Talk:Taxi Driver

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Is Taxi Driver considered a pastiche?

Can you elaborate? -- Zoe

Jesus, what's the deal with User:Tarquin? She just deleted the link asking why anyone would care about what a taxi driver thinks of the film.

well it's like this: if you're going to link to one person's review on the web, you might as well link to them all. What makes that one special? Are they a well-known film critic? -- Tarquin 10:07, 23 Sep 2003 (UTC)

"he takes her to a pornographic film"? Does he? I thought it was a sex-ed film, but those were often shown in porn cinemas in the US. // Liftarn

It's no sex education film I've seen, but yes, you are correct. The IMDB entry on Kärlekens språk, the Swedish "information film" that's Bickle takes her to, mentions it shows actual coitus, something I don't think like that is shown in high schools, even nowadays. However, I could see it being one of those things, because of the display of sexual intercourse, would be shown in a porno theatre in the '70s. Of course, it could've been the only thing Scorsese could get ahold of and figured he could pass it off as a porn flick. --YoungFreud 04:50, 7 Sep 2004 (UTC)Martyn Smith 17:34, 17 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, it was a sex education film, at least in Nordic countries. It was shown in local film theaters and even our teacher suggested us that we should go to see the film. This took place in Finland in the 1960s.

The film was called an "Information Film", but that was always code for Swedish skin flicks. There aren't many orgies in sex ed, for example. You have to remember that this was the early 1970's and even in Times Square things were somewhat repressed so they had to have silly double speak in order to get things by standards codes. --TheGrza 07:25, Nov 8, 2004 (UTC)

It comes under the sexploitation category, a film which claims it is educational, but is really a skin-flick. Until pornography laws in the UK were loosened in the early 2000s and high street newsagents were allowed to sell hard-core pornography, this 'rebranding' was often used as a way of getting porn into the country.

I have added references to the fact that Bickle is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, plus a few key points relating to Vietman vererans in the 'critical response' section.--ChrisJMoor 02:26, 3 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Travis a marine?

I changed the line added "has recently been discharged from the Marines" to WHO CLAIMS THAT HE (has recently been discharged from the Marines) as the only evidence that Travis was a marine comes from Travis himself and throughout the film he is shown to invent stories about himself.

Interesting point. That he was a Vietnam vet was news to me, something that would make sense... given his age. But is there any other reason for asserting this—the patches on his jacket, perhaps? —Morning star 15:21, 26 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

In the screenplay, Schrader indicates the patches on his sleeves, one of which is King Kong Company and the years. I can't recall the years at this point, but I'm pretty sure the patch is readable in the movie, which would confirm he is a veteran. Gohst 04:12, 2 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Jodie Foster's age

Foster's age was just changed from fourteen to twelve. If she was born on 19 November 1962, that would make her thirteen for most of 1975. —Morning star 15:21, 26 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

If Jodie 's birthday is 19 November 1962 she turned 13 on November 19 1975 and she was 12 during almost the year 1975. The film was released in February 1976 so Jodie was 12 when it was filmed and just 13 when the movie was released to theaters. Ik.pas.aan 22:30, 8 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ah! Duuh. Sorry for one of my dimmer moments. —Morning star 05:15, 9 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Was Foster's character really supposed to be 12 1/2? My impression was that her pimp said she was 12 to imply she still had virginal qualities. Regardless of appearance, she seemed to posses the composure of someone older than that. -Bantosh 21:20, 7 May 2006

External links

Before adding any further external links to this article, please discuss them here and let the community reach a consensus. I'm adding this dicussion here because this article is being repeatedly linkspammed lately with a link to sensesofcinema.com. Thanks --AbsolutDan ^(talk) 14:34, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dear AbsolutDan and other self-appointed Wiki-police: Perhaps if you read the article being "linkspammed", as you so elegantly put it, you would learn something useful about the film. Is not the entire point of Wikipedia that anyone who has something to contribute can do so? I do not feel that I should offer obeisance to your "community" or justify the article's inclusion. What you are doing in trying to centralize editorial control is a tremendous disservice to scholarship. This behavior is absolutely outrageous. http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/05/37/taxi_driver.html --crazyeyezkillah

Wikipedia is not the place to promote other websites. Linkspam is, simply put, links that are spammed onto Wikipedia -- added to promote a particular site, usually across multiple articles. If left unchecked, articles would quickly become "bottom-heavy" with more external links than content. I removed the links I saw to senseofcinema because they were posted by a spammer, and were added with no additional content. WP needs more content, not external links --AbsolutDan ^(talk) 03:29, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

DISCUSSION: Hello, is this website a positive contribution to the External Links part? It's a comparison on the famous 'Talkin' To Me' scene which is used in Taxi Driver and La Haine. Flash video footage of the both scenes is available. http://repcred.com/movies/talkin-to-me

In the "Trivia" section, written is both:

" The only scene that doesn't feature Travis is the one between Sport and Iris talking in her room. This was added late into production."

and

" Harvey Keitel rehearsed with actual pimps to prepare for his role. The scene where his character and Iris dance is improvised, and is one of only two scenes in the film that don't focus on Travis."

By "focus", does that mean "not feature" or "he is not the most important character". If it is the latter, then surely there are many more scenes in the film which are debatable? 88.106.65.140 12:48, 17 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sequel?

I remember reading something about De Niro and Scorsese working on a sequel a year ago I think. If I remember right, then someone should add that to the article.