Title/Year: Taxi Driver/1976
Director/Birth Country/Year Born: Martin Scorsese/United States/1942
Budget: Estimated $1.3 (USD)
Gross: $28,262,574 (USD)
Synopsis: Vietnam veteran, Travis Bickle lives in New York City, working as a Taxi Driver. As he deals with loneliness and insomnia, he becomes increasingly disillusioned and frustrated with the other denizens of the city. When he meets a young prostitute who he hopes to save, his violent tendencies hit a fever pitch. Will he be able to overcome his lot in life? Or will he succumb to his demons?
Political/Social Commentary: This movie is all about the after effects war has on a single vet. Integrating back into society after being so profoundly damaged can be almost impossible.
Narrative and Visual Keywords: New York, Vet, Vietnam, Taxi, Loneliness, Prostitution
Camera/Lighting/Editing Technique: Use of street lights to set the mood, Lots of Dolly shots, Slow Mo, POV, Vague Ending
Main Character/Arc: Bickle transforms from quiet and lonely to psychotic and lonely.
Notable Collaboration: Marin Scorsese has used Robert De Niro in a bunch of his most celebrated films including, Casino, Goodfellas and Raging Bull.
Historical Relevance/Recognition: "You talkin' to me?" has become a landmark phrase in pop-culture. Nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor.
Random Fact, Etc:
Sources:
Response Questions:
1) Absolutely not. Bickle is very much portrayed as a victim of what he went through in Vietnam. He has had no practical background in dealing with the day to day activities that would make him more comfortable in dealing with society. For example he begins to see Betsy and then takes her to a Porn Theater, which is something a man with more awareness would not have done. He also suffers from Insomnia which doesn't help his issue with integrating into society in an effective way.
2) Taxi Driver is all about diving into the mind of the Vietnam Vet. How the war left a whole generation of men broken and unable to cope with mainstream society. Palantine is a symbol of that mainstream; even so much as spelling it out by saying "We are the people" in his campaign.
3) Masculinity is seen as broken and dissociated for sure. The relationship with his emotion Travis shows is very unhealthy. Bickle is kind of the symbol of masculinity, being a soldier, a Marine, who are quite often viewed as American heros. However he can't deal with what happened to him in in Vietnam AT ALL. One could argue that Travis is attempting to reclaim his masculinity throughout the film, but finding romance, attempting to rescue the young prostistute or even at the end of the film with his assassination attempt.
Great film.
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