_Taxi Driver: Analysis and discussion
Discussion and analysis will begin November, 1:
Here already the contents. Let me know what you think about it.
Contents:
1. Presentation:
a. generally: genre, year, country, cast, crew, runtime, ratings, company credits, costs, release dates, filming locations, story, quotes, taglines, link to screenplay, link to imdb-page
b. Critics: links, awards, quotes, lists
c. importance: influences, inspirations, (film)historical context, Scorsese's work
d. genesis
e. listology: reviews, ratings, comments, previous discussions
2. Themes:
a. Travis Bickle:
God's Lonely Man
Man of paradoxes
Racist?
comparison to Ethan Edwards (The Searchers)
Desire for 'real rain'
Vietnam vet
Porn films and TV
'You talking to me?'
The wild man
comparison to Norman Bates (Psycho)
Overreacher and underachiever
Scorsese/Schrader alter egos?
comparison to Charlie (Mean Streets)
Traverser from cowboy to mohawk
The killer
The Black Angel
A liar?
Isolated
comparison to Captain Ahab (Moby Dick)
Freedom
'Hollow Man' (T.S. Eliot)
b. The world Travis lives in:
Lack of communication
The 'scum on the streets'
New York, New York
A world of death and decay
c. Secondary characters:
Iris: 'Then suddenly there is a change'
Betsy: WASP-lady, an angel in 'all this scum'?
Sport: 'she can make your cock so hard'
Palantine: 'we ARE the people'
Easy Andy: American Boy
d. The movie:
The final massacre
Key scenes
An exploitation movie
American and European tradition
Film noir?
A dialogue between Scorsese and Schrader
The end
Duality
Catholic or protestant?
Image of its epoch?
e. Your input:
First thoughts
Suggestions
Stuff for more discussion
feedback
criticism
Speaking as someone who often wonders if I am being over-ambitious here at Listology, I think you are being over-ambitious here at this page. Are we supposed to analyse and discuss all these topics? Is TD worth such an effort? - is any movie?
Yes, it is. Ok, well, I know it is quite a lot, and as you can see discussion should have begun november, 1 and now 3 weeks later nothing has happened.
Actually, I enjoyed every single frame of this masterpiece, and it applied to me on many different levels (as no other movie did).
I read an (almost) scene-by-scene-analysis, which I found incredibly interesting, and I wanted to share the best parts of this analysis here on this page.
The only problem at the moment is that I've got quite a lot to do, and the analysis is in German, so I'd first of all have to translate it.
I don't deny it's an important film. I'm ashamed to say I let the DVD slip through my fingers. I'll have to add it to my Christmas order.
When I've watched it again I'll get back to you with some comments - remind me if I don't.
Yup, I'm looking forward to that.