Taxi Driver (1976)

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writer:

Paul Schrader (written by)

Release Date:

8 February 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

On every street in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of being a somebody.

Plot:

A mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran works as nighttime taxi driver in a city whose perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge to violently lash out, attempting to save a teenage prostitute in the process.

Plot Keywords:

Prostitute | New York City | Alienation | Insomnia | Gunman

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 18 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	Travis Bickle (as Robert DeNiro)
Jodie Foster	...	Iris
Albert Brooks	...	Tom
Harvey Keitel	...	Sport
Leonard Harris	...	Charles Palantine
Peter Boyle	...	Wizard
Cybill Shepherd	...	Betsy
Diahnne Abbott	...	Concession Girl
Frank Adu	...	Angry Black Man
Gino Ardito	...	Policeman at Rally
Victor Argo	...	Melio (as Vic Argo)
Garth Avery	...	Iris' Friend
Harry Cohn	...	Cabbie in Bellmore
Copper Cunningham	...	Hooker in Cab
Brenda Dickson	...	Soap Opera Woman

Runtime:

113 min | Spain:110 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (re-release) | Stereo

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Italy:VM14 | Germany:16 (re-rating) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Brazil:14 | South Africa:16LV | Philippines:R-18 | Canada:18A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Spain:13 (re-rating) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 (re-rating) | France:-16 (original rating) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Israel:18 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) (cut) | UK:18 (video re-rating) (1993) (uncut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | USA:R (Approved No. 24441)

Filming Locations:

13 St between 2nd & 3rd Avenues, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Legendary composer Bernard Herrmann died on Christmas Eve of 1975, just hours after completing the recording sessions for this film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When meeting with Betsy for the first time at the Palantine-supporters office, an overhead shot of Travis shows him beginning to sweep his arm through the air above the desk, but when we immediately cut back to a frontal shot of Travis we see his arms are clearly in the same position as before.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[phone rings loudly]
Personnel Officer: Harry, answer that.
Personnel Officer: So whaddya want to hack for, Bickle?
Travis Bickle: I can't sleep nights.
Personnel Officer: There's porno theaters for that.
Travis Bickle: Yeah, I know, I tried that.
Personnel Officer: So now what do you do?
Travis Bickle: I ride around most nights - subways, buses - but you know, if I'm gonna do that I might as well get paid for it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Die Ratte (1993)

Soundtrack:

HOLD ME CLOSE

Diary of a madman

The script of "Taxi Driver" is built like a diary, the diary of a very ordinary guy who gets hired as a night taxi driver back from Vietnam, because he can't sleep at night. A very ordinary guy who tries to break his isolation, but can't, while violence accumulates inside him. One of those unnoticed people with dark things on their mind, one of those who break up the news one day with some extraordinary outburst of rage, to fall back immediately into anonymity.

The gradual transformation of man into beast in this movie is chilling. It's still funny and pathetic when the hero threatens himself in front of the mirror ("you're talking to me?"), but when he comes out with a mohawk hairdo and dark glasses, it is obvious that nasty stuff is going to take place. As in "A Clockwork Orange", violence is recuperated by society depending on what purpose it is used for. Whereas he was about to murder the candidate for presidency, "god's lonely man" fails and instead kills a vicious pimp who exploits teenage prostitutes. The potential criminal becomes a hero for a day.

Such stories happen everywhere of course, but it seems that the bewildering atmosphere of New York City's summer night was the best choice. "Taxi Driver" gives us a very realistic approach of New York, in a way that is not seen on screen so often, at least not anymore, whilst that city is probably the one in the world that has been filmed the biggest number of times.

Most of the movie takes place at night. The credits open on the blazing lights of the yellow taxi cab moving slowly in the dark rainy streets. A kaleidoscope of neonlight appears through the dripping windows as the driver's eyes blink in the front mirror. The night is the hero's universe, it's the time when "all the animals come out", as he says. By contrast, the few daylight scenes look somewhat off-key, but this was definitely intentional.

The final scene still appears today as extremely violent, but at least, it shows murder for what it is. Brutal, ugly, crude. It is something one tends to forget about after seeing so many police series where people get shot so often that it gets casual. Real violence is not casual when you face it, and here is a film that makes you face it.

The directing is first class and deservedly made path for Scorsese as a world renowned artist. Some techniques he used here are unusual for American cinema, like focusing on details for a few seconds. The movie is enhanced by an excellent music soundtrack by jazz composer Bernard Herrman who died before the picture was even released.

Two of the actors also deservedly made it to stardom. Robert de Niro plays a very unglamorous character, but his presence on screen is so intense that it's no wonder it made such an impression. As for Jodie Foster, she already appeared in films as a child, but playing a teenage prostitute was certainly not an easy challenge, and probably it was that role that really turned her into a major actress.

"Taxi Driver" was a big hit when it came out, both for the public and the critics. It won the Palme d'Or in Cannes, and served as a trend setter for many later films, like for instance Quentin Tarantino's and Abel Ferrara's. But even today, the original model seems difficult to emulate, probably because achieving a masterpiece is a rare thing, by definition.