To install StudyMoose App tap and then “Add to Home Screen”
Save to my list
Remove from my list
Taxi Driver (1976) directed by Martin Scorcese is essentially a "noir" film studded with some outstanding performances especially Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle. It was amazing how people think of him in different ways. Some says He is sick, the other says he is their prophet. He is so disconnected to the society and to the people around him.
The narrative aspect is restrictive because what Travis sees or feels is what the audience will see and feel. The mise-en-scene that Scorsese uses are the projections of Travis minds.
The reason why Scorsese's storytelling in Taxi Driver works so well is that he manages to tell Travis story while communicating his dissociated subjective view of his world.
However, as viewers of the film, we are not confined to either Travis subjective perspective or an objective perspective. Rather, Scorsese manages to show both perspectives, as camera movements guide us back and forth from Travis schizophrenia to an objective view of the world of the film.
Verified writer
Proficient in: Taxation
4.7 (657)
“ Really polite, and a great writer! Task done as described and better, responded to all my questions promptly too! ”
This is achieved by the way in which Scorsese's manipulation of the camera takes us out of Travis perspective and gets us to question the narrative and his grasp on reality. There are several instances of impressive tracking shots in which Travis appears in the scene out of nowhere, mimicking an insomniac that has no idea how they got there. Scorsese's camera work calls attention to and underscores the unreliability of Travis narration.
A similar moment of confusion is created through camera work when Travis returns the taxi at the end of his shift.
The camera films the taxi going into the garage area and driving past the camera on the left. The slow movement of the camera as the taxi drives into the garage makes us think we are about to track the car's movements until it stops somewhere in a spot. However, the slow tracking of the taxi is suddenly disrupted by a jumpy movement and a swift pan in the opposite direction we were expecting, thus taking us away from Travis. The viewer is transported away from him via the camera, where we see a taxi, presumably the same one, park in a spot and Travis sitting in the driver's seat.
The breaking away from Travis is important: even though nothing of narrative significance happens in this short sequence, it is the sudden movement away from Travis that underscores the notion that his subjective view of the world is radical. For a moment, the viewer might wonder if it was in fact Travis taxi that drove into the garage earlier, which is enough for us to call his version of events into question.
The important thing I want to note about mise-en-scene are the colors. Betsy often wears red clothes as Iris does when they meet with Travis. In addition, they are both blondes. That forces us to understand the parallelism between them; according to Travis they are both to be saved from the lives they are stuck in.
The climax of the film is obviously the massacre as it is probably the most intense and shocking scene of the film. It is shot and edited as if it was a dream and we are never sure whether it really happens or whether it is just Travis' imagination. The only thing we know for sure is that it is the explosion of his unexpressed feelings toward the society and the manifestation of his hate against the people. The use of red and some unusual high angles stress the dreamy quality of the scene. Sport's reappearance and Travis' survival despite the shot that just missed his throat are out of our worst nightmares. Again, Scorsese does not expect us to believe in it. He just wants us to meditate in what happened.
The following scenes also have the same dreamy mood. The greens dominate the night scenes and an interesting peacefulness is expressed with the very slow panning of camera and the tender voice of Iris' father. Also the fact that Travis got away without going into prison and Betsy's way of looking that shows her admiration for him make the scene seem like a wonderful dream.
At the very end, although Travis is again driving the car, his face is lightened very strongly in a way we are not used to in the movie (It was always dark!). Is he enlightened? Is he a prophet? However, suddenly, something happens and his face seems red in the mirror, but he fixes it. Is he a lunatic? Is he dead or dreaming?
When Travis puts the tablet in the glass he begins to bizarrely stare at the glass as if he's been memorized. The dissolving tablet in the glass is a perfect visual example of Travis's inner mind slowly loosing grip in reality. As Travis slowly becomes more delusional the atmosphere of Taxi Driver begins to questions what is real and a figment of Travis's imagination. To help fuel the illusion of Travis's imagination the use of color is heavily over whelming in particular scenes. The red, amber and green of traffic lights or the flashing lights from the bars and clubs are a fantastic visual expression of Travis's moods. To show more isolation and distance from people, the framing on Travis's always seemed to make him the centre of the screen.
Finally, I think these elements help us understanding and feeling how Travis is encircled and also alone in this world.
Taxi Driver (1976) directed by Martin Scorcese is essentially a "noir" film studded with some outstanding performances especially Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle. It was amazing how people think of him in different ways. Some say He is sick, the other says he is their prophet. He is so disconnected to the society and to the people around him.
The narrative aspect is restrictive because what Travis sees or feels is what the audience will see and feel. The mise-en-scene that Scorsese uses are the projections of Travis's minds.
The reason why Scorsese's storytelling in Taxi Driver works so well is that he manages to tell Travis story while communicating his dissociated subjective view of his world. However, as viewers of the film, we are not confined to either Travis subjective perspective or an objective perspective. Rather, Scorsese manages to show both perspectives, as camera movements guide us back and forth from Travis schizophrenia to an objective view of the world of the film. This is achieved by the way in which Scorsese's manipulation of the camera takes us out of Travis perspective and gets us to question the narrative and his grasp on reality.
There are several instances of impressive tracking shots in which Travis appears in the scene out of nowhere, mimicking an insomniac that has no idea how they got there. Scorsese's camera work calls attention to and underscores the unreliability of Travis narration. A similar moment of confusion is created through camera work when Travis returns the taxi at the end of his shift. The camera films the taxi going into the garage area and driving past the camera on the left. The slow movement of the camera as the taxi drives into the garage makes us think we are about to track the car's movements until it stops somewhere in a spot.
However, the slow tracking of the taxi is suddenly disrupted by a jumpy movement and a swift pan in the opposite direction we were expecting, thus taking us away from Travis. The viewer is transported away from him via the camera, where we see a taxi, presumably the same one, park in a spot and Travis sitting in the driver's seat. The breaking away from Travis is important: even though nothing of narrative significance happens in this short sequence, it is the sudden movement away from Travis that underscores the notion that his subjective view of the world is radical. For a moment, the viewer might wonder if it was in fact Travis taxi that drove into the garage earlier, which is enough for us to call his version of events into question.
The important thing I want to note about mise-en-scene are the colors. Betsy often wears red clothes as Iris does when they meet with Travis. In addition, they are both blondes. That forces us to understand the parallelism between them; according to Travis they are both to be saved from the lives they are stuck in.
The climax of the film is obviously the massacre as it is probably the most intense and shocking scene of the film. It is shot and edited as if it was a dream and we are never sure whether it really happens or whether it is just Travis' imagination. The only thing we know for sure is that it is the explosion of his unexpressed feelings toward the society and the manifestation of his hate against the people. The use of red and some unusual high angles stress the dreamy quality of the scene. Sport's reappearance and Travis' survival despite the shot that just missed his throat are out of our worst nightmares. Again, Scorsese does not expect us to believe in it. He just wants us to meditate in what happened.
The following scenes also have the same dreamy mood. The greens dominate the night scenes and an interesting peacefulness is expressed with the very slow panning of camera and the tender voice of Iris' father. Also the fact that Travis got away without going into prison and Betsy's way of looking that shows her admiration for him make the scene seem like a wonderful dream.
At the very end, although Travis is again driving the car, his face is lightened very strongly in a way we are not used to in the movie (It was always dark!). Is he enlightened? Is he a prophet? However, suddenly, something happens and his face seems red in the mirror, but he fixes it. Is he a lunatic? Is he dead or dreaming?
When Travis puts the tablet in the glass he begins to bizarrely stare at the glass as if he's been memorized. The dissolving tablet in the glass is a perfect visual example of Travis's inner mind slowly loosing grip in reality. As Travis slowly becomes more delusional the atmosphere of Taxi Driver begins to question what is real and a figment of Travis's imagination. To help fuel the illusion of Travis's imagination the use of color is heavily over whelming in particular scenes. The red, amber and green of traffic lights or the flashing lights of the bars and clubs are a fantastic visual expression of Travis's moods.To show more isolation and distance from people, the framing on Travis's always seemed to make him the centre of the screen.
Finally, I think these elements help us understand and feeling how Travis is encircled and also alone in this world.
Taxi Driver 1976 directed by Martin Scorcese. (2019, Dec 10). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/taxi-driver-1976-directed-by-martin-scorcese-is-essentially-a-example-essay
👋 Hi! I’m your smart assistant Amy!
Don’t know where to start? Type your requirements and I’ll connect you to an academic expert within 3 minutes.
get help with your assignment
