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Taubin, Amy.. Taxi Driver / Amy Taubin. [0851703933] London : BFI Publishing, 2000.
Amy Taubin delivers an in-depth and historically contextualized look at Taxi Driver. Her perspective makes use of 20 years of hindsight to read Taxi Driver as a product of (and perhaps a contributor to) the widely felt alienation of the lone male in the post-Vietnam era. Taubin argues that Paul Schrader wrote Travis Bickle as both an autobiographical character and a reflection of the current events of the early 1970’s, citing Arthur Bremer’s attempted assassination of George Wallace as a key influence. Further, by giving voice to a painful isolation and paranoia that so many felt after Vietnam, Taxi Driver inspired copy-catting, most notably the attempted 1980 assassination of Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley III.
Stylistically speaking, Taubin thinks of Taxi Driver as being written after the austere manner of John Ford’s The Searchers, yet shot and directed (by Scorsese) in an expressionist style. Taxi Driver borrows heavily from the French New Wave as well. Taubin also points out that many elements hark back to film-noir: not just the moody low-key lighting and jazz-influenced score, but especially Bickle as the loner anti-hero.
Still, as this anti-hero, Bickle finds no closure in his search for meaning. Even after the bloodbath at the end, Bickle never reaches the orgasm he seeks – which for him can only be death – and therefore fails to bring meaning to his existence. In Taubin’s opinion, this failure encapsulates the manifold failures of culture and politics in America during the 1960’s and 70’s.
Stylistically speaking, Taubin thinks of Taxi Driver as being written after the austere manner of John Ford’s The Searchers, yet shot and directed (by Scorsese) in an expressionist style. Taxi Driver borrows heavily from the French New Wave as well. Taubin also points out that many elements hark back to film-noir: not just the moody low-key lighting and jazz-influenced score, but especially Bickle as the loner anti-hero.
Still, as this anti-hero, Bickle finds no closure in his search for meaning. Even after the bloodbath at the end, Bickle never reaches the orgasm he seeks – which for him can only be death – and therefore fails to bring meaning to his existence. In Taubin’s opinion, this failure encapsulates the manifold failures of culture and politics in America during the 1960’s and 70’s.
belongs to Taxi Driver Annotated Bibliography project
tagged 1970s alienation scorsese taxi_driver urban_western vietnam violence by jmweed ...and 1 other person ...on 06-APR-06
tagged 1970s alienation scorsese taxi_driver urban_western vietnam violence by jmweed ...and 1 other person ...on 06-APR-06
Taubin, Amy.. Taxi Driver / Amy Taubin. [0851703933] London : BFI Publishing, 2000.
Call#: Van Pelt Library PN1997.T365 T28 2000
Call#: Van Pelt Library PN1997.T365 T28 2000
The entire book is dedicated to an aesthetic and historical discussion of Taxi Driver. The book is not divided into chapters, but it is a continuous discussion of the film. There are not definite transitory themes, however discussion of the film is thorough.
The beginning of the book immediately introduces the historical perspective of this film and its influence on society; the relevance of this film to 1970s American culture and how the film reflects 1970s American culture. John Hinkley III, a psychopath who made an assassination attempt on President Ronald Regean, claiming to have been influenced and inspired by Taxi Driver, is discussed, as is Arthur Bremer, who made an attempt assassination on a governor. This precedes discussion of the film’s preproduction process.
Pre-production of the film, from what inspired the screenwriter to shopping it out to Hollywood to prophet earnings, are also highlighted. This discussion also puts the film in a temporal context because Taubin discusses the modern cultural conflicts and influences related to the creation of the film. The religious affiliations of those involved with this production, especially Scorcese, are also highlighted later in the book to help create a religious reading of the film.
As in most texts that dissect Taxi Driver, Taubin touches on the film’s references to the Western, specifically The Searchers, and film noir. Taubin compares the World War II’s influence on film noir to Vietnam’s influence on this film. Also, as in most texts discussing this film, there is mention of the films handling of racism. The more “subtle” discussion of racism in the film was mentioned as being its one weakness, however the delicate treatment of racism is attributed to the racial tension of the 1970s and fear of rioting in theatres. The reader is informed of the films deviations from original scripts and ideas. Tabuin ultimately always ties discussion back to the aesthetics of the film, describing and analyzing shot sequences in detail and discussing the use of sound. She also, always ties discussion back to the historical contexts of the film, discussing the 1970s culture of New York City and the city’s physical composition.
belongs to Taxi Driver Bibliography project
tagged cinema_scorcese by yinkag ...and 1 other person ...on 05-APR-06
tagged cinema_scorcese by yinkag ...and 1 other person ...on 05-APR-06