'Taxi Driver' is a film made in 1976 and is directed by Martin Scorcese.
The film centres around a New York cabbie called Travis Bickle (played by Robert De Niro) that is having some issues with identity.
Travis develops an affection for Betsy (played by Cybill Shepherd) who works as ... Read review
Taxi Driver provoked fierce controversy when it was released, running into censorship ... more
problems in America as some of the scenes of violence were described to be as gory as Clockwork Orange and Straw Dogs (Evening News 76). In addition there was outcry at a 13-year-old schoolgirl actress (Jodie Foster) co-starring as a prostitute.It won Best Picture at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival and received Academy Award nominations for Best Film, Best Actor (Robert De Niro) and Best Supporting Actress (Jodie Foster). Considered to be one of the most powerful films in motion picture history, Taxi Driver is a film which is ...a savage piece of work - and hellishly brilliant (Evening News 76).
Taxi Driver' provoked fierce controversy when it was released running into censorship ... more
problems in America as some of the scenes of violence were described to be 'as gory as Clockwork Orange and Straw Dogs' (Evening News '76). In addition there was outcry at a 13-year-old schoolgirl actress (Jodie Foster) co-starring as a prostitute. It won Best Picture at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival and received Academy Award nominations for Best Film Best Actor (Robert De Niro) and Best Supporting Actress (Jodie Foster). Considered to be one of the most powerful films in motion picture history 'Taxi Driver' is a film which is '...a savage piece of work - and hellishly brilliant' (Evening News '76).
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Drama - Director: Baz Luhrmann - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Tara Morice, Paul Mercurio, Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman, Claire Danes, Leonardo DiCaprio
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
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Advantages: An absolute classic, De Niro at his best Disadvantages: None
...in this role as the Taxi Driver marginalised from regular society. He plays Travis with such conviction that is unlikely to have possibly replicated by any other actor, this is something Scorcese acknowledges. This performance has to rank amongst the greatest ever in cinema history and the film has to be considered likewise.
One of the films that you cannot let pass you by. A film that I have ony watched twice but the powerful nature ... more
'Taxi Driver' is a film made in 1976 and is directed by Martin Scorcese.
The film centres around a New York cabbie called Travis Bickle (played by Robert De Niro) that is having some issues with identity. Travis develops an affection for Betsy (played by Cybill Shepherd) who works as a campaigner for a political candidate. Travis and Betsy have a real connection, but their respective upbringings and social backgrounds present a few problems when it comes to communication. Much to the devastation of Travis, his relationship with Betsy is cut short and she sets about completely ignoring him.
On a routine pick up, a 12 year old girl Iris (played by Jodie Foster) gets in his cab in a rush and very distressed but an older man 'Sport' (played by Harvey Keitel) persuades her not to take the trip to wherever she was headed. Travis is intrigued by this and soon realises that Iris is in fact a prostitute and that 'Sport' is her pimp. Travis becomes emotionally involved with Iris and is keen to try and get her to leave behind her dangerous situation and start afresh.
Whils this is going on, the mental state of Travis seems to deteriorate somewhat. Inexplicably (and sporting a mohawk haircut) Travis decides to attend a political rally with intentions of assassinating Senator Palpatine, but after being spotted by men working for the secret service he flees.
Scorcese wants us as the audience to feel some empathy for Travis because despite his slightly primitive interpersonal skills, he is essentially of good character and this is easy to see. An amusing example of Travis's inability to read a situation is when he takes the clearly well brought up Betsy to a porn cinema for a date. It would be pretty obvious to the majority of people that this is not a sound plan but an innocent Travis fails to understand what the problem is. His failure to build relationships properly is quite uncomfortable to watch at times and this is even more annoying because his relationship with Betsy had some genuine chemistry and perhaps a little more foresight on both sides would have seen the breakdown averted.
The fact that Jodie Foster was only 13 years old when she played prostitue, Iris, caused a great wave of controversy and really pushed the boundaries of ethics. The shocking nature of this adds to the atmopshere of the film as the audience is really led to be filled with the hatred for 'Sport' that Travis feels.
Robert DeNiro is absolutely mesmerising in this role as the Taxi Driver marginalised from regular society. He plays Travis with such conviction that is unlikely to have possibly replicated by any other actor, this is something Scorcese acknowledges. This performance has to rank amongst the greatest ever in cinema history and the film has to be considered likewise.
One of the films that you cannot let pass you by. A film that I have ony watched twice but the powerful nature of it will never leave me!
If you wish to purchase this film then you are best served to go on play.com and purchase the special edition dvd for £4.99. This is an absolute bargain.
A Vietnam veteran on a late night taxi shift, disturbed by all the violence around him, decides to clean up the streets his own way.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Languages
Main Language
English
Dubbed Language
Spanish, German
Technical information
Special Features
Introduction by Martin Scorsese, Two audio commentaries, Documentaries , Featurettes,
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 German Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish
DVD Description
Martin Scorsese's intense film, a hallmark of 1970s filmmaking, graphically depicts the tragic consequences of urban alienation when a New York City taxi driver goes on a murderous rampage against the pitiable denizens inhabiting the city's underbelly. For psychotic, pistol-packing Vietnam vet Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro), New York City seems like a circle of hell. Driving his cab each night through the bleak Manhattan streets, Bickle observes with fanatical loathing the sleazy lowlifes who comprise most of his fares. By day he haunts the porno theaters of 42nd Street, taking his cues from the violent vision of life portrayed in these movies. As badly as Travis wants to connect with the people around him including Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), a lovely blonde campaign worker, and Iris (Jodie Foster), a pubescent prostitute he tries to save, his attempts are thwarted and his pent-up rage grows, turning him into a walking time bomb. Paul Schrader's screenplay is filmed with a tragic realism by Scorsese, which brilliantly captures the muck and grime of New York City. De Niro, playing the fragile hero, steps inside his role so far that the results are deeply frightening. Bernard Herrmann's haunting score, which turned out to be his last, completes the urban nightmare.
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