6.

Provide a close analysis of any one of the films screened this semester in terms of a
distinctive directorial or studio style.

Martin Scorsese – Taxi Driver

Martin Scorsese is a true artist. In ‘Taxi Driver’, arguably his greatest achievement, he
develops ways to examine the nuances of Travis Bickle and provides a masterful
examination of the themes prevalent in much of his work: extreme mental states,
isolation, loneliness and degradation. Throughout his extensive and diverse body of work,
he succeeds in realising his distinct cinematic visions because of the techniques that he
employs and the artistic choices that he makes. The audience is encouraged to think hard
in ‘Taxi Driver’ as irony, original use of genre archetypes and moral ambiguity, saturate
the screen.

Throughout Scorsese’s body of work, a fondness of exploring the depraved fringes of

humanity is evident. An exploration of extreme mental states has emerged in his body of
work through his choices of subject matter. Firstly, Scorsese uses characters who by their
nature are unstable or in someway outcast from the world in which they inhabit. ‘Taxi
Driver’s’ Travis Bickle - a psychotic Vietnam veteran insomniac, Jake La Motta - the
abusive antihero boxer of ‘Raging Bull’, Tommy DeVito - the psychotic gangster in
‘Goodfellas’ and Frank Pierce - the haunted night-shift paramedic in ‘Bringing Out the
Dead’ are all in some way mentally disturbed. Scorsese’s interest in psychosis is
especially present in ‘Goodfellas’ in the character of Tommy DeVito. This is
demonstrated firstly through his intimidation of the Henry Hill character;
‘How am I funny, like a clown? What is so funny about me? What the fuck is so
funny about me? Tell me. Tell me what's funny…’
and secondly, when the full extent of his psychosis erupts, shooting the young boy Spider
in the foot;
‘You know Spider, you're a fuckin' mumbling stuttering little prick’.
In ‘Taxi Driver’ however, Scorsese selects Travis Bickle as a device to explore a more
introverted and perhaps more brooding psychopath than characters in his other films.
The unstable Travis is the focus and pure concentration of Scorsese’s ideas concerning
the themes of loneliness and isolation. In Travis’ own words;
“Loneliness has followed me my whole life, everywhere. In bars, in cars,
sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape. I'm God's lonely man.”
‘God’s lonely man’ and his extremely unstable state of mind is skilfully brought to life by
De Niro and Scorsese. Paul Schrader’s script and De Niro’s brilliant skills as a minimalist
method actor, ensure that these explorations of the dark side of the human condition
impact greatly on the audience. The De Niro/Schrader/Scorsese collaborations have really
become the archetype of lonely ‘antisocial misfits’ in the lexicon of modern cinema,
paving the way for the Frank Booths (‘Blue Velvet’) and Tyler Durdens (‘Fight Club’). In
a testament to their collaborative skill, Scorsese allowed De Niro to improvise in the
much revered ‘speech in the mirror’ sequence;
“You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talkin'-- You talkin' to me?
Well I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?”

The narcissistic cold ferocity and the obsessive rage present in this ‘mirror’ sequence is
then heightened by Scorsese’s use of an editing trick. Like a software glitch, Travis
repeats his mantra. When he falters, the three second cut doubles over;
‘Listen all you screwheads, you fuckers…’ x2.
Similarly, Scorsese’s visual tricks of the trade also enhance the existential aspects of
Schrader’s narrative. For example, the graphic shootout sequence at the end of the film is
enhanced by frequent slow motion, point of view shots and dull expressionist lighting
that contribute to its surreal, ethereal, strong impact violence. After the carnage, Scorsese
employs a visually striking yet magnificent tracking shot that glides down through the
brothel, assessing the damage.

Scorsese’s personal approach is also strongly evident in the way that he juxtaposes
elements from classic Hollywood genres to deepen ‘Taxi Driver’s’ effect. Firstly, the use
of the iconic composer Bernard ‘Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ Herrmann, eludes to elements of
the horror genre and even exploitation films. Much of the time inside the taxi cab is
scored with soft jazz, most notably a saxophone that follows Travis throughout the film.
Generally, the saxophone is widely used to establish a smooth sensual tone in film. This
has an ironic effect, contrasting the pressure and tension that Travis feels about the
underbelly of New York, with bubbly laid back mood music. Scorsese and Herrmann’s
choice of instrument also fuels a sense of mystery and ambivalence in the audience’s
perception of Travis Bickle. Under a different light, perhaps the use of the saxophone
hints at the violent and sexually exploitative “grindhouse” films popular at the time.
Travis even attends disreputable movie theaters that showed these exploitation films –
highlighting even more irony in ‘Taxi Driver’s’ score!

Also indicative of the horror genre, the score has moments of violence that disturb the
ordinary smoothness of the jazz and jolt the audience. For example, Herrmann punctures
the sound scape with stringed instruments and drums when Travis nearly runs over Iris in
his taxi. Interestingly, Herrmann continues the change while they retain eye contact,
suggesting more than just a close call.

Scorsese also delves into other genres by twisting the archetypal vigilante of the
‘exploitation revenge movie’ (cf: ‘Death Wish’) and the ‘spaghetti western’ (cf: Leone’s
‘Dollars Trilogy’) into a character model for Travis Bickle. Very much a “lone gunman”
Travis often resembles a cowboy. This is evident in the scene where he prepares his
weapons for battle, constructing ‘quick-draw’ devices to kill his enemy faster and also
when he polishes his large boots. The taxi cab could also be seen as his trusty horse as he
drives around the dangerous New York streets like a marshal patrolling a township.

Apart from the archetypal interplay within ‘Taxi Driver’, another striking element of the
film is the uncertainty and ambivalence that audience is left with at its conclusion. Should
Travis Bickle be considered a hero? – Or a reprehensible psychopath? Scorsese fuels
these ideas by juxtaposing religious symbolism as well as images of degradation and
perversion. On the one hand, Travis could be seen as an “avenging angel” – in
continuation with the theme of the “lone gunman” – an urban soldier, willing to tear
down the “filth” that seems to reign unchecked within his dark environment:
 “Here is a man who would not take it anymore. A man who stood up against the
scum, the cunts, the dogs, the filth, the shit. Here is a man who stood up. Here is.”

The final bloodbath against the underbelly of New York is very much Travis’ catharsis. In
this scene it is Scorsese’s Catholic upbringing that predominantly shines through. Ideas
concerning sacrifice, death and rebirth are all demonstrated in various ways by Scorsese.
Firstly, Travis’ Mohawk hair cut that brings on the final act, becomes a kind of militaristic
but also ritualistic “mark” on his body - signalling an impending and inevitable crusade.
Also, the brothel becomes a crucible or sacrificial altar where the bodies of the evil are
scourged and sacrificed and their souls are cleansed and purged. Christian ideas
concerning redemption after crucifixion and death also fit thematically within Travis’
violent bloodbath. Perhaps the surreal movement of the camera after the destruction
could well be mimicking the movement of a soul leaving its host…

On the other hand, a theme of degradation also saturates screen time. When Travis takes
Betsy out on a date, he brings her to a “grindhouse” – a pornographic cinema that he
frequents. When Betsy leaves in disgust onto the street, the camera swings around and
Betsy is “compared”, right alongside a prostitute. This is significant as it signals the
beginning of Betsy’s transition from the ideal woman in Travis’ mind to;
“I realise now how much she's just like the others, cold and distant”
This coupled with her final rejection of him, primes the psychotic time bomb. This is
fully realised in the accompanying montage of Travis training his body and mind for his
war on filth;
“June twenty-ninth. I gotta get in shape now. Too much sitting has ruined my
body. Too much abuse has gone on for too long. From now on it'll be fifty pushups each
morning. Fifty pull-ups. There will be no more pills, no more destroyers of my body.
From now on it'll be total organization. Every muscle must be tight.”
However ‘degraded’ and insane he is however, a jilted morality still exists inside him. In
another effort to move the audience into cerebral territory, Scorsese moves the focus from
Betsy to the twelve year-old prostitute, Iris. Iris becomes the lynchpin of Travis’ desire to
act – the new symbol for him to idealise and obsess over.
Although he does find some kind of redemption by saving Iris, it could still be seen as a
tongue in cheek, empty or ironic redemption. Scorsese paints a cynical view of the media
with a simple tracking shot over some newspaper articles proclaiming ‘a hero’. Also,
hints at Travis’ apparently unwavering psychosis are present – all with a simple glance at
the mirror in his cab – an ethereal ‘ping’ heightening the audience’s awareness that all is
not well inside his deranged mind. Food for thought.

Overall, ‘Taxi Driver’ remains as powerful a film today since its 1976 release. Scorsese
has created a revolutionary and brooding masterpiece full of depth - a film still very
much open to interpretation. He successfully works his themes of loneliness, isolation
and degradation into Travis Bickle’s complex psychological landscape as well as his
actions. Above all, Scorsese radiates an understanding of how to make his audience think.
As a result, ‘Taxi Driver’ is full of irony, innovation and a certain ‘homage’ to the films
and genres that screened before it.

Bibliography

Films

Scorsese, Martin. 1976. ‘Taxi Driver’, Sony Pictures.

Scorsese, Martin. 1980. ‘Raging Bull’, United Artists Films.

Scorsese, Martin. 1990. ‘Goodfellas’, Warner Brothers.

Scorsese, Martin. 1999. ‘Bringing Out the Dead’, Paramount Pictures.