Taxi Driver

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the 1976 American film. For other uses, see Taxi Driver (disambiguation).
Taxi Driver

Theatrical poster.
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Produced by Julia Phillips
Michael Phillips
Written by Paul Schrader
Starring Robert De Niro
Jodie Foster
Albert Brooks
Harvey Keitel
Leonard Harris
Peter Boyle
Cybill Shepherd
Music by Bernard Herrmann
Cinematography Michael Chapman
Editing by Tom Rolf
Melvin Shapiro
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date(s) 8 February 1976 (US)
Running time 113 min.
Country United States
Language English
Budget $1.3 Million (estimated)

Taxi Driver is a 1976 film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader. The movie is set in New York City, soon after the Vietnam War; stars Robert De Niro; and features Albert Brooks, Harvey Keitel, Leonard Harris, Peter Boyle, Cybill Shepherd, and a young Jodie Foster. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including "Best Picture".

Contents

[edit] Plot

Travis Bickle (De Niro), who claims to be an honorably discharged Marine – it is implied that he is a Vietnam veteran – is a lonely and depressed young man of 26. His origins are unknown. He sends his parents cards, lying about his life and saying he works with the Secret Service. He settles in Manhattan, where he becomes a night time taxi driver due to chronic insomnia.[1] Bickle spends his restless days in seedy porn theaters and works 12 or 14 hour shifts during the evening and night time hours carrying passengers among all five boroughs of New York City.

Bickle becomes interested in Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), a campaign volunteer for New York Senator Charles Palantine, who is running for the presidential nomination and is promising dramatic social change. She is initially intrigued by Bickle and agrees to a date with him after he flirts with her over coffee and sympathizes with her own apparent loneliness. She compares him to a character in the Kris Kristofferson song "The Pilgrim, Chapter 33": "He's a prophet and a pusher, partly truth, partly fiction - a walking contradiction." On their date, however, Bickle is clueless about how to treat a woman and thinks it would be a good idea to take her to a Swedish sex education film (Language of Love). Offended, she leaves him and takes a taxi home alone. The next day he tries to reconcile with Betsy, phoning her and sending her flowers, but all of his attempts are in vain.[1]

Rejected and depressed, Bickle's thoughts begin to turn violent. Disgusted by the petty street crime (especially prostitution) that he witnesses while driving through the city, he now finds a focus for his frustration and begins a program of intense physical training. He buys a number of pistols from an illegal dealer (Steven Prince) and practices a menacing speech in the mirror, while pulling out a pistol that he attached to a home-made sliding action holster on his right arm ("You talkin' to me?"). He develops an ominously intense interest in Senator Palantine's public appearances, and it seems that he somehow blames the presidential hopeful for his own failure at wooing Betsy and maybe hopes to include her boss in his growing list of targets. In an accidental warm-up, Bickle randomly walks into a robbery in a run-down grocery and shoots the robber (Nat Grant) in the face; adding to the bizarre violence, the grocery owner (Victor Argo) encourages Bickle (who has no permit for his guns) to flee the scene and then proceeds to club the near-dead stickup man with a steel pole.

Bickle is revolted by what he considers the moral decay around him. One night while on shift, Iris (Jodie Foster), a 12-year-old child prostitute, gets in his cab, attempting to escape her pimp.[1] Shocked by the occurrence, Bickle fails to drive off and the pimp, "Sport" (Harvey Keitel), reaches the cab. Sport gives Bickle a crumpled twenty-dollar bill, which haunts Bickle with the memory of his failure to help. Later seeing Iris on the street he pays for her time, although he does not have sex with her and instead tries to convince her to leave this way of life behind. The next day, they meet for breakfast, and Bickle becomes obsessed with saving this naïve child-woman, who thinks hanging out with hookers, pimps, and drug dealers is more "hip" than dating young boys and going to school.

Bickle is subsequently shown sporting a crude Mohawk haircut at a public rally in which he actually attempts to assassinate Senator Palantine. He is spotted by Secret Service men and flees.[1] Bickle returns to his apartment and then drives to Alphabet City where he shoots Sport in the abdomen, after which he storms into the brothel and kills the bouncer, Sport (who has followed Bickle), and Iris's mafioso customer. He then calmly tries repeatedly to fire a bullet into his own head from under his chin, but all the weapons are empty, so he resigns himself to resting on a convenient sofa until police arrive on the scene of mayhem and carnage and pretends to shoot himself when the police find him.

A brief (and possibly imagined) epilogue shows Bickle recuperating from the incident. He has received a handwritten letter from Iris's parents who thank him for saving their daughter, and the media hail him as a hero for saving her as well.[1] Bickle blithely returns to his job, where one night one of his fares happens to be Betsy. She comments about his saving of Iris and Bickle's own media fame, yet Bickle denies being any sort of hero. He drops her off without charging her and continues driving into the night--though not before hearing a small, piercing noise which causes him to stare hesitantly at an unseen object in his taxi's rearview mirror--possibly indicating a relapse of his past violent tendencies seen eariler in the film.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Production

In the original draft of the screenplay, writer Paul Schrader had written the role of Sport as a black man. There were also additions of other negative black roles. Scorsese believed that this would give the film an overly racist subtext so they were changed to white roles,[2] although the film implies that Travis himself is a racist. Amongst other things, cab drivers refer to blacks with various racial epithets, the black neighborhood of Harlem is refered to as Mau Mau land, and Travis exchanges hostile eye-contact with several black characters. Schrader's original screenplay also set the action in Los Angeles; it was moved to New York City because taxis were much more prevalent there than L.A. during the 1970s.

When Bickle determines to assassinate Senator Palantine, he cuts his hair into a Mohawk. This detail was suggested by actor Victor Magnotta, a friend of Scorsese's who had a small role as a Secret Service agent and who had served in Vietnam. Scorsese later noted, "Magnotta had talked about certain types of soldiers going into the jungle. They cut their hair in a certain way; looked like a Mohawk... and you knew that was a special situation, a commando kind of situation, and people gave them wide berths ... we thought it was a good idea."[2]

Film critic Stephen Hunter's review of the film suggests that one universal assumption in the film, that Travis Bickle is a veteran of the Vietnam War, may not be accurate. Hunter points out how the Bickle character's military clothing and reaction to being around firearms seem incongruous for a combat veteran. Hunter's alternate theory is that Bickle may have been a loner who took up the veteran persona as part of his legion of personal/psychological problems.

While preparing for his role as Travis Bickle, Robert De Niro was filming Bernardo Bertolucci's 1900. According to Peter Boyle, he would "finish shooting on a Friday in Rome...get on a plane from Italy, fly to New York", whereupon he got himself a cab driver's license. He would then go to a garage, pick up a real cab and drive around New York, returning it before he had to depart for Rome again.[2] Robert De Niro also acknowledged that while working on Travis's accent, on his days off from shooting 1900, he would go to an army base in Northern Italy and tape-record the accents of some of the locals there as he felt they would be good for Travis's character.[2]

Jodie Foster was far from being the first choice to play Iris. Director Martin Scorsese considered other actresses to play that role, including Melanie Griffith, Linda Blair, Bo Derek, Carrie Fisher and Geena Davis. A newcomer, Mariel Hemingway, auditioned for the role of Iris, but turned it down due to pressure from her family. After the other actresses turned down the role, Jodie Foster, a very popular child star in some Disney films, agreed with Scorsese to play Iris.

The actress who played Iris's friend in the film was a working prostitute studied by Jodie Foster to help create her role.[2]

[edit] Music

The film score by Bernard Herrmann contrasts deep, sleazy noises representing the "scum" that Travis sees all over the city with The saxophone,a musical counterpart of Travis, creating a mellifluously disenchanted troubadour. The opposing noises in the soundtrack - gritty little harp figures - are as hard as shards of steel as well as a jazz drum-kit placing the drama in the city – indicative of loneliness while surrounded by people. Deep brass and woodwind are also evident. The drumbeat has a wild-eyed martial air charting the pressure on Bickle, who is increasingly oppressed by the corruption around him. Harp, drum and sax play extremely significant roles in all this music. [3]

The soundtrack for the film, released in 1998, includes notes by director Martin Scorsese, as well as full documentation for the tracks linking them in great detail to individual takes.

Track 12, 'Diary of a Taxi Driver', features Herrmann's music with Robert de Niro's voiceover taken direct from the soundtrack.

Also featured in the film is Jackson Browne's "Late for the Sky", appearing in a scene as Travis watches television, gun in hand, contemplating assassinating Senator Charles Palantine.

[edit] Track listing

Some of the tracks feature incredibly long titles, representative of the fact that similar reprises are heard in many scenes.

  1. Main Title
  2. Thank God for the Rain
  3. Cleaning the Cab
  4. I Still Can't Sleep/They Cannot Touch Her (Betsy's Theme)
  5. Phone Call/I Realise how much She is Like the Others/A Strange Customer/Watching Palantine on TV/You're Gonna Die in Hell/Betsy's Theme/Hitting the Girl
  6. The .44 Magnum is a Monster
  7. Getting into Shape/Listen you Screwheads/Gun Play/Dear Father & Mother/The Card/Soap Opera
  8. Sport and Iris
  9. The $20 Bill/Target Practice
  10. Assassination Attempt/After the Carnage
  11. A Reluctant Hero/Betsy/End Credits
  12. Diary of a Taxi Drive
  13. God's Lonely Man
  14. Theme from Taxi Driver
  15. I Work the Whole City
  16. Betsy in a White Dress
  17. The Days do not End
  18. Theme from Taxi Driver (reprise)

[edit] Controversies

Jodie Foster as "Iris"

The climactic shoot-out was intensely graphic.[4] To attain an "R" rating, Scorsese desaturated the colors, making the brightly-colored blood less prominent.[5] In later interviews, Scorsese commented that he was actually pleased by the color change and he considered it an improvement over the originally filmed scene, which has been lost. However, in the special edition DVD, Michael Chapman, the film's cinematographer, regrets the decision and the fact that no print with the unmuted colors exists any more.

Some critics expressed concern over young Jodie Foster's presence during the climactic shoot-out. However, Foster stated that she was present during the setup and staging of the special effects used during the scene; the entire process was explained and demonstrated for her, step by step. Rather than being upset or traumatized, Foster said, she was fascinated and entertained by the behind-the-scenes preparation that went into the scene.[2] In addition, before being given the part, Foster was subjected to psychological testing to ensure that she would not be emotionally scarred by her role, in accordance with California Labor Board requirements.[6]

[edit] John Hinckley, Jr.

Taxi Driver formed part of the delusional fantasy of John Hinckley, Jr.[7][8] which triggered his attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981, an act for which he was found not guilty by reason of insanity.[9][10] Hinckley stated that his actions were an attempt to impress actress Jodie Foster, whom Hinckley was fixated on, by mimicking Travis's Mohawked appearance at the Palantine rally. His attorney concluded his defense by playing the movie for the jury.

[edit] Interpretations of the ending

Roger Ebert has written of the film's ending:

"There has been much discussion about the ending, in which we see newspaper clippings about Travis's 'heroism' of saving Iris, and then Betsy gets into his cab and seems to give him admiration instead of her earlier disgust. Is this a fantasy scene? Did Travis survive the shoot-out? Are we experiencing his dying thoughts? Can the sequence be accepted as literally true? ... I am not sure there can be an answer to these questions. The end sequence plays like music, not drama: It completes the story on an emotional, not a literal, level. We end not on carnage but on redemption, which is the goal of so many of Scorsese's characters."[11]

James Berardinelli, in his review of the film, argues against the dream or fantasy interpretation, stating:

"Scorsese and writer Paul Schrader append the perfect conclusion to Taxi Driver. Steeped in irony, the five-minute epilogue underscores the vagaries of fate. The media builds Bickle into a hero, when, had he been a little quicker drawing his gun against Senator Palantine, he would have been revealed as an assassin. As the film closes, the misanthrope has been embraced as the model citizen—someone who takes on pimps, drug dealers, and mobsters to save one little girl."[12]

On the Laserdisc audio commentary, Scorsese acknowledged several critics' interpretation on the film's ending being Bickle's dying dream. However, he admitted that the last scene of Bickle glancing at an unseen object implies that he might fall into rage and recklessness in the future, and he is like "a ticking time bomb."[13] Writer Paul Schrader confirms this in his commentary on the 30th anniversary DVD, stating that Travis "is not cured by the movie's end," and that, "he's not going to be a hero next time."[14]

[edit] Response

Taxi Driver was a financial success earning $28,262,574 in the United States.[15] and was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture (but lost to Rocky) and received the Palme d'Or, at the Cannes Film Festival.[16] It has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.[17]

The film was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best films of all time.[18]

As of 2008, Rotten Tomatoes reported that 100% of critics gave positive reviews.[19]

[edit] Sequel

The rumors began to circulate in late January 2005 when sequel was announced by Robert De Niro and director Martin Scorsese.[20] At a New York 25th anniversary screening of Raging Bull Robert De Niro talked about a story in development of an older Travis Bickle. Also in 2000 Robert De Niro mentioned some interest in bringing back the character of Travis Bickle in the Actor's Studio with its host James Lipton.[21]

[edit] American Film Institute recognition

American Film Institute recognition

[edit] Awards

Wins

Nominations

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Taxi Driver 1976. Columbia Pictures
  2. ^ a b c d e f Making "Taxi Driver" DVD Documentary [1]
  3. ^ Taxi Driver: Music composed by Bernard Hermann musicweb-international.com. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
  4. ^ "a stupid orgy of violence".David Robinson."Down these mean streets" (The Arts). The Times. Friday, August 20 1976. Issue 59787, col C, pg. 7.
  5. ^ Taxi Driver at Allmovie Accessed 2007-09-16.
  6. ^ Foster interview by Boze Hadleigh (March/June 1992)
  7. ^ Taxi Driver: Its Influence on John Hinckley, Jr.
  8. ^ Taxi Driver by Denise Noe
  9. ^ The John Hinckley Trial & Its Effect on the Insanity Defense by Kimberly Collins, Gabe Hinkebein, and Staci Schorgl
  10. ^ Verdict and Uproar by Denise Noe
  11. ^ Ebert's Review of Taxi Driver Rogerebert.com 1 January 2004. Retrieved 10 March 2007.
  12. ^ ReelViews Movie Review
  13. ^ Taxi Driver Laserdisc Commentary
  14. ^ Taxi Driver Audio Commentary with Paul Schrader
  15. ^ Box Office Mojo - Taxi Driver Retrieved 31 March 2007
  16. ^ Canes Film Festival Retrieved 10 March 2007.
  17. ^ Films Selected to The National Film Registry, Library of Congress, 1989–2005 Retrieved 10 March 2007.
  18. ^ The Complete List - ALL-TIME 100 Movies - TIME Magazine
  19. ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/taxi_driver/ Taxi Driver, Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 4 October 2008
  20. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2005/feb/02/news.xanbrooks
  21. ^ http://www.geocities.com/faustus_08520/taxidriver2.html

[edit] External links

Sister project Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Taxi Driver


Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Chronicle of the Years of Fire		 Palme d'Or
1976		 Succeeded by
Padre Padrone


v • d • e
Films by Martin Scorsese
1960s
1970s
Boxcar Bertha (1972)  • Mean Streets (1973)  • Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)  • Taxi Driver (1976)  • New York, New York (1977)
1980s
Raging Bull (1980)  • The King of Comedy (1983)  • After Hours (1985)  • The Color of Money (1986)  • The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
1990s
Goodfellas (1990)  • Cape Fear (1991)  • The Age of Innocence (1993)  • Casino (1995)  • Kundun (1997)  • Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
2000s
Gangs of New York (2002)  • The Aviator (2004)  • The Departed (2006)  • Ashecliffe (2009)
Shorts
What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? (1963)  • It's Not Just You, Murray! (1964)  • The Big Shave (1967)  • Life Lessons (1989)  • The Key To Reserva (2007)
Documentaries
Produced
You Can Count on Me (2000)  • Nyfes (2004)  • The Young Victoria (2009)  • Where Love Reigns (TBA)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxi_Driver"
Personal tools