Hilarious how you're reasoning with this movie early on, giving Travis every benefit of the doubt. I swear, younger viewers go into 70's classics like unsuspecting tourists taking a wrong turn in the downtown area at night. Your sensitivity to the wisdom and compassion underneath the Iris scenes is rare. Grim and relentless as this movie is, there is soul in the writing.
HAHA yeah I discuss in the review that exact thing - that I gave Travis the benefit of the doubt. Like I thought the "scum of the city" was literally about the actual trash... silly me. I tend to assume the best in people/characters initially.
Reading an analysis of the movie, i read the dirty movie incident was an unconscious sabotage of the possibility of a relationship. He's also suffering from PTSD from Vietnam -- which many people fail to get.
Must admit, a baseline fact like this ignored and unknown by the watching reactor kinda annoys me. But, I suppose we all shouldn't be able to know everything I suppose. In this movie reactor environment at least. (Noticing how Scorsese looks like would be good...) But hey, I love her reactions with this channel anyway
This movie acted as an inspiration for a real life assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1981. The gunman, John Hinkley Jr had an obsession with Jodie Foster. He used to write to her, managed to get hold of her phone number and called her and despite her being quite clear that she wasn't interested. He even enrolled on a college course at Yale after reading that she studied there. He admitted he saw 'Taxi Driver' 15+ times and like Bickle, he decided the only way to impress Foster and become a nationally recognised figure was to kill the President. He very nearly succeeded when he fired six shots in just under 2 seconds as the President was leaving a function, wounding three people including Reagan himself.One of the shots ricocheted off the limo entered Reagan, breaking a rib and punctured his lung causing serious internal bleeding. He is recorded as killing one, James Brady the Presidents Press Secretary even though he died 33 years after the shooting. The coroner decided there was enough evidence to say the brain injury he suffered directly caused his death at 73 despite the gap in time.
Fantastic commentary (as usual). You were so right on about the music: Bernard Herrman's first movie was "Citizen Kane" (1941) and did tons of movies, including "Psycho" and lots of Hitchcock films. "Taxi Driver" was his last score and, in fact, he died after recording the score, he went to his hotel and died! So absolutely, the score is a throwback in many ways. Jodie Foster was 12....but she was the most experienced person on the set! She had been a child actor since she was 3 and a veteran of a bazillion commercials, TV shows and movies, including Scorsese's previous film, the feminist drama "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore". She often says that De Niro, Keitel and Scorsese were more nervous about her scenes than she was!
This movie is a minds eye into someone who becomes socially isolated and their frustration and unhappiness builds until it erupts in violence. The movie is relevant after all these years because these shooting rampages still occur. Here Travis targets the Senator not because he dislikes him but it's means to an end to be recognized even if it's a bad act. Through some strange twist of fate he is thwarted and his second target ironically makes him a hero. In a strange way Travis is like Batman but we don't regard him in the same light.
His whole plan was not to kill Palatine, He made sure the secret service agent spotted him and chased him out, His whole plan the whole time was to save Iris
I think a lot about the scene between Travis and Peter Boyle's character outside the diner. It's the closest Travis comes to admitting something is wrong. But the moment quickly passes and it's just the downward slope. Tragic.
Travis was desperately reaching for a lifeline at that moment, but Wizard wasn’t equipped to help him unfortunately. A well-meaning average Joe giving regular-guy advice, not knowing he was talking to a rapidly-deteriorating ticking time bomb.
Travis being revered as a hero is something I find terrifying. Sure, the outcome wasn't the worst of what was possible. And sure, it's good to think Iris is saved. The shootout is bloody and gory and terrifying, but ultimately can be seen as a good deed. But we've seen the kind of person Travis is, we know that he only went after pimps because Palantine assassination failed. But you if you only read the newspaper article or the letter from Iris' parents, you think "oh, such a good guy, such a hero, stood up for the girl when no one else would." Travis will go on for the rest of his life thinking he did everything right, that everything's right with him. And, more importnantly, every other Travis Bickle out there, lonely deranged and in need of the urgent phycological help, will also read the article and think "Hey, that's the solution, I can just go shoot some people I don't like and be a hero in the end"
Travis was trying to shoot himself, but he ran out of ammo. I don't think he saw himself as a hero doing a good deed by saving Iris at the moment doing it. He just wanted to go out with a bang, by letting out all his anger and frustration at once. When I watched the movie the first time, I believed the ending was the fantasy of a dying man. Although I read an interview in which the director said the ending was a criticism of the media, I still prefer to think that it was just in his head.
@@Funnysterste Both are true. He definitely was trying to go out with the bang in the moment of the shootout. Just like he can't see the difference between a normal movie and porn, he can't see the difference between assassination of a presidential candidate to spite the woman who rejected him and attacking a bunch of creeps sexually exploiting a little girl. It was in no way heroic. But only we as the audience know that. The public doesn't know that and Travis doesn't know that either. At no point is he capable of grasping just how insane he is. And since he's framed as a hero, he begins to see himself as one. I mean, why else pin the newspaper clippings to the wall, right? Moreover, it isn't even a humble "I did what I had to do" kind of hero but a hero with a smug "you looked down on me and here I am on top" kind of demeanor he gives Betsy. He leaves the movie having learned the worst possible lessons. P.s.: You do have the right for your own interpretation, even if it's not the intended one. I absolutely don't mean to discourage that.
@@eatoneaton You have some very good points there. At the very end of the film, after he leaves Betsy and drives off into the night, he looks in the rearview mirror and for a brief moment the picture and sound are distorted. For me, when I first saw the film, that was a clue that this was a dream sequence of a man bleeding to death.
@@Funnysterste I had that association with the flash at first, but later came to see it as more of a timer resetting. Like Travis can only be fine for a short while and will eventually go on another rampage or do something equally drastic. But again, your view of it is also valid. Actually, fun fact: this dying man dream sequence interpretation's existence is the reson Schrader wrote First Reformed the way he did. He said that while he didn't intend the dream sequence, he liked the idea of the double entendre and later, when writing First Reformed, intentionally designed an ending with two interpretations in mind
I don't know if anyone has pointed this out, but given when the movie came out and Travis stating that he was a 26 year old retired Marine... He was likely drafted and fought in the tunnels during Vietnam. Which would explain his insomnia/PTSD/mindset throughout. A lot of broken men came back from that experience.
@@treywatson89 DeNiro is 5'10, which is too tall for a tunnel rat... the 🐀 were short kings who were sent to the Army engineering corp (Travis claims to be a Marine and wouldn't even have been considered for tunnel duty) I highly recommend The Tunnels of Chu Chi if the tunnel fighting of Vietnam is of interest.
@@LordVolkovI don't know or care about the tunnels. I'm just saying, I know exactly how tall I am, and he is shorter. It's not complicated. You do t need to get so defensive. Almost everyone in Hollywood lies about their height. Also, tom is like 5'6" and wears lifts.
Interesting to note that the blood looks like ketchup in that last scene because Martin Scorsese didn't want the movie to lose the R rating cause if they make it dark red it'll be X-rated, so he changed it in post to desaturate the color.
Great reaction like always, love this masterpiece of Scosese. And some fun-facts about it. The famous "You talkin' to me?" line came from Bruce Springsteen. Robert De Niro improvised that whole paranoid monologue, including what would become the movie’s most famous line. (The film's screenwriter, Paul Schrader, later said, “It’s the best thing in the movie, and I didn’t write it.”) De Niro got the line from Bruce Springsteen, whom he’d seen perform in Greenwich Village just days earlier, at one in a series of concerts leading up to the release of Born to Run. When the audience called out his name, The Boss did a bit where he feigned humility and said, “You talkin’ to me?” Apparently it stuck in De Niro’s mind. Paul Schrader rewrote Jodie Foster's character in Taxi Driver after meeting an underage prostitute in New York City. While in New York for pre-production and cast meetings, Schrader was moping in a bar late one night when he picked up a young woman. He told it to Film Comment in 1975: “I was shocked by my success until we got back to my hotel and I realized that she was: (1) a hooker; (2) underage; and (3) a junkie. Well, at the end of the night I sent Marty [Scorsese] a note saying, ‘Iris is in my room. We’re having breakfast at nine. Will you please join us?’ So we came down, Marty came down, and a lot of the character of Iris was rewritten from this girl who had a concentration span of about 20 seconds. Her name was Garth.”
I called that 800 number that scrolled at the bottom. Strangely enough it was J.K. Simmons who picked up. He and I had a nice conversation about how you haven't seen Whiplash. And then he asked for pictures of Spider-Man. 🚕
One thing you should know is the ending is considered a fantasy, Travis actually gets shot by the police and dies but the happy ending is what he would of liked to have happened, Iris going back to school, the city being cleaned, Betsy coming back to him. but you can tell it's not real when he looks into the rear view mirror and realizes he's dead. It's already been confirmed by the director. Also the movie is a commentary on War veterans coming back dealing with PTSD and not being able to cope in modern society.
Albert Brooks! Always great in everything, also at the beginning when he’s being interviewed at the taxi company and about his military record he looks pained when answering , probably pretty bad PTSD , and Scorsese and the screenplay writer both said that the ending was how it happened and he wasn’t dreaming while dying, thanks
good reaction ! the reason you think the music reminds you of older movies is that its by bernard herrmann who did a lot of scores for hitchcock and welles ! this was actually his last work and he died shortly after completing the recording so the film is dedicated to him
This was back when a film was made in New York, the city itself was a character in the film. It's something that won't ever exist again on film. The look and feel of the city and the fact NY was so dirty, grungy, and unsafe, but had so much character and charm.
Fine reaction I enjoyed it very much thanks I believe this is the first post I've seen from this channel and I intend to watch more, subscribe and look through the back catalog considering the quality of this reaction. As for Taxi Driver one of the things I like best about it is the showcase it provides for great 70s era east coast (U.S. ) based character actors who make a strong impression even in small roles, in addition to the excellent principle cast. I'm thinking of people like Peter Boyle (as elder sage cubbie Wizard) and the late great Joe Spinell who plays the testy cabstand boss who hires Travis and is one of the first and few characters who shows Travis a measure of anything resembling respect (after a fraught introduction) upon learning Travis is a fellow Marine vet. Joe's career is like a road map to touchstone American cinema of the era, having turned in small but memorable roles in films like Rocky one and two, The Godfather one and two and many more. Though the cabbie boss rolle is brief and incidental details like his craggy, granite faced countenance and New Yawk attitude that lends Taxi Driver it's undeniable sense of realism amid it's often surreal elements.
The Birds had no score. Herrmann had done one but Hitchcock decided not to use it. It created a rift between the two and they never worked together again.
@@walterlewis1526 I forgot Birds had no music lol. But it was Torn Curtain that they were feuding over. Herrmann recorded a soundtrack and was “fired” then it was redone by John Addison
This movie is so intense, but it takes the time to build the story. Martin Scorsese is such an incredible filmmaker and he definitely knows how to pull an amazing performance out of De Niro.
Not a bad actor either. Not sure if you realised KL that it was a bearded Scorsese playing a cameo as the cab passenger talking about killing his silhouetted wife in the window.
In your journey of Robert De Niro don't miss out on Casino and the Godfather trilogy, though he isn't in all three movies, but I always think of the saga as one story that has to be enjoyed in total.
I saw this movie when I was pretty young, maybe 16-17, and I’ve always really liked it. For me, the most important thing is how unique it is. I know that’s not a very deep analysis, but I crave movies that show us something new. This is a character I had never seen in a film, a storyline we don’t get very often, and presented with Scorsese’s magic. I’m sure others will tell you this, but you should also watch King of Comedy (also Scorsese and DeNiro) and possibly Joker (which is heavily inspired by both).
I see so much of the inspiration pulled from this for 2019's Joker. I always thought that Travis went through the motions so much, that when the time came, he would act and not hesitate. I believe that is what happened with the shoplifter. Just like the military, you train to react and not think when it's life or death. 23:31 The guy with the face that is fresh in your mind is Harvey Keitel and I know him the most from (Quentin Tarantino's) Reservoir Dogs and (Ridley Scott's) Thelma and Louise. In some of the scenes like the kiss with Keitel at 28:37, it was actually her older sister as a stand in who was like 19 or 20. Still can't believe Jodie Foster was just 12 while filming this, but I do want to say that I heard that they made sure she was okay doing this role because of the subject matter her character dealt with and they had therapists on set for her during. They were keeping track of her mental health, which is cool to see for a film from the 70s.
He wasn’t talking cleaning up literal garbage off the streets. He was talking about the people he despises. The people he deals with while on the job. He’s lonely and he has a cynical outlook towards the lowlifes of society.
The film's writer Paul Schrader has told this story about a guy showing up to his office after this movie had been released. The guy wanted to know how Schrader knew about his life enough to write about it. Schrader describes it as a very tense interaction. It's easy to see how someone could relate to a character like Travis, particularly those that live in environments (70's NYC being an extreme example) that they can't understand and seemingly have no place in. With nowhere or no one to turn to, they turn inward and can see wisdom in their worst impulses. Along with "Raging Bull" (probably Deniro's greatest performance), this is Scorsese's peak.
Identification is really key to something like this. I'm reminded of how Joe Strummer from the Clash was so taken by the movie that he adopted the mohawk hairstyle because of it. The screenwriter, Paul Schrader, wrote the script while living on someone's couch during a divorce. Scorsese, during the filming, would get drunk and mess around with a pistol. But you have to be in touch with the darkness in all of us to really feel what this movie is saying. And the weird thing is, De Niro himself fell away from that reality. He recently compared Donald Trump to Travis Bickle, which must have seemed like a ringing anti-endorsement to his own ears, but probably felt like a betrayal to everyone who identified with the character. It's not what Travis does, it's how he is. *So* many people know what it's like to be a disaffected loner.
I don't think we're meant to identify with Travis in the sense of wanting to be like him in any way. I think he's meant as a cautionary tale. The fact that many of us can relate to being at a "disaffected loner" point in life is not to say that Travis is okay because we've all been there. It's to warn us that if we aren't careful, being a disaffected loner can suck us down the drain like it does Travis.
@@derekfnord It's not saying that people want to be Travis Bickle. I mean, there are some, I'm sure. But people can relate to that darkness. Even if it's not as a caution, which it could be. But even as a description of something that's already happening. I think for the director, when he got into the dark area of that, it maybe was more of an affectation. But I get the impression that Schrader was really in that space. He's since rewritten the movie a few times, in different ways, once with Willem DaFoe, and once with Ethan Hawke. I think he put a lot of himself into it.
Like I said, such a great character driven movie , Robert DeNiro was so great at showing Travis s arc and his mental decent. Got to love the gritty 70s filming. Yes, this is a very rewatchable movie. Social media and messageboards have just given loners and incel like Travis a place to spread their misogyny, anger at women and their views on how the world has treated them
Ah, Robert De Nero in Brazil movie by Terry Gilliam. Also, has Michael Palin as Terry both were in Monty Python. Brazil is just one of Terry Gilliams masterpieces.
😄👍 It's always interesting how older people like me mainly think of Albert Brooks as a 1970s stand-up comedian, while younger people like you usually only know him as the voice of Marlon in the "Finding Nemo" franchise. 🐠 The scene where De Niro points a gun at the mirror and says, "You Talkin'a Me?" has been heavily parodied over the years, most notably in the third "Back To The Future" movie. Very few people agree with me on this, but my two favorite Martin Scorsese films are "After Hours" (1985) and "Hugo" (2011). The former is his lone foray into flat-out comedy, and the later, probably his most poignant and least violent film.
Great reaction, as always! I don't know if you noticed or not, but the guy in the back seat who said he would kill his wife was Martin Scorsese. I didn't know he was that good of an actor until I saw this movie for the first time.
Well, it makes sense for Travis to lash out violently moreso than others given that he served in a special forces unit as a Marine in Vietnam. He has untreated PTSD as well.
The slow descent into madness. Ennui, isolation, dissociation ... combined with mental health problems. The Mohawk hairstyle was worn in World War Two by of the first paratroopers to jump into occupied Europe. Check Travis' eyes in the mirror at the very end; Travis is still not well. Imagine the shootout scene on a large theater screen.
There's one thing about the people who live in NYC, they either love it or they totally despise it but there's no middle ground. At least with the people I've talked to who have lived there or still live there.
I think a lot of movies filmed in 70s New York show that it really is it's own world compared to everywhere else. New York really is it's own character. From what I know from movies of the time, movies that were set in 70s NY, and the real-life stories, New York is what Travis Bickle says... it was a cesspool of seediness, scum, and corruption. Taxi Driver emphasised the seedy parts of NY, and if you get a chance to watch Serpico with Al Pacino, the movie will emphasise how much corruption there was. I'm surprised you didn't comment on Travis testing his pain tolerance over a burning stove. Probably distracted by a shirtless De Niro. 😉 Also, at 1:23, when you said "I'm the dumbass. It's me.", I've got the chorus of Anti-Hero by Taylor Swift playing in my head. Can't not hear that. 😁 Editing because I forgot to put the emoji. 🚕
This type of grim film about the loneliness of certain men, which manifests itself as an aversion to the worst general aspects of society in an almost misanthropic (and misogynistic) way, is particularly requested on movie reaction channels and although I enjoy them because they are excellent films, sometimes I think they skew a little the public's view of renowned directors. Scorsese has many films about the megalomania of men in modern America but he has a couple of beautiful little-discussed films. I recommend The Age of Innocence to any fan of romantic films and The Last Temptation of Christ and Silence to anyone who wants to see a Christian film that dares to question the dogmas of religion.
Age of Innocence is a must see. One of the most memorable movie endings ever. I would also recommend Bringing out the Dead and, weirdly enough, Hugo. Hugo especially. People tend to overlook it because it's a cgi kids movie, which it is and is fine at being that in the beginning when the protagonist is stuck at the train station tending to himself, but then he meets... to avoid the off chance of spoiling anything, let's say an important but largely forgotten film director, and things really take a turn. The only outright cinephilic movie Marty ever made and its absolutely incredible
Great Film and Reaction. Ive watched a troubled Insomniac Individual with PTSD symptoms wanting to connect with other people but his Mental Illness and trauma is control him making them uncomfortable which isn't his fault. Travis really wanted to get help but then goes on a Violent Spree wanting to save a very young Jodie Foster
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34:04 Taxi Driver was the pinnacle of 70s realism. other great films of that era- the french connection, the exorcist, the conversation, midnight cowboy (technically 1969), all the presidents men, marathon man, dog day afternoon, serpico, three days of the condor, network, klute, and lastly-the deer hunter (also de niro , with christopher walken and a young meryl streep.). i would not put the godfather i & ii in this category, but of course they are great too. maybe apocalypse now to round it off.
Jodie was Not 14 in Taxi Driver, she was 12 1/2. Look at when the film was Filmed (not when it came out) & look at what Year & what "Month" she was born.
The part where he says "I think I got stomach cancer" is so random and out of place compared to everything else he says there. 😆 That part always made me LOL The blood doesn't look right because the censors made him tone it down to avoid an X rating. This movie is disturbing in so many ways that it's hard to list them all.
Such a great movie and beautifully shot and scored (amongst everything else). Since you’ve seen Pulp Fiction… Easy Andy the gun salesman is Steven Prince a friend of Scorsese’s. A couple of years later he made a short documentary of Prince just telling stories about his life called American Boy. It was hard to find for decades but clearly Tarantino saw it because the adrenaline needle scene was pretty verbatim a story Prince tells in the documentary. He’s such an engaging storyteller and even his tiny screen time in Taxi Driver he’s engaging.
That's right... you haven't requested an emoji in a while. 🚕 There you go! So... I've never actually seen this movie. I've heard about it, and have seen endless references to it in other films. DeNiro is good. Jodie is good. Cybil is good. Everyone else... Meh. It's okay. It's a dark, gritty film that examines darkness in Viet Nam veterans. (What you showed on UA-cam doesn't specifically state that, but he's a Marine, got out in 73. When he's exercising, you can see his massive scarring. I presume that he got that in Viet Nam, having seen his share of action.) Much of the darkness of 70's movies comes from the national dealing with that particular trauma. For the ostracization of those returning, and the national rejection of the war, in general. (The US having had the gestalt of being the victors in WWII. Korea and Viet Nam rather dampened that national pride. And... 70s movies seem to deal with that.) But... that's just my opinion. I grew up in the 60s and 70s. My brother served in the Army in 75 and beyond. So, he didn't see any action. But, he did experience some of the military mindset that was a residue of that earlier time. As for me? I was too fat to serve. But, unlike my son, the Marine, who also was too fat to serve, I was unwilling to do the work to lose the weight to serve. Not so, my son. But... I do remember the strange... darkness over the psyches of folks living back then. And, the movies... lots of them... reflected that darkness. Seen in the film color pallets, and dramatic choices of the time. So... I was actually quite uplifted when the original Star Wars came out in 1977. It marked the end of that time. Movies started getting better after that. And, well... Ronald Regan, 1980, marked "Morning in America". And, optimism seemed to return. For a time. (I don't know if anyone mentioned it in the remarks. I don't read them. I'm glad that you do. You've always been gracious about that. Thank you. This movie, and Travis's obsessions were the fictional motivation for John Hinkley's real-life assassination attempt on Ronald Regan in 1981. He was doing it to impress Jodie Foster. So... yeah... there are lot of sad, mentally sick people out there. *sigh*) At any rate... I appreciate you watching this. I haven't seen any other reactors watch it. But, that's okay. It's not a movie I would have chosen to watch on my own. So, I was glad that you shared it with us. My only regret is that, while it is an excellent film from a top-notch director, and first rate actors... it's an unpleasant movie about unpleasant things, from an unpleasant time that I don't mind not remembering too well. Thank you, again, for the watch. I hope you're doing okay. I'll look forward to what you choose to share next. I hope you have a pleasant evening, and a nice rest of the summer.
The haircut was something that should not have been noticed. They had to cover his hair with the skin wig as well as shooting more scenes afterwards apparently. He had short hair in an earlier scene also I believe.
Scorsese had to specifically tweak the color of the blood (that you said looked like ketchup) because the film would have been an x rated without the change (and made zero money) and Scorsese refused to cut the film in any way. There is an old Hollywood tale (fact or fiction) that Scorsese, after learning of the impending x rating if he didn't edit a film he refused to edit, sat all night one night with a revolver and contemplated ending the ratings board before coming up with the idea to tweak the blood in post instead. He felt so strongly because he looked at Taxi Driver as his magnum opus. Its an interesting story even if its malarkey.
From your final thoughts, I think you'll really appreciate Midnight Cowboy, which I don't recall anyone else reviewing. If Jodie wasn't 12 and a half, she was about like Natalie Portman in Leon: the Profesional.
PS: De Niro and Scorsese made a string of classics together, including Raging Bull (1980), The King Of Comedy (1982 - I'm dying for you to see this one!), Cape Fear (1991), Casino (1995 - almost a sequel to Goodfellas), Mean Streets (1973).....even the recent Killers Of The Flower Moon and The Irishman are good. Without De Niro, do not miss "After Hours", a dark comedy, one of his (and the 80s') best! "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" is also really good.
He took the gun and beat the corpse (the corner store clerk) to stage the robbery and shooting in a more self-defense way, he was protecting Travis-Pay it forward.
The score was by Bernard Herrman who did the score for Hitchcock's PSYCHO. Watching this movie now it seems really dated, I'm very close to Jody Foster's age, anyway I enjoyed your reaction.
Easy Andy might be my very favorite minor character in any movie ever. Glad that you reacted to this - for a very long time, this was my favorite film (it has since been overtaken by A Serious Man). That Bernard Hermann still pops into my head every time I drive at night.
@@reservoirdude92 It's when I came to terms with the fact that my subconscious can understand and appreciate a film for reasons it won't totally share with me, and that I'm fine with that.
I see Travis as more of a movie prototype of an incel. He has that line about women being in a union. One trait of incels is that they think women conspire together against incels. I don't see Travis as trying to figure out anything about himself. What I see him doing in this movie is mimicking how other people act. A clue is when he takes Betsy to a porn theater. In the '70s it was trendy for couples to go to porn theaters together, but of course not everyone did it. Travis knew enough to be aware of the trend but he lacked the social skills to understand that Betsy might not be into it. That's why he was so frustrated and angry with her. He thought he was doing what everyone else does so why did she reject it. He's this way even before the movie starts. He's a trainwreck and we get to see what leads up to the crash.
You think that way because you're an idiot who probably thinks the MCU is the pinnacle of cinema. That people like you condemn Travis as pure evil yet don't mention Sport, the guy pimping out a twelve year old says it all. On a side note, if all "incels" converted to Islam, you'd bend over backwards to excuse their disgusting misogyny.
That’s funny that you picked up on the music of the film and compared it the music of older films from the 60s and 70s Well this was actually the final film score of legendary composer Bernard Herman. The composer who scored so many classic film scores including the score to Psycho and the theme for The Twilight Zone.
Your assessments are really good. Fairly early in the film, you pick up on most of its important themes. Yeah, we didn't have the word then but it seemed like Travis was going to go incel, didn't it? New York truly was its own culture then. It was also very dirty and going bankrupt. Some of that culture was truly great (punk rock, off-Broadway theatre, the downtown music/art/dance/drag scene) and some of it was truly horrific. Iris was not unique. There was a whole cottage industry of turning runaway kids into prostitutes, and they even had specific streets and neighbourhoods where they congregated. The Ramones song 53rd. and 3rd. is about this.
It’s amazing how raw and disturbing this film still is almost 50 years later. ‘70s films captured the zeitgeist of their era like no period before or since. NYC really was that openly seedy and debauched back then. It feels like everything in the film has a coating of grime on it. The playful banter between Cybill Shepherd and Albert Brooks is the only sliver of light in the whole film. Brooks is an absolute delight (but then, he usually is).
Another good 70s gritty film written by Paul Schrader who wrote Taxi Driver is “Hardcore” with George C Scott and Peter Boyle, disturbing subject for sure, thanks
Love this series every time, KL! 😍Wonder what the next episode will be like though. Can't wait to see! It would be great if you could check your inbox by the way. We've sent you one!🤗
I think the ending is supposed to be a dream that he experiences before he dies. Not that it actually happened. Notice how neat he's looking. Everything is like a dream in that last series of sequences.
@@brobbus0-dl6vlExactly. Finally someone corrected individuals spreading the "dream sequences copout" theory. I believe Scorsese on the double Blu-ray disc of the Departed he put that theory to rest.
My take on the end: throughout the movie, society is more of a backdrop to reflect Travis's lack of self-awareness, projection, etc; we're meant to judge *him*. But I feel like the ending is where it really turns into a critique of society--they're encouraging his behavior and in a twist, even Betsy gives an indication of approval for his murderous rampage. Granted, there was some positive outcome, but I still think it paints a broader brush of how it's not just Travis that's messed up.
the reason the blood looks like ketchup is because this movie was very controversial when it was released and they had to tone it down because it was going to get an X rating
There are a lot of layers and hidden meanings in this film which is hard to grasp on the first viewing. I recommend watching it a second time and then watching Collative Learning's in-depth analysis of it here on UA-cam. It will be time well spent. Also, let's be thankful for the fearless 70s. Due to political correctness, a film like this could NEVER BE MADE TODAY. And that's a shame. And before someone says it... No, Joker doesn't count.
The "incel personality" that you're talking about (and I'm assuming you're talking about these type of young men with mental illness who turn violent?) is way more common now than in the 70s. Yes, they did exist. But I'm old enough to remember how rare it was. it really mushroomed as a result of the internet & social media.
@@kaiielle Well, I don't know how hidden they could have kept it if they were murdering people. I guess what I'm saying is that a certain kind of violent offender--lonely, isolated, mentally ill person who gets it in their head to shoot a lot strangers in public--that was a lot rarer 50 years ago than now. Now it's almost a daily occurrence & we're so inured to it we hardly even notice. I don't think that was really a thing in the 70s like it is now. I was a little kid then so maybe I just didn't notice it. Anyway, I'm glad you watched this! It's one of my favorite Scorsese movies.
_Incel personality -and I'm assuming you're talking about these type of young men with mental illness who turn violent_ _Well, I don't know how hidden they could have kept it if they were murdering people_ No, that's not what incel means. Incel mean "involuntarily celibate" people who harbor hostility towards those who are not celibate. And no, not all incels are mentally ill or lash out. And no, it wasn't more rare back then and just blew up in recent years. It's only known about more today due to the internet and social media. Whereas back in the 1970s, incels didn't have a platform to voice their complaints, so most thought their loneliness and anger was unique to them. But it wasn't. Writer Paul Schrader would get approached by many many men just like Travis after the film came out and he had to explain to them that their feelings weren't unique and men everywhere had these issues.
If you're interested in another great 70s movie that unfortunately, like "Taxi Driver, is as poignant today as it was when it was made, check out the Oscar winning "Network" from 1976.
Hilarious how you're reasoning with this movie early on, giving Travis every benefit of the doubt. I swear, younger viewers go into 70's classics like unsuspecting tourists taking a wrong turn in the downtown area at night. Your sensitivity to the wisdom and compassion underneath the Iris scenes is rare. Grim and relentless as this movie is, there is soul in the writing.
HAHA yeah I discuss in the review that exact thing - that I gave Travis the benefit of the doubt. Like I thought the "scum of the city" was literally about the actual trash... silly me. I tend to assume the best in people/characters initially.
@@kaiielle It's a good thing. Truly great films work best on the sensitive, not the cynical.
@@kaiielle hey please react wołyn 2016-polish movie!
Reading an analysis of the movie, i read the dirty movie incident was an unconscious sabotage of the possibility of a relationship. He's also suffering from PTSD from Vietnam -- which many people fail to get.
The girl at the counter of the porn theater was actually Deniro's wife at the time.
The guy in the back seat of the cab threatening to kill his wife, was the director Martin Scorsese.
Must admit, a baseline fact like this ignored and unknown by the watching reactor kinda annoys me. But, I suppose we all shouldn't be able to know everything I suppose. In this movie reactor environment at least. (Noticing how Scorsese looks like would be good...)
But hey, I love her reactions with this channel anyway
@@billbabcock1833 I was going to say the same thing.
This movie acted as an inspiration for a real life assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1981. The gunman, John Hinkley Jr had an obsession with Jodie Foster. He used to write to her, managed to get hold of her phone number and called her and despite her being quite clear that she wasn't interested. He even enrolled on a college course at Yale after reading that she studied there. He admitted he saw 'Taxi Driver' 15+ times and like Bickle, he decided the only way to impress Foster and become a nationally recognised figure was to kill the President. He very nearly succeeded when he fired six shots in just under 2 seconds as the President was leaving a function, wounding three people including Reagan himself.One of the shots ricocheted off the limo entered Reagan, breaking a rib and punctured his lung causing serious internal bleeding. He is recorded as killing one, James Brady the Presidents Press Secretary even though he died 33 years after the shooting. The coroner decided there was enough evidence to say the brain injury he suffered directly caused his death at 73 despite the gap in time.
Fantastic commentary (as usual). You were so right on about the music: Bernard Herrman's first movie was "Citizen Kane" (1941) and did tons of movies, including "Psycho" and lots of Hitchcock films. "Taxi Driver" was his last score and, in fact, he died after recording the score, he went to his hotel and died! So absolutely, the score is a throwback in many ways. Jodie Foster was 12....but she was the most experienced person on the set! She had been a child actor since she was 3 and a veteran of a bazillion commercials, TV shows and movies, including Scorsese's previous film, the feminist drama "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore". She often says that De Niro, Keitel and Scorsese were more nervous about her scenes than she was!
Jody Foster was actually 12. Amazing performance from a child.
It is, though she was an experienced pro at this point.
The music was by Bernard Hermann - He died the day he finished recording it. He also scored Citizen Kane, and a bunch of Hitchcock films like Psycho.
This movie is a minds eye into someone who becomes socially isolated and their frustration and unhappiness builds until it erupts in violence. The movie is relevant after all these years because these shooting rampages still occur. Here Travis targets the Senator not because he dislikes him but it's means to an end to be recognized even if it's a bad act. Through some strange twist of fate he is thwarted and his second target ironically makes him a hero. In a strange way Travis is like Batman but we don't regard him in the same light.
Most men are more like the guy in the taxi, all talk.
There's one concept in this film I relate to on every level:
"I get up around one o'clock."
Nah, don't give Travis credit for the raid on the motel. He was planning to die killing Palentine. Saving Iris was an afterthought.
His whole plan was not to kill Palatine, He made sure the secret service agent spotted him and chased him out, His whole plan the whole time was to save Iris
I think a lot about the scene between Travis and Peter Boyle's character outside the diner. It's the closest Travis comes to admitting something is wrong.
But the moment quickly passes and it's just the downward slope. Tragic.
Travis was desperately reaching for a lifeline at that moment, but Wizard wasn’t equipped to help him unfortunately. A well-meaning average Joe giving regular-guy advice, not knowing he was talking to a rapidly-deteriorating ticking time bomb.
@@JohnWilliams-et3hh Also Boyle’s character isn’t equipped to deal with Travis’ issues.
Travis being revered as a hero is something I find terrifying. Sure, the outcome wasn't the worst of what was possible. And sure, it's good to think Iris is saved. The shootout is bloody and gory and terrifying, but ultimately can be seen as a good deed. But we've seen the kind of person Travis is, we know that he only went after pimps because Palantine assassination failed. But you if you only read the newspaper article or the letter from Iris' parents, you think "oh, such a good guy, such a hero, stood up for the girl when no one else would." Travis will go on for the rest of his life thinking he did everything right, that everything's right with him. And, more importnantly, every other Travis Bickle out there, lonely deranged and in need of the urgent phycological help, will also read the article and think "Hey, that's the solution, I can just go shoot some people I don't like and be a hero in the end"
Travis was trying to shoot himself, but he ran out of ammo. I don't think he saw himself as a hero doing a good deed by saving Iris at the moment doing it. He just wanted to go out with a bang, by letting out all his anger and frustration at once.
When I watched the movie the first time, I believed the ending was the fantasy of a dying man. Although I read an interview in which the director said the ending was a criticism of the media, I still prefer to think that it was just in his head.
@@Funnysterste Both are true. He definitely was trying to go out with the bang in the moment of the shootout. Just like he can't see the difference between a normal movie and porn, he can't see the difference between assassination of a presidential candidate to spite the woman who rejected him and attacking a bunch of creeps sexually exploiting a little girl. It was in no way heroic. But only we as the audience know that. The public doesn't know that and Travis doesn't know that either. At no point is he capable of grasping just how insane he is. And since he's framed as a hero, he begins to see himself as one. I mean, why else pin the newspaper clippings to the wall, right? Moreover, it isn't even a humble "I did what I had to do" kind of hero but a hero with a smug "you looked down on me and here I am on top" kind of demeanor he gives Betsy. He leaves the movie having learned the worst possible lessons.
P.s.: You do have the right for your own interpretation, even if it's not the intended one. I absolutely don't mean to discourage that.
@@eatoneaton You have some very good points there.
At the very end of the film, after he leaves Betsy and drives off into the night, he looks in the rearview mirror and for a brief moment the picture and sound are distorted. For me, when I first saw the film, that was a clue that this was a dream sequence of a man bleeding to death.
@@Funnysterste I had that association with the flash at first, but later came to see it as more of a timer resetting. Like Travis can only be fine for a short while and will eventually go on another rampage or do something equally drastic. But again, your view of it is also valid.
Actually, fun fact: this dying man dream sequence interpretation's existence is the reson Schrader wrote First Reformed the way he did. He said that while he didn't intend the dream sequence, he liked the idea of the double entendre and later, when writing First Reformed, intentionally designed an ending with two interpretations in mind
This one really does a great job at depicting 1976 NYC. It feels very authentic:) excellent reaction of this amazing character study:)
I don't know if anyone has pointed this out, but given when the movie came out and Travis stating that he was a 26 year old retired Marine... He was likely drafted and fought in the tunnels during Vietnam. Which would explain his insomnia/PTSD/mindset throughout. A lot of broken men came back from that experience.
@@treywatson89 DeNiro is 5'10, which is too tall for a tunnel rat... the 🐀 were short kings who were sent to the Army engineering corp (Travis claims to be a Marine and wouldn't even have been considered for tunnel duty)
I highly recommend The Tunnels of Chu Chi if the tunnel fighting of Vietnam is of interest.
@@LordVolkovlisted as 5'10". 100% untrue. Met him twice and he is definitely shorter than I am. I am 5'9".
@@crankfastle8138 Ok? The maximum height for the tunnel rats was 5'5". Are you claiming DeNiro is the same height as Tom Cruise?
@@crankfastle8138 And for the record, Cybill Shepherd is listed as 5'8", so compare their heights when they walk together...
@@LordVolkovI don't know or care about the tunnels. I'm just saying, I know exactly how tall I am, and he is shorter. It's not complicated. You do t need to get so defensive. Almost everyone in Hollywood lies about their height.
Also, tom is like 5'6" and wears lifts.
When watching Joker, I was struck by how much it was influenced by Taxi Driver. Both brilliant.
You should watch King of Comedy by Scorsese. Also with Robert DeNiro. After that watch Joker again :D
Interesting to note that the blood looks like ketchup in that last scene because Martin Scorsese didn't want the movie to lose the R rating cause if they make it dark red it'll be X-rated, so he changed it in post to desaturate the color.
It seems odd that the rating is based on the color tone of the blood. Good he got the R rating I guess.
Great reaction like always, love this masterpiece of Scosese. And some fun-facts about it. The famous "You talkin' to me?" line came from Bruce Springsteen.
Robert De Niro improvised that whole paranoid monologue, including what would become the movie’s most famous line. (The film's screenwriter, Paul Schrader, later said, “It’s the best thing in the movie, and I didn’t write it.”) De Niro got the line from Bruce Springsteen, whom he’d seen perform in Greenwich Village just days earlier, at one in a series of concerts leading up to the release of Born to Run. When the audience called out his name, The Boss did a bit where he feigned humility and said, “You talkin’ to me?” Apparently it stuck in De Niro’s mind.
Paul Schrader rewrote Jodie Foster's character in Taxi Driver after meeting an underage prostitute in New York City.
While in New York for pre-production and cast meetings, Schrader was moping in a bar late one night when he picked up a young woman. He told it to Film Comment in 1975: “I was shocked by my success until we got back to my hotel and I realized that she was: (1) a hooker; (2) underage; and (3) a junkie. Well, at the end of the night I sent Marty [Scorsese] a note saying, ‘Iris is in my room. We’re having breakfast at nine. Will you please join us?’ So we came down, Marty came down, and a lot of the character of Iris was rewritten from this girl who had a concentration span of about 20 seconds. Her name was Garth.”
I called that 800 number that scrolled at the bottom. Strangely enough it was J.K. Simmons who picked up. He and I had a nice conversation about how you haven't seen Whiplash. And then he asked for pictures of Spider-Man. 🚕
Classic PTSD behavior from a Vietnam Veteran; Marine especially. For some reason I missed that for years even though I grew up with Vets around.
One thing you should know is the ending is considered a fantasy, Travis actually gets shot by the police and dies but the happy ending is what he would of liked to have happened, Iris going back to school, the city being cleaned, Betsy coming back to him. but you can tell it's not real when he looks into the rear view mirror and realizes he's dead. It's already been confirmed by the director.
Also the movie is a commentary on War veterans coming back dealing with PTSD and not being able to cope in modern society.
Albert Brooks! Always great in everything, also at the beginning when he’s being interviewed at the taxi company and about his military record he looks pained when answering , probably pretty bad PTSD , and Scorsese and the screenplay writer both said that the ending was how it happened and he wasn’t dreaming while dying, thanks
good reaction ! the reason you think the music reminds you of older movies is that its by bernard herrmann who did a lot of scores for hitchcock and welles ! this was actually his last work and he died shortly after completing the recording so the film is dedicated to him
The best part of this movie is the three days (or ten years) you spend swimming in it after you watch it.
This was back when a film was made in New York, the city itself was a character in the film. It's something that won't ever exist again on film. The look and feel of the city and the fact NY was so dirty, grungy, and unsafe, but had so much character and charm.
Fine reaction I enjoyed it very much thanks I believe this is the first post I've seen from this channel and I intend to watch more, subscribe and look through the back catalog considering the quality of this reaction. As for Taxi Driver one of the things I like best about it is the showcase it provides for great 70s era east coast (U.S. ) based character actors who make a strong impression even in small roles, in addition to the excellent principle cast. I'm thinking of people like Peter Boyle (as elder sage cubbie Wizard) and the late great Joe Spinell who plays the testy cabstand boss who hires Travis and is one of the first and few characters who shows Travis a measure of anything resembling respect (after a fraught introduction) upon learning Travis is a fellow Marine vet. Joe's career is like a road map to touchstone American cinema of the era, having turned in small but memorable roles in films like Rocky one and two, The Godfather one and two and many more. Though the cabbie boss rolle is brief and incidental details like his craggy, granite faced countenance and New Yawk attitude that lends Taxi Driver it's undeniable sense of realism amid it's often surreal elements.
The guy in the back seat wanting to kill his wife was Martin Scorsese
Wonder if he ever did?
that ''honey, you got a real storm coming'' made me laugh so hard hahahahahaha
This is my second favorite film of all time. Love your reaction to it.
Bernard Herrmann did the score. He’s most know for doing some Hitchcock films, notably Vertigo, North by Northwest, The Birds, Psycho and more.
AHH that's why it sounded so familiar to me. (Just recently watched/reacted to Vertigo and Psycho is an older reaction but a very memorable score.)
The Birds had no score. Herrmann had done one but Hitchcock decided not to use it. It created a rift between the two and they never worked together again.
@@walterlewis1526 I forgot Birds had no music lol. But it was Torn Curtain that they were feuding over. Herrmann recorded a soundtrack and was “fired” then it was redone by John Addison
@@mattx449 Of course, you're right. After I wrote it, I thought "maybe it was Torn Curtain".
@@walterlewis1526 honestly torn curtain isn’t very high on my Hitchcock list 😂
My friend Dorothy's dad composed the score for this film. Really great reaction!
This movie is so intense, but it takes the time to build the story. Martin Scorsese is such an incredible filmmaker and he definitely knows how to pull an amazing performance out of De Niro.
Not a bad actor either. Not sure if you realised KL that it was a bearded Scorsese playing a cameo as the cab passenger talking about killing his silhouetted wife in the window.
In your journey of Robert De Niro don't miss out on Casino and the Godfather trilogy, though he isn't in all three movies, but I always think of the saga as one story that has to be enjoyed in total.
I saw this movie when I was pretty young, maybe 16-17, and I’ve always really liked it. For me, the most important thing is how unique it is. I know that’s not a very deep analysis, but I crave movies that show us something new. This is a character I had never seen in a film, a storyline we don’t get very often, and presented with Scorsese’s magic. I’m sure others will tell you this, but you should also watch King of Comedy (also Scorsese and DeNiro) and possibly Joker (which is heavily inspired by both).
King of Comedy + Taxi Driver = Joker (2019)
I see so much of the inspiration pulled from this for 2019's Joker. I always thought that Travis went through the motions so much, that when the time came, he would act and not hesitate. I believe that is what happened with the shoplifter. Just like the military, you train to react and not think when it's life or death. 23:31 The guy with the face that is fresh in your mind is Harvey Keitel and I know him the most from (Quentin Tarantino's) Reservoir Dogs and (Ridley Scott's) Thelma and Louise. In some of the scenes like the kiss with Keitel at 28:37, it was actually her older sister as a stand in who was like 19 or 20. Still can't believe Jodie Foster was just 12 while filming this, but I do want to say that I heard that they made sure she was okay doing this role because of the subject matter her character dealt with and they had therapists on set for her during. They were keeping track of her mental health, which is cool to see for a film from the 70s.
He wasn’t talking cleaning up literal garbage off the streets. He was talking about the people he despises. The people he deals with while on the job. He’s lonely and he has a cynical outlook towards the lowlifes of society.
I'm aware. See my response to the pinned comment!
The film's writer Paul Schrader has told this story about a guy showing up to his office after this movie had been released. The guy wanted to know how Schrader knew about his life enough to write about it. Schrader describes it as a very tense interaction. It's easy to see how someone could relate to a character like Travis, particularly those that live in environments (70's NYC being an extreme example) that they can't understand and seemingly have no place in. With nowhere or no one to turn to, they turn inward and can see wisdom in their worst impulses. Along with "Raging Bull" (probably Deniro's greatest performance), this is Scorsese's peak.
Identification is really key to something like this. I'm reminded of how Joe Strummer from the Clash was so taken by the movie that he adopted the mohawk hairstyle because of it. The screenwriter, Paul Schrader, wrote the script while living on someone's couch during a divorce. Scorsese, during the filming, would get drunk and mess around with a pistol. But you have to be in touch with the darkness in all of us to really feel what this movie is saying. And the weird thing is, De Niro himself fell away from that reality. He recently compared Donald Trump to Travis Bickle, which must have seemed like a ringing anti-endorsement to his own ears, but probably felt like a betrayal to everyone who identified with the character. It's not what Travis does, it's how he is. *So* many people know what it's like to be a disaffected loner.
I don't think we're meant to identify with Travis in the sense of wanting to be like him in any way. I think he's meant as a cautionary tale. The fact that many of us can relate to being at a "disaffected loner" point in life is not to say that Travis is okay because we've all been there. It's to warn us that if we aren't careful, being a disaffected loner can suck us down the drain like it does Travis.
@@derekfnord It's not saying that people want to be Travis Bickle. I mean, there are some, I'm sure. But people can relate to that darkness. Even if it's not as a caution, which it could be. But even as a description of something that's already happening. I think for the director, when he got into the dark area of that, it maybe was more of an affectation. But I get the impression that Schrader was really in that space. He's since rewritten the movie a few times, in different ways, once with Willem DaFoe, and once with Ethan Hawke. I think he put a lot of himself into it.
Like I said, such a great character driven movie , Robert DeNiro was so great at showing Travis s arc and his mental decent. Got to love the gritty 70s filming. Yes, this is a very rewatchable movie. Social media and messageboards have just given loners and incel like Travis a place to spread their misogyny, anger at women and their views on how the world has treated them
Yeah... X is a platform that has gotten much worse with that.
@@kaiielle I've noticed that. I use X and have seen it myself. I also have known guys who have exhibited that kind of thinking.
Ah, Robert De Nero in Brazil movie by Terry Gilliam. Also, has Michael Palin as Terry both were in Monty Python. Brazil is just one of Terry Gilliams masterpieces.
A lot of people never realized that the guy in the cab planning to kill his cheating wife was Martin Scorsese. Great scene.
I did not recognize him at ALL haha but to be fair, I've never looked up pics of younger Scorsese. I only know his face now.
Fun Fact: this movie was originally supposed to start Dustin Hoffman, and directed by Brian de Palma… That would’ve been a very different movie lol
OMG I could not imagine Dustin Hoffman in this role LOL
taxi driver is one of the greatest movies of all time easily and cemented robert de niros place among the greatest actors ever😂
😄👍 It's always interesting how older people like me mainly think of Albert Brooks as a 1970s stand-up comedian, while younger people like you usually only know him as the voice of Marlon in the "Finding Nemo" franchise. 🐠 The scene where De Niro points a gun at the mirror and says, "You Talkin'a Me?" has been heavily parodied over the years, most notably in the third "Back To The Future" movie. Very few people agree with me on this, but my two favorite Martin Scorsese films are "After Hours" (1985) and "Hugo" (2011). The former is his lone foray into flat-out comedy, and the later, probably his most poignant and least violent film.
Great reaction, as always! I don't know if you noticed or not, but the guy in the back seat who said he would kill his wife was Martin Scorsese. I didn't know he was that good of an actor until I saw this movie for the first time.
Well, it makes sense for Travis to lash out violently moreso than others given that he served in a special forces unit as a Marine in Vietnam. He has untreated PTSD as well.
The slow descent into madness. Ennui, isolation, dissociation ... combined with mental health problems. The Mohawk hairstyle was worn in World War Two by of the first paratroopers to jump into occupied Europe. Check Travis' eyes in the mirror at the very end; Travis is still not well.
Imagine the shootout scene on a large theater screen.
There's one thing about the people who live in NYC, they either love it or they totally despise it but there's no middle ground. At least with the people I've talked to who have lived there or still live there.
You can't ..........ARTICULATE OR ANALYZE THIS.
I ❤ Easy Andy
I think a lot of movies filmed in 70s New York show that it really is it's own world compared to everywhere else. New York really is it's own character. From what I know from movies of the time, movies that were set in 70s NY, and the real-life stories, New York is what Travis Bickle says... it was a cesspool of seediness, scum, and corruption. Taxi Driver emphasised the seedy parts of NY, and if you get a chance to watch Serpico with Al Pacino, the movie will emphasise how much corruption there was.
I'm surprised you didn't comment on Travis testing his pain tolerance over a burning stove. Probably distracted by a shirtless De Niro. 😉
Also, at 1:23, when you said "I'm the dumbass. It's me.", I've got the chorus of Anti-Hero by Taylor Swift playing in my head. Can't not hear that. 😁
Editing because I forgot to put the emoji. 🚕
This type of grim film about the loneliness of certain men, which manifests itself as an aversion to the worst general aspects of society in an almost misanthropic (and misogynistic) way, is particularly requested on movie reaction channels and although I enjoy them because they are excellent films, sometimes I think they skew a little the public's view of renowned directors.
Scorsese has many films about the megalomania of men in modern America but he has a couple of beautiful little-discussed films. I recommend The Age of Innocence to any fan of romantic films and The Last Temptation of Christ and Silence to anyone who wants to see a Christian film that dares to question the dogmas of religion.
I definitely want to watch all of his films! He's one of my favourite directors (Shutter Island is my #1 movie of his so far).
Age of Innocence is a must see. One of the most memorable movie endings ever. I would also recommend Bringing out the Dead and, weirdly enough, Hugo. Hugo especially. People tend to overlook it because it's a cgi kids movie, which it is and is fine at being that in the beginning when the protagonist is stuck at the train station tending to himself, but then he meets... to avoid the off chance of spoiling anything, let's say an important but largely forgotten film director, and things really take a turn. The only outright cinephilic movie Marty ever made and its absolutely incredible
Very accurate portrayal of New York City in the 70s
The score was by Bernard Herrman of "Psycho" fame this was his last score,he died the same year 👍❤️🎩
Great Film and Reaction. Ive watched a troubled Insomniac Individual with PTSD symptoms wanting to connect with other people but his Mental Illness and trauma is control him making them uncomfortable which isn't his fault. Travis really wanted to get help but then goes on a Violent Spree wanting to save a very young Jodie Foster
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34:04 Taxi Driver was the pinnacle of 70s realism. other great films of that era- the french connection, the exorcist, the conversation, midnight cowboy (technically 1969), all the presidents men, marathon man, dog day afternoon, serpico, three days of the condor, network, klute, and lastly-the deer hunter (also de niro , with christopher walken and a young meryl streep.). i would not put the godfather i & ii in this category, but of course they are great too. maybe apocalypse now to round it off.
Jodie was Not 14 in Taxi Driver, she was 12 1/2. Look at when the film was Filmed (not when it came out) & look at what Year & what "Month" she was born.
The part where he says "I think I got stomach cancer" is so random and out of place compared to everything else he says there. 😆
That part always made me LOL
The blood doesn't look right because the censors made him tone it down to avoid an X rating.
This movie is disturbing in so many ways that it's hard to list them all.
Such a great movie and beautifully shot and scored (amongst everything else). Since you’ve seen Pulp Fiction… Easy Andy the gun salesman is Steven Prince a friend of Scorsese’s. A couple of years later he made a short documentary of Prince just telling stories about his life called American Boy. It was hard to find for decades but clearly Tarantino saw it because the adrenaline needle scene was pretty verbatim a story Prince tells in the documentary. He’s such an engaging storyteller and even his tiny screen time in Taxi Driver he’s engaging.
Imagine someone would rewrite the script, so the plot takes place in the year 2024 with the internet and all the social media.
Peter Boyle was the grumpy gramps in "Everybody loves Raymond " natch🎩
That's right... you haven't requested an emoji in a while. 🚕 There you go!
So... I've never actually seen this movie. I've heard about it, and have seen endless references to it in other films.
DeNiro is good. Jodie is good. Cybil is good. Everyone else... Meh. It's okay. It's a dark, gritty film that examines darkness in Viet Nam veterans. (What you showed on UA-cam doesn't specifically state that, but he's a Marine, got out in 73. When he's exercising, you can see his massive scarring. I presume that he got that in Viet Nam, having seen his share of action.) Much of the darkness of 70's movies comes from the national dealing with that particular trauma. For the ostracization of those returning, and the national rejection of the war, in general. (The US having had the gestalt of being the victors in WWII. Korea and Viet Nam rather dampened that national pride. And... 70s movies seem to deal with that.)
But... that's just my opinion. I grew up in the 60s and 70s. My brother served in the Army in 75 and beyond. So, he didn't see any action. But, he did experience some of the military mindset that was a residue of that earlier time. As for me? I was too fat to serve. But, unlike my son, the Marine, who also was too fat to serve, I was unwilling to do the work to lose the weight to serve. Not so, my son. But... I do remember the strange... darkness over the psyches of folks living back then. And, the movies... lots of them... reflected that darkness. Seen in the film color pallets, and dramatic choices of the time. So... I was actually quite uplifted when the original Star Wars came out in 1977. It marked the end of that time. Movies started getting better after that. And, well... Ronald Regan, 1980, marked "Morning in America". And, optimism seemed to return. For a time.
(I don't know if anyone mentioned it in the remarks. I don't read them. I'm glad that you do. You've always been gracious about that. Thank you. This movie, and Travis's obsessions were the fictional motivation for John Hinkley's real-life assassination attempt on Ronald Regan in 1981. He was doing it to impress Jodie Foster. So... yeah... there are lot of sad, mentally sick people out there. *sigh*)
At any rate... I appreciate you watching this. I haven't seen any other reactors watch it. But, that's okay. It's not a movie I would have chosen to watch on my own. So, I was glad that you shared it with us. My only regret is that, while it is an excellent film from a top-notch director, and first rate actors... it's an unpleasant movie about unpleasant things, from an unpleasant time that I don't mind not remembering too well.
Thank you, again, for the watch. I hope you're doing okay. I'll look forward to what you choose to share next.
I hope you have a pleasant evening, and a nice rest of the summer.
29:37 that’s not just a “hair change.”
The haircut was something that should not have been noticed. They had to cover his hair with the skin wig as well as shooting more scenes afterwards apparently. He had short hair in an earlier scene also I believe.
Scorsese had to specifically tweak the color of the blood (that you said looked like ketchup) because the film would have been an x rated without the change (and made zero money) and Scorsese refused to cut the film in any way.
There is an old Hollywood tale (fact or fiction) that Scorsese, after learning of the impending x rating if he didn't edit a film he refused to edit, sat all night one night with a revolver and contemplated ending the ratings board before coming up with the idea to tweak the blood in post instead. He felt so strongly because he looked at Taxi Driver as his magnum opus. Its an interesting story even if its malarkey.
The bearded passenger is Director Scorcese🎩
See, this is why men need hobbies.
More like need therapy...
Love during his phone call to betsy the camera pans to the side as if its too pathetic to watch
From your final thoughts, I think you'll really appreciate Midnight Cowboy, which I don't recall anyone else reviewing.
If Jodie wasn't 12 and a half, she was about like Natalie Portman in Leon: the Profesional.
Lots of people went to the theater and watched 40 Shades
PS: De Niro and Scorsese made a string of classics together, including Raging Bull (1980), The King Of Comedy (1982 - I'm dying for you to see this one!), Cape Fear (1991), Casino (1995 - almost a sequel to Goodfellas), Mean Streets (1973).....even the recent Killers Of The Flower Moon and The Irishman are good. Without De Niro, do not miss "After Hours", a dark comedy, one of his (and the 80s') best! "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" is also really good.
15:53 It is called return of Saturn.
He took the gun and beat the corpse (the corner store clerk) to stage the robbery and shooting in a more self-defense way, he was protecting Travis-Pay it forward.
The score was by Bernard Herrman who did the score for Hitchcock's PSYCHO. Watching this movie now it seems really dated, I'm very close to Jody Foster's age, anyway I enjoyed your reaction.
Classic seventies movie!
Nice.
Everyone needs to know an Easy Andy!
Easy Andy might be my very favorite minor character in any movie ever.
Glad that you reacted to this - for a very long time, this was my favorite film (it has since been overtaken by A Serious Man). That Bernard Hermann still pops into my head every time I drive at night.
A Serious Man is way better than I thought when I first saw it. One of the Coens' more undervalued films.
@@reservoirdude92 It's when I came to terms with the fact that my subconscious can understand and appreciate a film for reasons it won't totally share with me, and that I'm fine with that.
Great film. The Batman (2022) was heavily inspired by this, in cinematography and tone.
I see Travis as more of a movie prototype of an incel. He has that line about women being in a union. One trait of incels is that they think women conspire together against incels. I don't see Travis as trying to figure out anything about himself. What I see him doing in this movie is mimicking how other people act. A clue is when he takes Betsy to a porn theater. In the '70s it was trendy for couples to go to porn theaters together, but of course not everyone did it. Travis knew enough to be aware of the trend but he lacked the social skills to understand that Betsy might not be into it. That's why he was so frustrated and angry with her. He thought he was doing what everyone else does so why did she reject it. He's this way even before the movie starts. He's a trainwreck and we get to see what leads up to the crash.
You think that way because you're an idiot who probably thinks the MCU is the pinnacle of cinema. That people like you condemn Travis as pure evil yet don't mention Sport, the guy pimping out a twelve year old says it all.
On a side note, if all "incels" converted to Islam, you'd bend over backwards to excuse their disgusting misogyny.
Are you reacting to me? Are you … reacting … to me?
That’s funny that you picked up on the music of the film and compared it the music of older films from the 60s and 70s
Well this was actually the final film score of legendary composer
Bernard Herman.
The composer who scored so many classic film scores including the score to
Psycho and the theme for
The Twilight Zone.
Your assessments are really good. Fairly early in the film, you pick up on most of its important themes. Yeah, we didn't have the word then but it seemed like Travis was going to go incel, didn't it?
New York truly was its own culture then. It was also very dirty and going bankrupt. Some of that culture was truly great (punk rock, off-Broadway theatre, the downtown music/art/dance/drag scene) and some of it was truly horrific. Iris was not unique. There was a whole cottage industry of turning runaway kids into prostitutes, and they even had specific streets and neighbourhoods where they congregated. The Ramones song 53rd. and 3rd. is about this.
It’s amazing how raw and disturbing this film still is almost 50 years later. ‘70s films captured the zeitgeist of their era like no period before or since.
NYC really was that openly seedy and debauched back then. It feels like everything in the film has a coating of grime on it.
The playful banter between Cybill Shepherd and Albert Brooks is the only sliver of light in the whole film. Brooks is an absolute delight (but then, he usually is).
Another good 70s gritty film written by Paul Schrader who wrote Taxi Driver is “Hardcore” with George C Scott and Peter Boyle, disturbing subject for sure, thanks
Jodie Foster was absolutely 12 years old when this was filmed.
Love this series every time, KL! 😍Wonder what the next episode will be like though. Can't wait to see! It would be great if you could check your inbox by the way. We've sent you one!🤗
I think the ending is supposed to be a dream that he experiences before he dies. Not that it actually happened. Notice how neat he's looking. Everything is like a dream in that last series of sequences.
No, it isn't. Scorsese has stated that the ending is NOT a dream.
No he really did all that in the end.
@@brobbus0-dl6vlExactly. Finally someone corrected individuals spreading the "dream sequences copout" theory. I believe Scorsese on the double Blu-ray disc of the Departed he put that theory to rest.
My take on the end: throughout the movie, society is more of a backdrop to reflect Travis's lack of self-awareness, projection, etc; we're meant to judge *him*. But I feel like the ending is where it really turns into a critique of society--they're encouraging his behavior and in a twist, even Betsy gives an indication of approval for his murderous rampage. Granted, there was some positive outcome, but I still think it paints a broader brush of how it's not just Travis that's messed up.
@@illuzion30 Another valid theory. Definitely makes you think.
23:19 WHAT???
the reason the blood looks like ketchup is because this movie was very controversial when it was released and they had to tone it down because it was going to get an X rating
I live in Philadelphia. Our comments can be bad
Why do you watch with the subtitles?
Because I need to, to provide the best reactions possible for y'all.
I think they help people follow the story alot better
There are a lot of layers and hidden meanings in this film which is hard to grasp on the first viewing. I recommend watching it a second time and then watching Collative Learning's in-depth analysis of it here on UA-cam. It will be time well spent. Also, let's be thankful for the fearless 70s. Due to political correctness, a film like this could NEVER BE MADE TODAY. And that's a shame.
And before someone says it... No, Joker doesn't count.
React to American Graffiti please
Jodie was 16
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❤❤❤
Fake blood has definitely come a long way. Lol
The "incel personality" that you're talking about (and I'm assuming you're talking about these type of young men with mental illness who turn violent?) is way more common now than in the 70s. Yes, they did exist. But I'm old enough to remember how rare it was. it really mushroomed as a result of the internet & social media.
Was it actually rare, or just better hidden because we didn't have a way of sharing information and news so fast to one another?
@@kaiielle Well, I don't know how hidden they could have kept it if they were murdering people. I guess what I'm saying is that a certain kind of violent offender--lonely, isolated, mentally ill person who gets it in their head to shoot a lot strangers in public--that was a lot rarer 50 years ago than now. Now it's almost a daily occurrence & we're so inured to it we hardly even notice. I don't think that was really a thing in the 70s like it is now. I was a little kid then so maybe I just didn't notice it. Anyway, I'm glad you watched this! It's one of my favorite Scorsese movies.
_Incel personality -and I'm assuming you're talking about these type of young men with mental illness who turn violent_
_Well, I don't know how hidden they could have kept it if they were murdering people_
No, that's not what incel means. Incel mean "involuntarily celibate" people who harbor hostility towards those who are not celibate. And no, not all incels are mentally ill or lash out. And no, it wasn't more rare back then and just blew up in recent years. It's only known about more today due to the internet and social media. Whereas back in the 1970s, incels didn't have a platform to voice their complaints, so most thought their loneliness and anger was unique to them. But it wasn't. Writer Paul Schrader would get approached by many many men just like Travis after the film came out and he had to explain to them that their feelings weren't unique and men everywhere had these issues.
If you're interested in another great 70s movie that unfortunately, like "Taxi Driver, is as poignant today as it was when it was made, check out the Oscar winning "Network" from 1976.