"New York City on film defines edgy director Martin Scorcese." New York Amsterdam news [0028-7121] 95.45 (2004). 10-.

 

This article basically talks about Martin Scorsese and his portrayal and direction of New York City on film. Not limiting itself to just Taxi Driver, the article discusses a number of Martin Scorsese movies which are all based in New York City, such as: the aforementioned Taxi Driver (1976), New York New York (1977), Raging Bull (1980), After Hours (1985), New York Stories (1989), Goodfellas (1990), and The Age of Innocence (1993). Through his cinematic brilliance, Martin Scorsese effectively captures the relentless energy and the bold grittiness of the city, making him the archetypal New York City director.

According to the author, Scorsese is the master of the big city movie and his vision in presenting New York to people all over the world is unparalleled. The author also points out that Scorsese has appeared in most of his films, including Taxi Driver, in which he plays one of Travis Bickle’s passengers who wants to shoot his wife with a .44 magnum.

            Although this article does not specifically mention Taxi Driver with great detail, it brings attention to an otherwise overlooked element of the film: Scorsese’s use of New York City as the setting for Taxi Driver functions as an unnoticed, albeit essential supporting role in the movie. If it could, the setting of the film should get its own credit in the cast of characters for Taxi Driver. The movie would not be the same if it wasn’t filmed in New York, for the city enhances Taxi Driver’s dark and murky atmosphere and provides the perfect backdrop for Travis Bickle’s loneliness and alienation. Starting with the opening hazy shot of a steaming sewer underneath a yellow checkered cab to scenes of porno theaters, looting junkies, and corrupt pimps, and even if the movie did not mention the city at all, any average viewer would recognize that the film had to be made in New York City just by the ambiance and vibe it projects, which Scorsese manages to luminously and cleverly capture for the screen. The aura of New York City lurks in the background of every scene and shot in Taxi Driver, sort of playing the role of the ultimate supporting character, giving the film its distinct look and feel. Can you think of a better and more fitting location for this film? I sure can’t.

            Additionally, in a city that’s famous for its diversity, heterogeneous social worlds and distinct boroughs it’s plain to see how one distressed veteran, such as Travis Bickle, can get so alienated and estranged from society that he turns to violence to fight the corrupt moral decay of the city.

 

"New York City on film defines edgy director Martin Scorcese." New York Amsterdam news [0028-7121] 95.45 (2004). 10-.

    This source is an article that appeared in the New York Amsterdam News in 2004. The article is called “New York City on Film Defines Edgy Director Martin Scorsese” and it was written by Richard Carter. The article takes a look at Martin Scorsese’s career, and in particular, his relationship with New York City. Carter goes through each movie made by Scorsese that takes place in New York and explains how the city was utilized. This article is important and relevant to the study of Taxi Driver because the setting plays a vital role in the film. The fact that Scorsese chooses New York is essential to the film. Learning about Scorsese’s relationship with New York in other films is also a good way to get a sense of how Scorsese really views the city. This view can then be applied to Taxi Driver.
    Carter considers Scorsese to be the king of New York when it comes to movies. Giving him even more credit than Woody Allen, Carter says that “no movie director in recent memory has done more than Martin Scorsese to celebrate New York.” Carter discusses the different ways Scorsese has portrayed New York in each of his movies. Carter says that more recently, Scorsese is best known for “Gangs of New York”, which told the historical story of the race wars that occurred in downtown Manhattan at the turn of the century. Carter, however, does not consider this to be one of Scorsese’s great New York Films. In Carter’s eyes, movies like “Raging Bull”, “Goodfellas”, “Mean Streets” and “The Age of Innocence” are better films about New York. It is in these movies that Scorsese captures “the relentless energy of the city.” Carter has something to say about Taxi Driver as well.
    When talking about Taxi Driver, Carter says that he considers the film to be Scorsese’s most controversial film ever shot in New York. In this film Scorsese shows the city in a grittier and more aggressive light. Carter gives Scorsese credit for his “bloody sequences supporting his vision of down-and-dirty, yet majestic life in the big city.” Carter also gives mention to the fact that Scorsese always includes black actors in his films in New York. He also gives Scorsese credit for including the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island in his films rather then exclusively focusing on Manhattan.