TAXI DRIVER
(1975, Columbia, 113 min.), directed by Martin Scorsese; screenplay by Paul
Schrader; cinematography by Michael Chapman; music by Bernard Herrmann;
produced by Michael and Julia Phillips; with Robert De Niro (Travis Bickle),
Jodie Foster (Iris), Cybil Shepherd (Betsy), Harvey Keitel (Sport/Matthew),
Steven Prince (Andy, the gun salesman), Albert Brooks (Tom), Peter Boyle
(Wizard), Leonard Harris (Charles Palantine), Diahnne Abbott (woman at
concession stand), Martin Scorsese (man watching silhouette in window).
Please jot down answers to the following and answer three in
depth on separate paper.
1. Discuss the
opening (credit) sequence. How does the
combination of images and music prepare us for the film to come?
2. Discuss the
setting. What kind of picture does this
film paint of
3. Travis
Bickle. He's one of the most memorable
characters to appear in 70s film.
Discuss his character in terms of complexity and development. What does he want? What motivates him? Where does that motivation take him?
4. How do you
feel about Travis? Do your feelings
change as the film goes on?
5. Now consider
the acting by Robert DeNiro, one in a long series of superb
collaborations between this actor and this director. What are some of the ways that he brings this
character to life? (think in terms of
mannerisms, voice quality, the way he holds his body, facial expressions, etc.)
6. Travis is
drawn to two women, Betsy and Iris. What
does each represent for him? Discuss them
and their appeal for Travis. What do
they reveal about Travis?
7. Of all the
jobs Travis could have had, why did he choose driving a cab? Why does this work well for this film?
8. Discuss the
scene involving the Martin Scorsese character and his wife's silhouette. Why is this scene important to the film as a
whole?
9. To a 1975
audience, there would be no doubt that Travis is a Vietnam Vet. What clues are there to make us come to that
conclusion? How does his vet status fit
in with the film's overall themes?
10. Discuss the
image of politics and politicians that we get in the film.
11. What do you
notice about the visuals--lighting, camerawork, imagery? What are some moments that are particularly
noteworthy?
12. This was the
final film scored by the great composer Bernard Herrmann (who started with Citizen Kane and did many of Hitchcock's
films, including Vertigo, North by Northwest, and Psycho).
How would you characterize the music?
Do you notice different musical themes/styles? How does the music reinforce the mood of the
film?
13. How is
suspense created in this film?
14. Discuss the
big firefight at the end.
15. What do you
make of the ending? What are we to think
of Travis Bickle at the end of the film?
16. Consider the
voice-over narration, a key aspect of this film. Screenwriter Paul Schrader is brilliant at
this kind of writing. What are some of
the lines that are particularly memorable?
17. So what are
some of the ways in which this is a Scorsese film? Based on what you've read about him, what do
you see that is typical of his style and his preoccupations?