Suffering from insomnia, disturbed loner Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) takes a job as a New York City cabbie, haunting the streets nightly, growing increasingly detached from reality as he dreams of cleaning up the filthy city. When Travis meets pretty campaign worker Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), he becomes obsessed with the idea of saving the world, first plotting to assassinate a presidential candidate, then directing his attentions toward rescuing 12-year-old prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster).
Taxi Driver (1976)
Director: Martin Scorsese
the Phone call Scene
Q. Describe the style if this scene. why is the scene shot is such unusual manner?
In this scene Travis calls Betsy to apologize for taking her to an adult theater for their first date. It seems that Travis being a loner and socially awkward had no idea that taking to a girl to watch such kind of movie in the first date was inappropriate. The framing of the shot is unusual as well because the negative space is left on the opposite side of the character, making look away and looks a bit unbalanced. This unusual framing shows the disconnection of the two individuals. Also, we can only hear Travis’s side of the conversation whereas Betsy’s voice is inaudible. The disconnection between the two characters is clear. As the phone call is happening, the camera tracks toward the empty and poorly lit hallway. This somehow coveys the sense of loneliness and rejection from Betsy. It’s also possible that Betsy didn’t respond to the call in the first place and Travis is just pretending to talk to her in order to cope his loneliness and rejection.
"you talking to me?"
Q. How does this scene break with classical style? What is the scene trying to convey about Travis's character?
The classical style of Hollywood movies usually has linear storyline, avoids realism and is predictable and simple which makes an audience to understand the narrative easily. But in case of this scene, Travis is talking to himself, looking at the mirror and rehearsing the firearms which be bought recently. This particular scene was unpredictable and shows realism. This scene shows how he fails to connect with someone or be a part of the society. He repetitively says, “You talking to me?”, shows how lonely he is and how isolated he is in his own world. It somewhat feels like he’s trying to be ‘badass’ but is forced to talk to himself looking at the mirror.
the ending
Q. What is the meaning of this final sequence of the film?
After killing the three people and leaving Iris abandon her life as a prostitute, Travis tries to kill himself, but he’s out of bullets. While he’s wounded and sits in a couch, the cops arrive. He pretends to shoot himself in head with his bloody fingers, the cops just look at silently pointing the gun towards him. The camera pans to the high angle with sort of “birds eye view” and shows all the violence, dead bodies and blood on the walls. The next scene, we can hear the voice of the father of Iris thanking Travis for saving and bringing back his daughter. Travis is shown as a hero in this scene and the movie ends with a Travis giving a free taxi ride to Betsy. This overall final sequence feels like the dream, more than a reality.
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