?

Remember, you want the student to be the historian. What do historians do when they watch films?

Before they watch, ask students to research the director and producers. These are the source of the information. How will their background and experience likely bias this film?

Also, ask students to consider the context the film was created in. The film may be about history, but it was made recently. What was going on the year the film was made that could bias the film? In particular, how do you think the gains of feminism will impact the portrayal of the female characters?

As they watch, ask students to research the historical accuracy of the film. What do online sources say about what the film gets right or wrong?

Afterward, ask students to describe how the female characters were portrayed and what lessons they got from the film.

Then, ask students to evaluate this film as a learning tool. Was it helpful to better understand this topic? Did the historical inaccuracies make it unhelpful? Make it clear any informed opinion is valid.