Taxi Driver (1976)

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writer:

Paul Schrader (written by)

Release Date:

8 February 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

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

Plot:

A mentally unstable Viet Nam war veteran works as a night-time taxi driver in New York City where the perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge for violent action, attempting to save a preadolescent prostitute in the process.

Plot Keywords:

New York City | Taxi | Prostitute | Taxi Driver | Insomnia

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 26 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Diahnne Abbott	...	Concession Girl (as Diahnne Abbot)
Frank Adu	...	Angry Black Man
Victor Argo	...	Melio (as Vic Argo)
Gino Ardito	...	Policeman at Rally
Garth Avery	...	Iris' Friend
Peter Boyle	...	Wizard
Albert Brooks	...	Tom
Harry Cohn	...	Cabbie in Bellmore
Copper Cunningham	...	Hooker in Cab
Robert De Niro	...	Travis Bickle (as Robert DeNiro)
Brenda Dickson	...	Soap Opera Woman
Harry Fischler	...	Dispatcher
Jodie Foster	...	Iris
Nat Grant	...	Stick-Up Man
Leonard Harris	...	Charles Palantine
Richard Higgs	...	Tall Secret Service Man
Beau Kayser	...	Soap Opera Man
Harvey Keitel	...	Sport
Victor Magnotta	...	Secret Service Photographer (as Vic Magnotta)
Bob Maroff	...	Mafioso (as Robert Maroff)
Norman Matlock	...	Charlie T
Bill Minkin	...	Tom's Assistant
Murray Moston	...	Iris' Timekeeper (as Murray Mosten)
Harry Northup	...	Doughboy
Gene Palma	...	Street Drummer
Harlan Cary Poe	...	Campaign Worker (as Carey Poe)
Steven Prince	...	Andy - Gun Salesman
Peter Savage	...	The John
Martin Scorsese	...	Passenger Watching Silhouette
Cybill Shepherd	...	Betsy
Nicholas Shields	...	Palantine's Aide (as Robert Shields)
Ralph S. Singleton	...	T.V. Interviewer (as Ralph Singleton)
Joe Spinell	...	Personnel Officer
Maria Turner	...	Angry Hooker on Street
Robin Utt	...	Campaign Worker
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tommy Ardolino	...	Boy on Sidewalk (uncredited)
Joseph Bergmann	...	Movie House Patron (uncredited)
William Donovan	...	Police Officer (uncredited)
Jean Elliott	...	Clerk at Sam Goody Store (uncredited)
Annie Gagen	...	Campaign Worker (uncredited)
Trent Gough	...	Political Rally Attendee (uncredited)
Mary-Pat Green	...	Campaign Aide (uncredited)
James Mapes	...	CIA Agent (uncredited)
Debbi Morgan	...	Girl at Columbus Circle (uncredited)
Billie Perkins	...	Friend of Iris (uncredited)

Directed by
Martin Scorsese

Writing credits
Paul Schrader		(written by)

Produced by
Phillip M. Goldfarb	....	associate producer
Julia Phillips	....	producer
Michael Phillips	....	producer

Original Music by
Bernard Herrmann

Cinematography by
Michael Chapman		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Tom Rolf
Melvin Shapiro

Casting by
Juliet Taylor

Art Direction by
Charles Rosen

Set Decoration by
Herbert F. Mulligan		(as Herbert Mulligan)

Costume Design by
Ruth Morley

Makeup Department
Irving Buchman	....	makeup artist
Mona Orr	....	hairdresser
Dick Smith	....	special makeup

Production Management
Phillip M. Goldfarb	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert P. Cohen	....	dga trainee (as Robert Cohen)
William Eustace	....	second assistant director
Peter R. Scoppa	....	assistant director
Ralph S. Singleton	....	second assistant director (as Ralph Singleton)

Art Department
Leslie Bloom	....	property master (as Les Bloom)
David Goodnoff	....	assistant property master (as Dave Goodnoff)
David Nichols	....	visual consultant
Cosmo Sorice	....	scenic artist
Carter Stevens	....	additional photography (uncredited)

Sound Department
Rick Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Dick Alexander)
Gordon Davidson	....	sound effects editor
James Fritch	....	sound effects editor (as Jim Fritch)
Sam Gemette	....	sound effects editor
David M. Horton	....	sound effects editor (as David Hourton)
Les Lazarowitz	....	sound mixer
Roger Pietschmann	....	sound recorder (as Roger Pietschman)
Vern Poore	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Rogow	....	boom man
Tex Rudloff	....	sound re-recording supervisor
Frank E. Warner	....	supervising sound effects editor
Mel Zelniker	....	adr recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Tony Parmelee	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Alec Hirschfeld	....	assistant cameraman (as Alec Hirshfeld)
Bill Johnson	....	assistant cameraman
Richard Quinlan	....	gaffer
Ed Quinn	....	grip (as Edward Quinn)
Fred Schuler	....	camera operator
Steve Shapiro	....	special photography
Robert Ward	....	key grip
William Ward	....	best boy (as Billy Ward)
Josh Weiner	....	still photographer
Ron Zarilla	....	assistant cameraman
Michael Zingale	....	camera: second unit
Sandy Brooke	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Paul Kimatian	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Sylvia Fay	....	atmosphere casting (as Sylvia Faye)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Al Craine	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Marcia Lucas	....	supervising film editor
George Trirogoff	....	assistant editor
Billy Weber	....	assistant editor (as William Weber)

Music Department
Shinichi Yamazaki	....	music editor
Dave Blume	....	musical director (uncredited)
Jack Hayes	....	conductor (uncredited)
Jack Hayes	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Bernard Herrmann	....	musical director (uncredited)
Uan Rasey	....	musician: trumpet soloist (uncredited)
Dan Wallin	....	music engineer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Raymond Hartwick	....	transportation coordinator (as Ray Hartwick)

Other crew
Keith Addis	....	assistant to producers
Marion Billings	....	special publicity
Kay Chapin	....	script supervisor
Pat Dodos	....	secretary to the producers
Connie Foster	....	double: Jodie Foster
Amy Holden Jones	....	assistant to director (as Amy Jones)
Eugene Iemola	....	production assistant
Howard Newman	....	publicist
Dan Perri	....	title designer
Noni Rock	....	production office coordinator
Renate Rupp	....	secretary to the producers
Chris Soldo	....	production assistant
Gary Springer	....	production assistant
Sandra Weintraub	....	creative consultant
Dan Coplan	....	location security (uncredited)

Thanks
Julia Cameron	....	special thanks
Loretta Cubberley	....	special thanks
Richard B. Goodwin	....	special thanks (as Richard Goodwin)
Jack Hayes	....	special thanks
Bernard Herrmann	....	our gratitude and respect to: June 29, 1911 - December 24, 1975
Linda Kopcyk	....	special thanks
Kris Kristofferson	....	special thanks
Charlie McCarthy	....	special thanks
Jerry Orange	....	special thanks
Hank Phillippi	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents) (as Columbia Pictures)
• Bill/Phillips
• Italo/Judeo Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Films (1976) (France) (theatrical)
• Filmayer (1977) (Spain) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1979) (USA) (TV)
• Criterion Collection, The (1981) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1985) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• LK-TEL (1998) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (1998) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-edited)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (1999) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1999) (Canada) (DVD) (Collector's Edition)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Park Circus (2006) (UK) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Greek Film Archive Foundation (2012) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1976) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Blu Shine (2009) (Argentina) (DVD) (Edición de Colección)
• Blu Shine (2011) (Argentina) (DVD) (Blu-ray Disc)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (????) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (????) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Egmont Entertainment (1999) (Finland) (DVD) (1-disc edition)
• GoodTimes Home Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1995) (2000) (Finland) (TV)
• Nelonen (1998) (2002) (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• R-Video (1980s) (Finland) (video)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (1999) (Canada) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2007) (Canada) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• TV3 (1989) (Finland) (TV)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2007) (Finland) (DVD) (2-disc edition)
• VTC-Video (1980s) (Finland) (video)
• Videosonic Arts (1985) (Greece) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios (optical effects) (as M.G.M.)

Other Companies

• Alhambra  score album released by
• Devon/Persky-Bright  production services by
• Dick Clark Productions  with special thanks to
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.)
• Sylvia Fay/Lee Genick & Associates Casting  extras casting

Also Known As:

Runtime:

113 min | Spain:110 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (re-release) | Stereo

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-18 (1976) | 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) | 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) | Japan:PG12 (2010) | Finland:K-16 (1987) | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The line "You talking to me?" was voted as the #10 movie quote by the American Film Institute, and as as the #8 of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" by Premiere in 2007.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): According to the exterior shot, and the Then-and-Now Special Feature on the 2-disc DVD, Iris lived at 226 East 13th Street. Travis writes "240 East 13th Street" on the envelope containing the letter and $500.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[a telephone rings loudly]
Personnel Officer:[to the dispatcher] Harry, answer that.
[to Travis]
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 what do you do now?
Travis Bickle:Well, I ride around nights mostly... subways, buses... I figure, you know, if I'm gonna do that I might as well get paid for it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Everybody's Fine (2009)

Soundtrack:

HOLD ME CLOSE

A Descent Into Madness

"Taxi Driver," starts off with a beautiful and perfectly fitting score from composer, Bernard Hermann, as we see the blurred city of New York as the fast paced lights from cars and signs are distorted and put into slow motion. "Taxi Driver" is one of Martin Scorsese' finest achievements as he teams up with Robert De Niro. Travis Bickle (De Niro) is the title character and this film really is all about the performance of Robert De Niro. The acting as a whole is exceptional. Harvey Keitel has an extremely small part as a pimp named Sport, and he brings a forgettable character to center stage as he and Travis have some quick and excellent scenes together. Keitel is so good in this you wish you would get to see more from his character. Jodie Foster plays the prostitute under Sports rule. Iris, is 12 years old, and for a 14 year old actress (at the time), Foster deals with some heavy and extremely adult material and handles it very well. Keitel and Foster have a scene together where Sport holds her and slowly dances with her as he whispers into her ear about how lucky he is to have a woman like her. It's an utterly repulsive scene. The look on his face mixed with the calm and safe look on the face of Iris, is pretty terrifying. It's extremely well acted even though it's a pretty quick and minor scene. In this one scene we see the type of control Sport has over the young, impressionable child that he abuses and takes advantage of. These are the kinds of things that sets Travis Bickle off. The film is a classic that dissects the fallout of one mans loneliness and his thirst for acceptance, recognition, and notice. The editing is very good, the direction is great, but it's carried by a magnificent script from Paul Schrader and a great lead performance. This probably stands as De Niro' second best work to "Raging Bull," and among the finest acting performances of all time.

Travis Bickle is the self proclaimed, "God's lonely man." Bickle walks amongst the people on the filthy, crowded streets of New York City. Wherever he goes, he goes unnoticed; like a ghost meandering through life's morbid boredom of repetitiveness as each day endlessly runs into the next. Bickle suffers from an inability to sleep so he goes to the porno theaters after 12 hour shifts and still can't sleep. His mind is constantly racing as he takes various forms of pills and abuses alcohol. The former Vietnam Veteran has a damaged psyche that continues to get worse and worse as the disgust for the lowlifes of New York eat away at his consciences. The first act of the films starts with a normal looking man, with a regular hair cut and regular job in an irregular city. We watch Bickle go through everyday routines and his work habit is the main focus to derive attention away from his bloodlust. We don't see much wrong with him other than some signs of frustration. He decides that his body needs some fine tuning as he reverts back to his days as a Marine and trains for battle. He meets up with a gun dealer and buys three pistols and a .44 magnum. He's ready for war as the table is set. There are some classic scenes throughout the course of Bickle' decent into madness that make the film so special.

The ending of the film is controversial for its vagueness and its inability to state a clear purpose of reality or fantasy. It's open to interpretation, but my understanding of the film is that it ends in reality, but I can see how one would think it ends in fantasy or is Bickle's dying dream. The film even hints towards a dream like state as we watch with a long running overhead shot (possibly signifying Bickle's departure from the world?) with motionless police officers. Then there's the music of a dream inducing state at the end of the scene, which is the strongest hint towards a dream like state. What we do know is that Travis Bickle takes the lives of lowlifes, degenerates, and the scum of the earth. He's treated as the hero and glorified by the media for his actions. This is a slap in the face to the media for finding that a vigilante did the right thing because it was for a good cause: Kill 5 scumbags, save 1. The final scene of the film is also controversial. We see Betsy for the first time since their big fight and she's no longer disgusted with Travis. Now the media has changed her opinion of him too. Travis has reverted back to the same look he spouted in the first act of the film. He's quite, reserved, and humble. He looks harmless. As the ride home goes along we find out that Palantine has won the nomination. After, Travis drops Betsy off, he leaves without taking her money and with a smile on his face he gives her a simple, "So long." You get the feeling that he's still not over the fact that she wouldn't talk to him and you also get the feeling that he sees her as just like everyone else. As Travis drives off, he menacingly looks back into the mirror, representing a problem still exists, then we fade back to the start of the film. With the symbolic scenes throughout the film depicting Bickle' brooding, boiling, rage within, this symbolizes the fact that nothing has changed. The near death experience doesn't cure him. The accolades from the media and the recognition from everyday people doesn't make it any better. He's still ready for war and his next target may very well be the botched assassination attempt on the new nominee, Senator Palantine, in just 17 days.