Isolation in Taxi Driver

Isolation in Taxi Driver

            After watching Taxi Driver, directed by Martin Scorsese, it became apparent that the theme of isolation plays a major role in the film.  The protagonist, Travis, takes a job as a nighttime taxi driver. This job in and of itself screams isolation; he works alone and must pick up strangers who he has prior connection with.  While this film takes place in the hustling and bustling New York City, it only enhances the isolation that Travis feels.  He is bothered by the fact that people in his cab pretend he doesn’t even exist. Travis really doesn’t have any true relationships, largely due to his mental state.  He lacks social skills required to hold any sort or relationship, especially with a romantic interest. In many ways, the source of isolation in the film comes from the shattered relationship between Travis and Betsy.  It doesn’t cross Travis’s mind that taking a date to a porn film isn’t a great idea. Travis is persistent with his flowers and phone calls and it only seems to drive Betsy further away, leading him back to his usual isolated state. Travis simply states it himself, “Loneliness has followed me my whole life, everywhere…I’m God’s lonely man. “

Travis the Taxi Driver

Martin Scorscese's Taxi Driver is a dark, depressing movie that takes a dive into the seedy underbelly of New York in the 70's, and telling the story of a jaded ex-marine's descent into madness. The main character, Travis Bickle, is especially odd, because he is a "walking contradiction". He expresses disgust for the scum of New York City, yet he doesn't really hesitate to participate in some of the same disgusting activities, such as sitting in one of the many porno theaters and watching a show. My question would be, is Travis really aware that he is one of the scums that he hates so much? He has no problem with doing some of the same activities that the sleazy New Yorkers of the 70's did, but is he consciously aware of this fact?

It seems that helping Iris get out of prostitution is Travis' twisted way of somehow doing good in his messed up world and giving the girl a childhood that he hadn't gotten the chance to experience while in the Marines. I can't remember what happened to his parents, but the fact that Iris' parents wrote their thanks to him, would only make him feel as though he had found some sort of parental approval that he had sought through his letters to his own parents.

What I found pretty unusual, is the fact that Betsy isn't as vital of a character as I first thought she was. Yes, she was introduced in the first few halves of the movie to demonstrate how disconnected Travis is to what normal couples do with their time, but afterwards, her role wasn't as important to the movie. She was mentioned once or twice after the whole incident between her and Travis in the office, and she showed up once more at the very end. As a romantic interest, I thought she would be constant throughout the movie, but surprisingly she was not. I guess it's sensible though, because in a real life situation, once it was clear after Travis cussed her out that he was mentally unstable, a normal reaction would be to cut off contact with him. In all, this movie is pretty unique, as it shows a gritty society in a way that is truly something else.

Travis Bickle and Holden Caulfield

Matthew Collins

Travis Bickle and Holden Caulfield

            The film Taxi Driver directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader, follows Travis Bickle a man that is haunted by loneliness and is driven into madness because of it. Throughout the movie one cannot help but realize the relationship it has to J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. The characters Travis Bickle and Holden Caulfield are truly analogous; Holden and Bickle both are plagued by self-inflicted loneliness and both see the world in a skewed way, Holden only sees phonies, Bickle only sees scum. Holden sees the world as corrupt and filled with fake people, he states “I went down by a different staircase, and I saw another "Fuck you" on the wall. I tried to rub it off with my hand again, but this one was scratched on, with a knife or something. It wouldn't come off. It's hopeless, anyway. If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the "Fuck you" signs in the world. It's impossible” (25.18). Holden views the place he lives as a sad and awful place and no matter how hard you try you can never change it or preserve childhood innocence. Travis Bickle views his world in a very similar way, he exclaims “All the animals come out at night - whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets”. Much like Caulfield, Bickle inhabits a world where he sees a vile and disgusting place and he detests it so much; he has make the streets clean. Each of these guys are haunted by their loneliness and it’s ironic that they are constantly surrounded by people in New York City yet they are still lonely. Each character is corrupted by their loneliness and ultimately they go crazy; Holden presumably ends up in a mental facility and Travis ends up ‘cleaning the streets’.

Insanity; Characterized and Personified in Scorcese's Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver as a film is dominated by the uniqueness and insanity of it's own main character, Travis Bickle, portrayed in this film by Robert De Niro. Now, this is in no way a bad thing, as the music, setting and supporting characters all do enough to add to the plot and overall quality of the film, but nothing shines brighter than De Niro's performance of the insane character that is Travis. 

Everything down to the look is hit right down on the head. Bickle is a lanky, weird looking guy. His personality is just sort of off. He misses a lot of social queues. He really doesn't seem to have a cause or a goal or anything of that nature either. He sort of just, exists. But, not in a passive way though either. When he does something, he generally does it defiantly, but it's never quite clear why.

There's a reason De Niro was Scorsese's "main guy" at the time. Travis Bickle is a bizarre, weird, borderline insane character, and De Niro simply nails his portrayal of him. Scorsese only picks the most talented actors to fill his roles, which is why actors like De Niro and Leo DiCaprio are chosen. Overall, the performance of Robert De Niro only adds to the tremendous character that is Travis Bickle, which overall adds to the quality of the film.

Taxi Driver

In Martin Scorsese's film Taxi Driver,  he uses main character, Travis's, mental state as the focal point in the plot. Travis is a Vietnam war veteran and mentally is not okay, he suffers from sleep deprivation and thus applies for a nighttime taxi driving job. From one of his first pick ups he gives a very pretty woman a ride, and from there on Travis is fixated on her and tries his best to win her over. He is socially unaware though, and screws up his chances by taking her to an XXX movie theater. She rejects him and that takes a toll on Travis, and his character flips, shaves a mohawk, and turns violent from that point on. Travis becomes obsessed with guns and weapons, and this is when the audience realizes that there is no happy ending for Travis. And so, eventually he escalates, and shoots up the pimp and his (for lack of a better word) whorehouse. He ends up badly wounded and bleeding in the hospital, and then the film either flashes forward or backwards to Travis driving the taxi with his full head of hair and somewhat sanity. This is what I believe is a flash back, and that Scorsese is offering that the entire movie was a figment of his imagination in his PTSD head. If this theory was true and the whole movie was just a thought into the future in Travis's head if he pursued this woman, then that would be incredible, and a huge mind game to the audience.

The politician

In the movie Taxi Driver relationship between Travis and the Politician Charles Palentine is completely controlled by that between Travis and Betsy. In the first portion (of four I which will address), we see Travis with no political motivation. This is the short portion of the movie when our protagonist has not yet seen his damsel, Betsy. All Travis knows is that the city is a dirty place full of dirty people, and he wants it clean - but nothing about politics. It's only after he sees Palentine's face all over her workplace that he decides he is in favor of anything he has to say. He even recognizes Palentine and tells him that he's in favor of his policies, but has absolutely no idea what they are. Then, after his one bad date with the fabulous Betsy, palentine becomes clearly displayed as a target. Travis attends his speech, and Palentine is dehumanized by not having his face shown. His policies are spoken over by a letter written from Travis to his parents, and only the people surrounding him's faces (mostly guards) are shown. While ideas about cleaning up the city are no different, his idea about Palentine's policies seem to vary quite a lot. Once he becomes a hero, betsy falls back into his arms, he is once again in favor of these (still) mysterious policies. It's not hard to tell that Travis is easy to influence, as it seems any small detail seems to control his life. Another example would be when he drops off that one angry "cuckold" who wants to blast his wife's vagina. Travis, who is also angry, decides to go out and immediately drop a couple hundred dollars on guns, so that he too can claim his "revenge" on the world. Interesting though, why he decided to stay in a city full of grime and hatred and let it control him, rather than to just leave.

Taxi Driver: Travis

Even though the character Travis is the protagonist of the film and we follow his story for a good portion of the movie, he is absolutely unpredictable and we, the audience, never know what his next move is. We really don't get to know Travis so in depth and we never really understand him and the decisions he makes. We do know that initially, Travis wants to fit into the normal world, but he fails. Travis wants to act like a normal person would act, but he is too mentally ill to fit in and act normally. At the start of the film he tries to act normal, but instead he drinks, does drugs and spends time at the porn theater. Travis is an interesting character because of the transformation he goes through during the film. In the beginning, he is a wounded man and through violence and turmoil that occurs in the meantime, by the end of the film, Travis is a completely different character.

Taxi Driver

The most fascinating aspect of the 1976 American crime/vigilante film Taxi Driver is the fact that the director, Martin Scorsese, allows the viewer to formulate their own opinion about Travis Bickle. It is apparent throughout the film that Travis is mentally unstable, however it is never explained why or how to the audience. This I find captivating because there are many opinions of why he is the way that he is. In the very beginning of the movie, it is subtly brought to the viewer’s attention that Travis was honorably discharged from the United States Marines. Martin Scorsese never goes into this any further. While some believe that Travis is mentally challenged, I believe he is diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. Something that he must have picked up from his many years in the marines. I believe this explains his involuntary need to help others and "save" them. Whether that be from themselves or from others. In this case, the victim, Iris, was caught up in child prostitution. Travis took it upon himself to enlighten her on what she doing and also become an apparent hero of Iris' and her family. While the acts he committed were horrible, the intention was pure and heartwarming. Something very interesting. While most post traumatic stress disorder stories are negative, this gives viewers the belief that heros are walking amongst us, and can be found in anyone. The subtle aspects of this movie truly make Taxi Driver one of the best films I have seen.

Taxi Driver

In the film of Taxi Driver a different way of filming and portraying a picture was shown throughout the film. Since the main character was a taxi driver and his job is to drive around, the camera shot him driving around the city by viewing him through the windshield. The interesting part was that the reflection of the city including the lights and commotion, were shown atop the wind shield. I simply thought this was a new way to include the mood of the film along setting the film up.

Not giving this driver a good tip

Was it all a dream? Was he mentally insane or just really stupid? What about the character was the director trying to portray to us. What was going on in terms of character development? Most of the movies we watched I had some form of an answer to these questions, but when it comes to Taxi Driver with Robert De Niro, I don't have a f*cking clue...? Not only can I not even begin to think of an answer I don't even want to think about this movie much more than I already have; too many annoying migraines come about the more I get into it. Maybe that's what the director was trying to do? Make the audience leave the theater with so little to think about that we end up creating our own ideas and over thinking everything. The one thing I know about myself is that I like some form of certainty. Without it I cannot think straight. Movies like The Shining left us with some sort of starting point for why Jack went insane; the ancient hotel built on a native burial ground that's infested with ghosts gave me a good starting point. I believe Taxi Driver fails to give us any deeper in sight into the psyche of Robert De Niro's character; and how he falls into his twisted dark vigilante role. This dramatic change of character happens pretty early on in the movie, only giving us a good 20-30 minutes to really get to know him before the psychotic episode begins. I tried extremely hard to understand exactly what it was that set him off initially. It could have been that his lady friend rejected him, but I don't believe that something like that would have turned him into a potential presidential assassinator. What I do know is that I will never fully understand what took place over the several months where Robert De Niro went on a violent mental breakdown. I also know that his acting was the only thing worth recognizing throughout the whole movie. I mean it is Robert De Niro after all...

Overuse of Saxophone in Taxi Driver

Overall, I enjoyed taxi driver. Although I am not a fan of Robert De Niro, I like a lot of Martin Scorsese's films. However, there was one element of Taxi Driver that bothered me throughout the film: The overuse of the saxophone. Throughout the film, in a variety of different circumstances and scenes, the same saxophone sequence plays. Often times it plays in scenes where Robert De Niro is thinking to himself or there is something sexual or provocative about the scene, however, the music also plays vigorously in the final scenes of the film as well. I think the reason Scorsese put the vigorous saxophone sequence in the final scenes of the film instead of the regular saxophone sequence was to hint at the ending of the film. The music was supposed to let the viewer know that the film was about to end, and the vigorous saxophone also reflects upon the emotion felt by the viewer in the end of the film. Besides the final scene of the film, the saxophone should have only been used about once or twice in the film to show provocative scenes, but Scorsese overuses the saxophone until the point where it becomes annoying. Overall, the saxophone was a good addition to the film, but too much of anything is not a good thing. Not only did Scorsese overuse the saxophone in general, but if he were to use the saxophone so much, he should have changed the tone or sequence of the saxophone, not kept it the same.

Taxi in slow traffic

Can I say that I enjoyed Taxi Driver? No. To be honest I found myself half asleep right up until the end. The movie did however have its share of great scenes and shots that I believe make it as famous as it is. We all know the line, “Are you talking to me?”  Prior to watching this movie I had no idea where that line came from. In this shot we take the perspective of Travis’s reflection. We all have done this in the mirror or something similar to it at some point which makes this oddity relatable. The only other scene I enjoyed was the final battle with Travis and the prostitution ring. It felt very cheesy but I think that’s why I enjoyed it. The use of lighting was very unique. I noticed that the colors were predominantly red and green on the streets giving it that old New York kind of feeling since this was filmed during the 80’s. I felt that the story was way too slow paced. If it was done correctly, it could have taken 45 minutes to tell this whole story rather then the 2 hours it did take. It also would have been nice if they added different music instead of the same exact trumpet rift every time. Overall I cannot see why people have taken such a liking to this film. I thought that Robert DeNiro did a fantastic job portraying Travis and his struggles. If anything makes this movie famous it was the acting done by Robert, other than that this movie has nothing going for it. Imagine if they released an extended edition on blu-ray, including never before scene shots with exciting trumpet music! 

Taxi Driver Response

            I thought Taxi Driver was actually a pretty boring movie, and I don't know why it’s gotten so much hype since it was released. Yes there are some funny scenes and some scenes that made the audience think about what was happening and question it, but overall I did not enjoy it. But Scorsese did represent a Vietnam war veteran fairly well, by showing what happens after someone comes out of the war; he has trouble sleeping, becomes desensitized to violence, and doesn't really know how to interact with not only women, but people in general. He chooses a night job as a taxi driver because he says he cannot sleep and also to get away from people around him in order to be alone. He doesn’t trust other people and feels like he can’t relate to other people in the city. Throughout the movie, Travis keeps talking about how dirty and grimy the city is, and I think the reason for all the killing is because he is trying to fix this problem. He wants to get rid of all the people in society who are making the streets “dirty”. He needed a purpose in his life post-war, and his aim is to help Iris get out of the prostitution business, and stop any bad people from corrupting the city. He shoots so many people and is nonchalant about it, as if it is no big deal. What I don't get is how he never ends up getting caught from shooting all those people, especially at the end when there is the big shootout. I think Taxi Driver had some good scenes and was developed well, but I just did not like it overall.

Taxi Driver Post

In the film Taxi Driver, the main character, Travis, can be viewed in many different ways. As I was watching the film, I began to notice that many of the shots consisted of darker lighting. For example, as Travis is driving around in his taxi at night and sees Iris for the first time, he is in period of his life in which he feels like he needs to find something to make himself worth while. As a matter of fact, up until Travis actually shoots a robber in a store, I perceived him to be a lost man who was so desperate to find something that would either help take his mind off of the "disgusting" world around him, or help him fix all of the mess he saw in the world. In contrast, however, all of the scenes in which Travis is with Betty, the lighting is much lighter. I found this to be symbolic for Travis having found a "light" in his life for the time being. Although Scorsese doesn't take the two characters through a long journey together, Betty's character served as a reminder to Travis that he needed to do something that would help fix all of the "dirtiness" in the world; Betty's job was what first sparked this desire in Travis. Another aspect of this film that really caught my eye was Travis' narration through the entire film. As I was watching the film, I realized that his narration helped the audience understand his character growth. At the beginning of the movie, he was looking for something or someone to dedicate himself to, or  make some sort of change in society. By the end, he has become a city hero, although claims he does not care about that. One question I do have after viewing this film, however, is was it all just a dream? The last few frames of the film in which Travis is driving around in his taxi at night and all we see is him and the city lights reflecting through the taxi mirrors and window, are not clear in telling the audience as to what is going to happen to Travis next or what his particular feelings are at that moment. Because of this remaining question, there are many different views and outlooks on who Travis is and what the film means as a whole.

Travis: The Professional Taxi Driver

The relationship between Jodie Foster’s and Robert De Neiro’s characters reminded me of the relationship in the movie Leon: The Professional. Robert De Nerio’s Character Travis feels the responsibility to take care of Iris for she is unable to help herself. Their relationship feels real and it is creepy that Iris is a 12-year-old prostitute, and the fact that Jodie Foster is actually that age added a certain amount of gravity to her character. In Leon: The Professional, after Natalie Portman’s family had been massacred she stays with her neighbor who happens to be a highly trained hitman. After looking after her for a little while, he starts to care for her, which is completely normal. However, Natalie Portman’s character was falling in love with Leon which was extremely uncomfortable watching 13-year-old Natalie falling for a 45-year-old Leon. This reminds me of the scene in Taxi Driver where Iris was trying to perform sexual favors for Travis, when he only wanted to converse with her, but she insisted. Which gave the impression that Iris had been doing this for so long, it was almost like one of the only behaviors she knew. I believe in both cases both these men wanted to play the hero, and make a difference in these girls lives.

Joey's mo fweckin blog

            Travis Bickle's personality and point of view of reality are heavily twisted. His disassociation with the norm and extreme mental states of mind depict the life of a deranged, depraved, and lonely Vietnam veteran. His terrible social skills are an apparent sign of mental illness and continue to drive Travis into deeper levels of solidarity. This loneliness gradually fuels Travis into living a miserable and misanthropic life. Travis's social ineptitude inevitably leads to his isolation and distorted perception of himself and the rest of society. The film opens with Travis being interview and accepting the job as a taxi driver. He explains his willingness to work lots of extra hours and preference for night shifts is due to his inability to sleep. It is revealed then that Travis suffers from insomnia. Although Insomnia is a serious disease, Travis seems complacent and shows no interest in curing himself. Even in the first scene of the film, it is already exposed that Travis suffers from at least one mental disorder yet has no aspirations to improve himself. Upon getting the job and exiting his place of work, he proceeds to pull out a flask of what is perceived to be alcohol and starts drinking it in the clear of day on the street. He displays no inclination that his actions are not the acceptable social norm. After a long twelve-hour shift, Travis reflects on how the city of Manhattan has become a dump for degenerate punks and prostitutes. He perceives the New York nightlife he caters to and drives around as garbage polluting his town. He himself then enters a dirty porn theater once he's off-duty. He does not see the similarities between himself and the other perverts and goons of New York City. He sees them as lowly scum that are responsible for the dirtiness of the city, even though he is apart of the same dreary world he despises. Travis is a deranged, psychotic animal.

Taxi Driver- Is Travis Good or Bad? (Bad)

            In the film Taxi Driver, Travis is introduced as an innocent veteran, not able to sleep and simply wanting to do something with his life. Although Travis is introduced as vulnerable, this does not necessarily mean that he is innocent. In the beginning of the film, Travis admires a girl, and finally builds up the nerve to ask her out. After flattering her at a restaurant, his character is shown to be sensitive and compassionate. His character takes a turn when he disrespectfully takes her to a pornographic movie, and gets angry that she was upset with him. From this point on his actions become more violent, he prepares to shoot a candidate and buys as many weapons as he can. In the end of the movie, I was surprised to see that Travis was viewed as a hero by Iris’s parents. Although he saved a young girl, I definitely do not consider him a hero. I believe that Travis thought of saving Iris as a game, something he could distract himself with when he wasn’t driving taxis. He definitely had a lot of other options other than killing and wounding several people in the building, but chose the violent way for his own pleasure, which is something a villain would do. Both characters that meant a lot to him, Iris and Betsy, brought out a violent side of him in this film. His relationships with both of them started off endearing, and then once they both didn’t go the way he wanted them to, he got violent. (Iris didn’t leave her job and Betsy didn’t want to date Travis again). All of these events and relationships brought out characteristics in Travis that were not heroic, molding him into a villain who found pleasure in violence and murder.