Traffic Stop Color Harmony in Scorsese's Taxi Driver

The colors of traffic lights—red, yellow, and green—can be used to explain the themes and emotions in "Taxi Driver."

In this video we see how these colors reflect Travis's psychological journey and the film's intense atmosphere.

[JimmyPlaylists]

The scene with Scorsese in the backseat is much more enthralling (and terrifying) to me than the far-more famous "you talkin' to me?!?" scene.
It's not just the statements made by the character Marty plays, but the way he delivers them, his speech patterns, that absolutely leave me breathless.
I always wondered why it didn't get more recognition... probably because of how brutal the scene's implications are.

[josephconnor]

This is the best analysis of taxi driver I have run across. It's my favorite movie.

[robertobuatti]

I've watched Taxi Driver countless times now and I always loved the Cinematography, there is just something special about it, and this gave me a whole new perspective on the story and why it was shot the way it was shot, with certain framing and camera moves, lighting, all to serve the narrative of the story and how Travis Bickle becomes unhinged throughout the movie, in which they all used the technical side of Filmmaking to enhance/enrich the story and Filmmaking as a medium.

[DarklyGlass]

The cinema data scene only makes sense if you consider that Travis is suffering from a cluster b type personality disorder. When viewed through that lens his baffling decisions begin to make sense. Ask yourself what is the more unusual behaviour: taking a girl to a porno theatre on a first date, trying to assassinate a political candidate, or shooting up a room full of strangers? His life has become a confused swirl of false stories that he convinces himself are real. He is suffering from a grandiosity and an over inflated sense of his abilities that don't match his daily reality. The problem is, as evidenced by his letters to his family, he simply isn't that intelligent, and so resorts to overblown and dangerous stabs at self assertion that endanger, surprise, annoy and confound those around him. The fact that some of these actions seems to have an ethical compulsion is in fact secondary to his primary aim of manifesting his significance. The sort answer is, although Travis presents as somewhat typical, he is in fact, dangerously deluded.

[johnnyweissmuller]

I think the porn movie scene is extremely accurate. Psychopats can act and seem very normal and charming, but they will completely off in a certain way when reading another person. I think this was supposed to show that he was not well in the head. Almost, but there was something very much off. People and their minds are very complicated and contradictary!

[Herkulez]

Im a portrait photographer and i learn so much watching films like this. Not just composition, use of color palettes etc but storytelling i can take with me to a single frame

[thedarkcloakartist]

Travis' date I think was a prime example of how sometimes self-sabotage keeps people from following through on what could make them happy.

[reasonrevived]

just watched the film for the first time and loved it, great video, really wondered why iris had 2 pairs of glasses lol

[jayuteevee]

One thing about the mirrors I noticed in Taxi Driver is the one time he sees himself fully is in the scenes where he has boiled over while the other scenes where he only sees a fragment is when he sees something that makes him angry, the start where he is passing through the streets full of people he doesn't like, the cameo scene in the cab, and Iris.

[feel_in_fine]

u have a great voice by the way very pleasing to watch) thanks for the review!

[brandonhamaguchi]

Really good points, I have to say that some of them may be your personal interpretation and not the autor intent, even if it make sense. But that is something beautiful about art!

[Jimbo]

Great vid! What's the song at 8:52

[topear]

It's a very nerve-wracking like a timer clicking down to zero

[gelmibson]

Since I noticed the disturbed rear view the last time I always thought he still is a ticking time bomb and his dreams are crashed as well although his doings had a happy end in the view of society.

[frankjamesbonarrigo]

I find this film beautiful. The blurry lens . The diner is gorgeous. The colors. I don't know. Maybe its just me

[JohnZyski]

I had interpreted the mirror as that the moment wasn't real.

[ommane]

I've always thought of Travis taking Betsy to watch a porn film on their first date as a self-destructive move. Travis hates New York as a city and still wants to work as a taxi-driver where he'll be driving among the "scum" as he puts it. He quite clearly has self-destructive tendencies although I'm sure he isn't aware of that which makes him compelling

[raulqa]

One could say in the freudian sense that he had to sabotage his chance of happiness, because of the death drive. And that last gaze at the end, might be the lacanian gaze, the film looking back at us.

[deathfab]

I think in those days the porno films were foreign and a bit more arty. I think he thought he was taking her to something like that, like a foreign film. I don't think it was the same cinema as he went to.
Is Scorsese's character Betsy's ex husband? And she's the women he was saying he was going to kill? He's sitting outside of her work stalking her like Travis. Is the another movie going on in thos movie at the same time. One in which Scorsese is stalking and planning on killing his ex Betsy? Perhaps Travis see's Scorsese shoot her at the end.

[UnderTheCovers]

Travis takes Betsy to the porn theatre largely bc he's grown accustomed to that part of the city. New York Times Square in the 70s was essentially the city of Sodom. There are several "couples" in the theatre with them. What Travis doesn't understand is that these couples are likely prostitutes. Earlier in the film, Travis asks a woman working the theatre's concession stand for a date and she laughs at him. Travis, at times, isn't able to understand the greater social context that surrounds him. He makes a similar error with Betsy and only in hindsight does he realize how inappropriate it was for her. I tend not to think that Travis taking her to the theater was done with malice but more to do with how aloof and socially inept Travis can be. Coupled with the confusion of Travis navigating this city of sin.