Taxi Driver Watch Along
Added 2024-03-12 16:00:06 +0000 UTCWow! Incredible work of art!
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ames
Comments
Great analysis, yes it's like he's following a script. I never had that realization about his interaction with Betsy, but I always felt that way when he hits on the woman at the concession stand. He asks her out with this "aww shucks" manner, like you might see in a 50s sitcom, completely oblivious to the fact that she would never respond positively in that situation. "This is what "regular people" do.... There's no reflection going on regarding whether or not Betsy will actually ENJOY the movie. Travis assumes the enjoyment comes from GOING to see the movie with someone, not from the movie itself." Perfect. You almost wonder if Travis would even enjoy having sex with Betsy, if he ever got that far. "His disconnect is understanding WHY people do what they do. What gives them enjoyment, purpose and meaning and how do they understand their unique place in the world in a way that makes sense to them or anyone else? Answers to these questions are forever elusive to him." You summed it up. I always thought of Taxi Driver as a specific character portrait, but after thinking more the last few days, I feel like it has much greater symbolic meaning. It's the existential sequel to Albert Camus' The Stranger and Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, taken to its furthest conclusion and marinated in mid-70s American dysfunction.
JM63
2024-03-14 13:25:08 +0000 UTCThere have been some good theories and discussions in these comments about the reason Travis took Betsy to see an adult film. Let me throw my hat into the ring on this one. I don't think Travis has any awareness of or appreciation for whether the film is an adult film or not. To him a movie is a movie. He is trying to be like "regular people", but he doesn't know how to do it. I completely agree with Tic Toc Melody's comment, "I think everyone (understandably) just assumes he's in the X-rated theatre for sexual gratification, but he seems as alienated and confused by what's onscreen as he does everything else." When he goes to an adult theatre, there's no sense that Travis is enjoying himself. He is just trying to do what "regular people" do. If he does that enough times, then perhaps somehow, maybe life will all begin to make sense. When Travis takes Betsy to see an adult film, he is following the FORM but not the SUBSTANCE of building a relationship with someone. He is following the STEPS he's heard before. Isn't this what everyone does? You approach a girl you like, ask her out... for coffee and pie to start (Step 1), then to a movie (Step 2) or dinner (Step 3). Isn't that the way it's supposed to be done? What movie should he take her to? Doesn't matter. There's a movie theater around the corner. The important thing is, he's following the prescribed steps. He's taking her to a movie. This is what "regular people" do. There's no subjective opinion involved. No sense of there being a "good" movie or a "bad" movie. There's no reflection going on regarding whether or not Betsy will actually ENJOY the movie. Travis assumes the enjoyment comes from GOING to see the movie with someone, not from the movie itself. Clearly, Travis doesn't understand why Betsy doesn't like the movie, but he knows Step 2 didn't work. He's not evaluative, he's experimental. Step 3 is dinner. Perhaps she will like that better. Travis' disconnect is not WHAT is happening in the world around him; he sees people every day and he notices everything. His disconnect is understanding WHY people do what they do. What gives them enjoyment, purpose and meaning and how do they understand their unique place in the world in a way that makes sense to them or anyone else? Answers to these questions are forever elusive to him.
John Courtright
2024-03-14 06:19:58 +0000 UTCalways with an amazing recap of the film! So well put John!!!!
Amalia Wolf
2024-03-14 05:02:15 +0000 UTCGreat to see this film again with you, Ames! Quite a ride! Such an important and thought-provoking masterpiece! I love the narrative, presented in Travis' diary entries, which shows the world so completely from his unique and limited, even two-dimensional, perspective. We get inside Travis' head right from the start, and something is not quite right. Things everywhere are a mess; they've got to be cleaned up... the city, the politicians, the people, and Travis himself. He's got to get "organizized"! So many problems and no obvious solutions! I think this film is a great social commentary on PTSD and mental health. Interestingly, it's not a "descent into madness" kind of film; at least not to me. It's more of a "something's broken that can't fix itself" kind of film. It reminds me of the Einstein quote, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." I don't believe Travis ever changes his thinking about the world he lives in. He just transitions from being a passive "observer" of the world, to an "active participant and agent of change", for better or worse. In this case, worse. An iconic role and awesome performance by Robert De Niro. An early glimpse of the amazing actress Jodie Foster will become. Absolutely hypnotic cinematography... the dark, wet New York City streets, the anonymous masses of humanity, the colorful reflected lights... all create a seeming carnival-like atmosphere and detached reality in Travis' mind while he's driving his cab. Stunning!!
John Courtright
2024-03-14 04:55:41 +0000 UTC
