Rating on this and most other films

Here's an idea: go back and investigate the demographics of all those films that were checked. It will become apparent that the number of men voting on movies throughout the IMDb is far greater than the number of women, sometimes astronomically so. It's certainly true of "Dersu Uzala." Logically, reasonably, the only way a true sampling of gender differences could be obtained is if an equal number of women voted on the films. They may have other things to do. The only real conclusion that can be drawn here is that more men than women get on the internet, and onto this site, to express their opinion.

Yes, I too have studied this amusing phenomenon, especially on lower rated movies that I like. I've come to the conclusion that the clear age differences are more significant than the gender difference, and not so much an indicator of IQ as it is an inevitable generational bias. For that matter within the gender gap, it seems women 40 and over are generally much more in agreement with their male counterparts, even when far fewer of them vote.

I think this has much to do with the maturation process, how each gender exhibits it, and undeniable cultural influences. Young women and teenage girls are facing a world that not only allows them more freedom than their grandmothers, but demands they live up to their "have it all" opportunities. They're also going through the turmoil of "individuation": the final growth spurt in which their minds become separate from their families and they stake out their own identities.

Over and over in my own life I've seen a willingness and drive on the part of young women and teen girls to assert a hypercritical stance with anyone who gets in their way, especially in business, but also in personal relationships, and the more intelligent the young woman, the more likely she is to be severely critical of art, and extremely competitive in discussions about it.

Here's something else to look at: votes among men take a sharp dip in their thirties, precisely the point at which the male of the species is finally taking seriously the careers that women have already been concerned about for some time. I'm not going to toss around accusations about IQ, or declarations about intelligence. Rather, I think the IMDb votes are less about a film's quality than they are a snapshot of current cultural values. There are many films in the top 250 that I wouldn't watch again without being paid for it.

8.1 is pretty doggone high for any film, however, considering that there are innumerable films rated far lower which deserve at least an 8, if not higher.