Taxi Driver

• Title: Taxi Driver
• Release Date: February 8, 1976
• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Screenplay: Paul Schrader
• Music: Bernard Herrmann (His final score; he died hours after completing it.)
• Cinematography: Michael Chapman
• Studio: Columbia Pictures
• Budget: ~$1.9 million
• Box Office: ~$28.6 million (Worldwide)
• Running Time: 114 minutes
• Genre: Neo-noir / Psychological Thriller / Drama
• MPAA Rating: R

Description

Travis Bickle is a mentally unstable Vietnam War veteran who takes a job as a night-time taxi driver in New York City. Suffering from chronic insomnia and deep loneliness, he becomes increasingly disgusted by the crime and decay he sees on the streets at night. As his mental state deteriorates, he fixates on "saving" a young child prostitute named Iris and plotting an assassination of a presidential candidate, leading to a violent climax where he attempts to wash the "scum" off the streets.

Cast & Characters

Trivia & Production Facts

Robert De Niro’s Preparation (Method Acting)

• Actual Taxi License: To prepare for the role, De Niro obtained a real New York City hack license and drove a cab for 12–15 hours a day for a month.
• Unrecognized: Despite having already won an Oscar for The Godfather Part II, he was rarely recognized by his passengers. One passenger, an actor, did recognize him and famously asked, "My God, you just won an Oscar, is it that hard to get work?"
• Midwestern Accent: De Niro studied the accents of US military personnel from the Midwest to develop Travis’s specific voice and cadence.

The "Mirror Scene"

• Improvised: The most famous line in the movie—"You talkin' to me?"—was not in the script. The script simply read: "Travis looks in the mirror."
• Inspiration: De Niro reportedly based the line on Bruce Springsteen, whom he had seen on stage days earlier responding to fans shouting his name.
• Lonely Psychology: Scorsese encouraged the improvisation because he felt it perfectly captured the behavior of a deeply lonely person who has no one else to talk to but themselves.

Jodie Foster & The Controversy

• Age: Jodie Foster was only 12 years old during filming.
• Psychological Evaluation: Before she could be cast, she had to undergo a psychiatric assessment to ensure she could handle the role's dark subject matter.
• Body Double: Because she was a minor, Foster was not allowed to perform the more explicit scenes. Her 19-year-old sister, Connie Foster, acted as her body double for sexually suggestive shots.

Production & Script

• Paul Schrader’s Dark Period: Screenwriter Paul Schrader wrote the script in roughly ten days while living in his car, suffering from depression and insomnia. He viewed the script as "therapy" to exorcise his own feelings of loneliness.
• Bernard Herrmann’s Score: This was the final film score by legendary composer Bernard Herrmann (known for Psycho and Citizen Kane). He initially refused the job, saying, "I don't do movies about cab drivers," but changed his mind after reading the script.
• The Mohawk: Travis’s mohawk hairstyle was not in the original script. It was suggested by Scorsese, inspired by special forces soldiers in Vietnam who would cut their hair that way before going on dangerous commando missions.
• Censorship: To avoid an "X" rating (which would limit theaters), Scorsese had to desaturate the colors in the final shootout scene. This made the blood look slightly more brown/orange rather than bright red, which ironically made the scene feel grittier and more disturbing.

Awards

• Won: Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival, 1976)
• Nominated: 4 Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Actor for De Niro, Best Supporting Actress for Foster, Best Original Score).