 |
|||||||||||||
 |
|
 |
|||||||||||
 |
 |
||||||||||||
TAXI DRIVER comes at a time in America when it was unsure of its direction. The Vietnam War had just ended disasterously with the country losing its first war in its history. A short while before, President Richard Nixon was forced to resign the Presidency of the United States over the Watergate scandal where he lied to America about his involvement. People were feeling let down by the institutions of the country and didn't know who or what to trust. The upheaval of the 1960s had given way to even more uncertainty about where the country would end up. Things that people used to put their faith in were no longer as solid as Americans once hoped. New York City cab driver and Vietnam veteran Travis Bickle constantly, almost obsessively, reflects on the ugly corruption of life around him, and becomes increasingly disturbed over his own loneliness and alienation. He hates what he sees: "Someday a real rain will come and wash all the scum off the streets." In nearly every phase of his life, Bickle remains a complete outsider, failing to make emotional contact with anyone. Unable to sleep night after night, Travis haunts the local pornography emporiums to find diversion, and begins desperately thinking about an escape from his depressing existence. Only two people are allowed to touch Travis's life. One is a young woman named Betsy, a Presidential Candidate's campaign worker, who he attempts to romance. This turns horribly sour when he takes her to a porn movie on their first date. The other person is a 12-year-old prostitute named Iris who he wishes to get off the streets. His inability to connect to others drives him to the brink of madness. Why does he attempt to kill the Presidential Candidate who is promising to make the country better? That failure causes Travis to go after her pimp in one of the bloodiest film finales ever seen up to that point. The film is narrated by Travis, clearly a parnoid, delusional, borderline psychotic. He is as "unreliable" a narrator as possible and we are forced to live in his head and see the world through his eyes. In the '70s, many films featured characters you wouldn't think of Tom Cruise sort of heroes who are obviously who you are supposed to root for. Given the fact that Travis is so clearly quite disturbed, you may want to reflect on the incredible irony of the film's ending. What was the point for the film's director, Martin Scorsese to end it with Travis appearing as the hero? TAXI DRIVER is studied by many film students for its realism, its unflinching look at life's dark underbelly, its grim dramatization of modern American loneliness and ambiguity. You may want to go to a site where all the stars talk about the experience of making this film. GO to Video section http://www.amctv.com/article?CID=2278-1--0-3-EST Post a comment in response: |
| © 2002-2008. Blurty Journal. All rights reserved. |