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Taxi Driver (1976): Robert DeNiro, Cybill Shepherd, Peter Boyle, Harvey Keitel and Jodie Foster. Directed by Martin Scorsese, Screenplay by Paul Schrader.
Get the film at Amazon: Taxi Driver (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition)

When “Taxi Driver” first came out in theatres in 1976, I remember seeing the ads on TV, and I remember my parents heading off to see it: the most talked-about film of the year. It didn’t really interest me at the time, although, for some reason it made me think of “Psycho” and I didn’t know why.

Since then, I’ve seen “Taxi Driver” countless times, on home video, on DVD, in rep theatres. It’s just one of those films that hits me in the right spot, and I could probably watch it a couple of times in a row without getting bored of it. For me, it’s like a really good song. It’s not a particularly pretty song, but it’s a good song nonetheless.

Paul Schrader, who apparently wrote the screenplay in less than a week (a loaded gun on his desk the whole time, for inspiration), has said that the story is partly autobiographical, having felt isolated and angry at a certain point in his life. He wasn’t sure if there was anyone else in the world who would be able to connect with the story, but, giving it to Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro to read, they both said they “got it.” The film truly shows itself as a labor of love on the part of Scorsese. After many, repeated viewings, I can’t find a single frame out of place (except maybe the scene where “Sport” [Harvey Keitel] dances with Iris [Jodie Foster] toward the end of the film … because it’s not from Travis’ [DeNiro] P.O.V., it just doesn’t seem like it belongs in the story).

The film stands out, for me, not only as the ultimate seventies film (richly-textured characters, especially the anti-hero main lead, gritty cinematography on grainy stock), but stands out, as well, as a work of art. Scorsese takes risks, not only with the core material, but with little nuances within it, such as the scene where Travis is begging Betsy (Cybil Shepherd) over the phone for another chance, and the camera slides away from him, pointing instead down an empty hallway, indicating that the conversation is far too painful to remain focused on a character in agony.

There has been a lot of debate (possible spoilers for the rest of this paragraph if you haven’t seen the film) over the ending and whether or not it actually happens or is all a figment of Travis’ imagination as he “dies” (metaphorically, figuratively, whatever). It’s intriguing to ponder, but I think you have to look at how the film is constructed for an answer to this: at no point during the entire narrative are we given a look into Travis’ fantasy world, we are shown everything with brutal and painful honesty, so why, at the end, would we suddenly be given this option? Because only in death can Travis truly indulge his fantasy? To me, it seems unlikely. I prefer to look on the whole coda as an ironic turn of events happening to someone who truly deserves a break from the cards he has dealt himself. When we last see him, looking into the rear view mirror of his cab, we know that he will return to what he once was, or in the words of Alex from “A Clockwork Orange”: “I was cured alright”.

Still, whatever you think and whatever the ending means, the fact that the film provokes questions in the first place (pertinent questions, not “what the hell did I just watch?”) is an accomplishment and proof that Shrader/Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” is more than just a movie.

The soundtrack, if you can get your hands on it, is as good standalone as watching the movie (which is something that can be said for very few movies). Scorsese convinced the legendary Bernard Hermann (”Citizen Kane”, “North by Northwest”, “Psycho” and “The Twilight Zone” TV theme, plus many more) to score the film, and he died, shortly after the recording was complete. The official soundtrack album has a mix or the original orchestrations from the film, and some jazz riffs on the main theme, plus, and extended “Diary of a Taxi Driver” track with DeNiro’s voice over narration from the film. Terrific to listen to as you walk with your iPod, through the rain, on the lonely city streets of the world.

Original Trailer:

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