Taxi Driver
Summary
almost 50 years since Martin Scorsese rescue one of his greatest movies , there are still those looking to have theTaxi Driverending explicate . Taxi Driverbuilds to a bloody climax and concludes with a inscrutable sequence of events — events that may be in Travis Bickle ’s read/write head . When interpreted literally , the 1976 film ends with Travis Bickle saving an jejune gender proletarian by pop her pimps . However , a confining look implies that Travis ' lifespan terminate in a figural perdition that he references throughoutTaxi Driver .
Travis ( Robert De Niro ) is a lone wolf who ’s detached from reality . He ’s a U.S. Marine who previously serve in Vietnam and struggle to link up with acquaintances , such as a romanticist interestingness , Betsy ( Cybill Shepherd ) , a drive volunteer for a presidential candidate . InTaxi Driver , everything changes for Travis after he spots a 12 - year - oldsex proletarian identify Iris ( Jodie Foster ) . Travis finds a purpose and plans to help the daughter , which leads to the violentTaxi Driverending . However , due to Travis ’s flimsy psyche , it ’s ill-defined which function of theTaxi Driverending are real .
The Transformation: Real
Travis Bickle Becoming “The Man With No Name” Really Happened
TheTaxi Driverending begins with the protagonist machinate a political blackwash . When a militarizedTravis show up at a Palantine rallying , wearing a mohawk haircut and aeronaut shades , he ’s leave his genuine identity operator behind . before , Wizard explains how a humans can become his job , andnow Travis has fully transformed into someone else — the Man with No Name . antecedently , he ’d been identified as a wary soul after lying to a Secret Service agent . At that moment , he tries to assassinate the politician but does n’t come through .
Travis is projecting an paradigm allowing him to make mother wit of the creation he lives in .
This version of Travis suggests he ’s delusional and detached from world . short before the assassination attempt , he writes a letter to his parent and implies that he ’s doing"sensitive work"for the government . Travis tell Iris that he"has to do something for the government,“and that he"might be going aside for a while . “He is projecting an image allowing him to make sense of the world he lives in . “All my spirit call for was a sense of someplace to go,“Travis write too soon on inTaxi Driver . He discover that office as hell on Earth .
Travis' Ascent Into Hell On Earth: Real
Travis’s Final Rampage Really Happened
Taxi Driver Oscar Nominations
Best Picture
Michael Phillips and Julia Phillips
Custom Image by SR Editor
Best worker
Robert De Niro
Best hold Actress
Martin Scorsese’s classic 1976 film stars Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle, a Vietnam veteran turned New York City cab driver whose increasingly disturbed mental state due to his PTSD begins to drive him to more and more violent actions as he attempts to rid the city of what he sees as the “scum” on the streets. Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel, Cybill Shepherd, and Albert Brooks also star in the film.
Jodie Foster
Best Original Score
Bernard Hermann ( posthumous nomination )
Travis becomes a fatalist in theTaxi Driverending . He believes he ’s supposed to kill Palantine — a man who arrogate to lay out the"the mass . “Travis also think he ’ll save"sweet Iris"by cleaning up the symbolic"filth,“who is Matthew , Iris ' pandar ( Harvey Keitel ) . It ’s this same frame of mind showcased inTaxi Driverthat , alas , inspired John Hinckley Jr. ’s veridical - life character assassination attempt on U.S. President Ronald Reagan . Hinckley was hope to get the attention of Jodie Foster , who played the use of Iris .
InTaxi Driver , Travis vote out Matthew and then look a few moments before ascend into " Hell on Earth " , a New York City building where humankind pay to have sex with teenage sexual activity worker . Aesthetically , this entire sequence — which finally get wind the ever - growing tension of the moving-picture show boil over in a memorably gory fashion — was inspired by Scorsese ’s esteem of Caravaggio , an Italian Baroque artist have it away for blending the sacred with the profane .
First , Travis shoot a pander ’s script and in the end shoots him in the brain . By saving Iris from scathe , Travis has eliminate a " unconsecrated " threat and protect a " sacred " figure . Any one ofScorsese ’s hallmark visuals inTaxi Drivercould be the premise for a Caravaggio painting , as the Italian artist incorporated extreme violence into his workplace . As a character , Travis takes a similar approach by painting the walls red and then give himself . In a slight whirl , however , Travis ' plan fails when he runs out of bullets .
Taxi Driver is a 1976 psychological thriller starring Robert De Niro which features two cameos by director Martin Scorsese ; here ’s where to spot him .
Travis' Survival And Arrest: Not Real
Travis Died At The End Of Taxi Driver
Travis dies from his wounds in theTaxi Driverendingafter the police arrive;a moment that ’s prognosticate by an earlierTaxi Driverquote when he suggest Betsy will"die in a Hades like the rest of ‘em . “The satire is that Travis becomes one of the pack , a dead criminal who believe his actions answer a higher function . Scorsese shoot from above to prompt the audience they ’re looking down on Travis and the other victims who lie in in the hell they create . An angelic figure in white , Iris , is the lone survivor , frame in with spiritual imaging .
Travis did n’t clean up anything but instead contributed to the nastiness .
On the left side of the frame : the " profane . " On the correct side of the frame : the " hallowed . " In the midriff : Travis — a fusion of both Caravaggian concepts . To reinforce the musical theme that Travis died inTaxi Driver , the tv camera slow go away the way while the police assess the view , immobilize in shock . The television camera ultimately settles in the street to show that a giant hole still exists . The implication : Travis did n’t clean up anything but instead contributed to the filth . Still , Taxi Driverleaves it up to the audience to interpret .
Was Travis just in his action ? Or did Travis ' delusional head and moral righteousness get the best of him ? Essentially , Scorsese provides the hearing with a Caravaggian finish . Travis can be viewed as a " hallowed " soma who live on . Or he can be viewed as a " secular " murderer who ’s stuck in purgatory , or hell .
Taxi Driver may be dark , but it ’s also packed with incredible line - and these are the skillful of them .
The Letter From Iris’ Father: Not Real
Travis Being Hailed As A Hero Was All In His Head
Taxi Driver’sepilogue makes it seem like Travis survived and became a New York City submarine for relieve young Iris , whose sire reads a thank - you varsity letter through voice - over tale . If consultation listen closely , Iris ' father ’s penning and speech formula mirrors Travis ' diary entries and narration . Travis is either alive and creating another fake narrative to warrant his activity , or he ’s imagining an idealized translation of events at his moment of death . Based on Scorsese ’s visual grounds , the letter of the alphabet from Iris ' Padre is a figment of Travis ' mental imagery .
Travis And Betsy Reunite: Not Real
Betsy And Travis Didn’t Reconcile Before The End Of The Film
When Betsy show up in Travis ' vehicle duringTaxi Driver , the two seemingly reunite and re - ignite a potential romance . However , this seems to be another idealised version of event that Travis imago . The streets are suspiciously clean at the end of this wildness and crime fling - infused movie and Betsy ’s hair blows in the flatus like an backer . And it ’s not a conjunction that she wears white . This is Scorsese ’s " sacred " ending forTaxi Driver : an backer with the font of Betsy welcomes Travis to heaven .
The Final Moments: Not Real
The Closing Shots Of Taxi Driver Are In Travis’s Mind
Martin Scorsese in the end leave viewer with a " profane " finish inTaxi Driver . After Travis and Betsy go their freestanding way of life , a abbreviated moment of chaotic strait design brings the consultation back to realism , whatever that may be . And the look in Travis ' center indicate thathe ’s sure not in a peaceful situation . The taxi driver continue to ride on , but he ’s in a hellish realm and reprize the same loop . To cite Betsy from earlier in the photographic film , Travis is"part trueness , part fiction … a walking contradiction in terms . "
Taxi Driver may be one of the most famous films in cinematic account - but that does n’t mean it ’s without defect and mistakes !
The Real Meaning Of The Taxi Driver Ending
The World Is Damaged, Not The People In It
There are several theories as to what theTaxi Driverending means . However , the one that lines up closest to the different thing in the movie that are real and fantasy separate the viewer that the ending is a conviction of a damaged society — not a damaged person . While Travis Bickle is a dangerous man who lives in his own fantasy world much of the time , the matter happening around him are all too real , let in the lodge that mostly turns a blind centre when a child is put onto the streets as a sex worker .
The world is a unspeakable billet , and theTaxi Driverending show that anyone try on to fix it will just reveal those multitude
Scorsese proceed a long way in show that Bickle did n’t define anything . Instead , he just made thing bad and this is another style to see that society has a fashion of chewing up and spitting out people , including those who think they are working to make thing well . The close is not one where Travis becomes the hero he always wanted to be . Instead , he die and gild wo n’t even think about him again . In theTaxi Driverending , the Earth is a abominable place where anyone trying to fix it will fail and never change anything .
Does Taxi Driver’s Ending Still Hold Up?
The Ending Of Taxi Driver Remains Iconic
Taxi Driverdoes a phenomenal task of take audience on an redoubtable line of descent into palpable madness , but whether the 1976 classic ’s ending holds up is a rather polarizing interrogative . It ’s light to see why this concept is so wide deliberate almost 50 old age later , but Scorsese ’s ending is still perfect . Travis Bickle is at the wheel forTaxi Driver’sentire disturbing drive ; it ’s clear that he ’s dangerous , but he controls a great great deal of how the narrative is present with his diary entries and a facial expression at his day - to - daytime existence .
After becoming well - acquainted with Travis ' psyche , it ’s only raw looker experienceTaxi Driver’sending through his detach and delusional lense . The ending renders both a purposefully ethereal atmosphere and outlandish , unbelievable events that do n’t enmesh with what has do before in the motion-picture show . These constituent give even more of a expression into Travis ' deranged psyche and flawed self - perception after his expiry while point to viewers that this wrapper - up is only an elongation of Travis ' unreliable narration .
Taxi Driver , Martin Scorsese ’s mettlesome neo - noir masterpiece , still holds up today as a tense , masterfully crafted thriller , nearly half a century on .
How The Taxi Driver Ending Was Received
The Ending Of Taxi Driver, Like The Rest Of The Movie, Received Near-Universal Praise
It ’s no surprisal that the end ofTaxi Driverwas celebrated by critic when it was released in 1976 , and stay a key reason the movie is still wide discuss almost 50 years later . The Martin Scorsese movie often retrieve its style to many " greatest movies of all time " lists , and the last moments contribute to this legacy ( and is matter in the Top 10 by the the like of Quentin Tarantino ) .
While the fact that the ending ofTaxi Driverwas incur improbably well seems like something of an obvious statement give the movie ’s prestigious legacy , it is still a notable accomplishment . In exceptional , the fact that the final instant did n’t hamper its achiever is specially impressive given the ambiguous nature of the climax .
Ambiguous endings are always a wild gamble for filmmakers . There are many otherwise - substantial moving-picture show across the history of celluloid that failed to pass the acclaim they should have due to an conclusion that does n’t respond enough questions . Taxi Driverdefinitely leaves thing open - ended , but Scorsese did so in such a way that it works for the movie ’s benefit , rather than becoming a complaint or literary criticism .
Taxi Driverremains , both in the oculus of contemporaneous watcher and critic alike , an example of how to do an ambiguous ending right . It give the audience just enough to understand that it ’s a conclusion to Travis ’s history , while leaving raft of doubtfulness that are endear rather than thwarting . This has ensured the moving picture ’s lasting legacy , and is a key intellect thatTaxi Drivercemented Martin Scorsese ’s name as an all - clock time great among directors .
Other Amazingly Ambiguous Scorsese Endings
Taxi Driver Isn’t The Director’s Only Movie That’s Open To Interpretation
TheTaxi Driverending ranks as one ofMartin Scorsese ’s best flick climaxesand the filmmaker certainly has a knack for equivocal ending . The most notableexample of this is howShutter Islandwraps up . Though unlike fromTaxi Driverin many ways , this extremist - dark psychological thriller imparts the audience with a similar variety of doom - infused uneasiness . Shutter Islandends with Teddy Daniels / Andrew Laeddis ( Leonardo DiCaprio ) acknowledge consciousness about who he is and how he ’s about to be lobotomized .
But , in yet another twist , the Martin Scorsese moving picture is bookended with Leonardo DiCaprio ’s eerie manner of speaking of this philosophic question : " This place makes me wonder ; which would be bad … to live as a colossus or to drop dead as a good human ? " The question is of import and believe - provoking , and it parallelsShutter Island’sessence . Still , a gravid deal is pass on in the atmosphere . Does Teddy / Andrew remember who he is ? There ’s a bully trade of ambiguous , inexplicit commentary about the tale humans distinguish themselves to outlive .
There are two other Martin Scorsese movies with endings that , though not completely ambiguous , are certainly leave alone to a sealed level of viewer interpretation . The auteur ’s 2006 Irish mafia and law enforcement - revolve about dramaThe Departedendsright after Collin Sullivan ( Matt Damon ) is shoot to expiry in his apartment . His character ’s destruction is rewarding , as he ’s one of multiple " rat " throughout the moving-picture show who work for another side . The television camera pan to an actual rat , with a governance construction in the background signal .
The Departedwas Martin Scorsese ’s only Oscar win for Best Director .
Of naturally , this is a clean-cut parallel of latitude to Sullivan being a rat and the two - face up nature of some of the movie ’s treacherous characters . However , there ’s more to it than that . The edifice also typify howcorruption and criminality scarper rampant within any government – let alone a urban center like Boston – which has an infamous reputation for both . Still , there ’s an equivocalness as to exactly what Scorsese is saying about " squealer " and corruption ; hearing member must decide for themselves .
Martin Scorsese ’s Taxi Driver is an iconic Hollywood movie . Learn this offscreen small beer about the classic starring Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle .
There ’s also anotherRobert De Niro - star Martin Scorsese moviewith a semi - equivocal ending : The King Of Comedy . This 1982 opprobrious funniness - tincture dramatic play ends the story of stand - up comic Rupert Pupkin after he ’s purportedly gone to prison for his snatch scheme . He left on parole after a few years , has a new autobiography , and has been surprisingly successful since his sound trouble . The King Of Comedyends with an announcer restate different , adore version of " Ladies and gentlemen , Rupert Pupkin ! "
LikeTaxi Driver , this Scorsese ending leaves one question how any of this is potential . As with Travis Bickle , it ’s seemingly unsufferable that what ’s being depicted is reality . Also , like inTaxi Driver , The mogul Of Comedyends with the kind of realism its profoundly flawed protagonistwantsto believe , while there ’s no possible way the events are anything but unreliable recital from an unhinged character . Still , the movie ’s delusional ending , as well as how it tie in with artistic comment on show business , is brilliantly immanent .
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Cast
Martin Scorsese ’s classical 1976 film stars Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle , a Vietnam old stager turned New York City cab equipment driver whose progressively touch genial state due to his PTSD begins to drive him to more and more crimson action as he attempts to disembarrass the city of what he sees as the " scum " on the streets . Jodie Foster , Harvey Keitel , Cybill Shepherd , and Albert Brooks also asterisk in the film .
