Proposal

        Martin Scorsese’s 1976 film Taxi Driver presents audiences with the character of Travis Bickle, a military veteran turned vigilante. Although Travis, who is played by Robert De Niro, fits the image of a preserver for the city and the people in it, the moral reason for his quest to rid the streets of scum and other scoundrels is questionable. Travis’ wish to transform into the city’s vigilante hero seems to stem from an imaginary world that he creates where he elevates Betsy as well as Iris to the archetype of the damsel in distress and casts himself as the hero.  Along with the dubious motives behind Travis’ efforts to clean up the city, Taxi Driver hints at a dream-like nature to the film with the final scene when Travis vanishes into the night with his cab after giving Betsy one last ride home.  Scorsese’s use of dream imagery and portraying Travis as an actor within his own life in the 1976 film Taxi Driver places Travis’ desire to save the city in the context of his imagination and thus providing him with a chance to act out his own real life game of cowboys and Indians.

            Travis is typically seen as the classic vigilante figure bent on rescuing not only the city in which he lives but also the two females that he has relegated to the role of the damsel in distress.  Looking at Travis’ interactions with Betsy and Iris as well as by examining the moments in which he voices his own wishes helps to highlight how his need to become the vigilante has more to do with an imaginary game than reality. Although Travis has military training, he interacts with violence with a childlike innocence. The scene starting at 1:08:11 and ending at 1:09:47 blatantly shows how Travis uses the power of guns and violence but does not fully understand the consequences. When the robber is shown to be dead, Travis seems dazed and in shock. He worries about society’s reaction to his attempt to rescue the store owner. In order to evade judgment, he follows the advice of the store owner and runs. Instead of acting as a veteran who has seen active duty, Travis reacts to the shooting with confusion and helplessness. He lives in his head and although he may have imagined scenarios in which he would have to defend himself, Travis is by no means ready to face the reality and the consequences.

            Another scene that highlights Travis’ seemingly innocent and childlike nature starts at 1:05:48 and ends at 1:07:48 and shows Travis playing with the guns he has just purchased. A very important aspect to this scene is the inclusion of his military jacket. The jacket that he wears embodies a sense of protection for Travis. In a society that he has failed to assimilate to, the protection and familiarity of the military offers him a chance to revert back to a sense of self that offers him stability. While the jacket shows his experience and possible mindset, Travis acts out different scenarios where he could potentially use his guns almost mimicking how a child would play with toys. The scenes of Travis’ fantasies start to loop together which can show a descent into a mentally unstable and possible imaginary state of mind. Also, Travis refers to himself as “someone who stood up” but he is portrayed during the second half of this scene as laying in a fetal position. This juxtaposition adds to the element of make-believe as it shows that Travis is fantasizing about himself in the role of the vigilante or protector.

            Scorsese’s film at first glance is simply a narrative about a vigilante who achieves his goal of ridding the street of at least some amount of scum. But by examining Travis’ experiences through the lens of an imaginary narrative, the violent outbursts Travis experience gain a new significance. He is not a man who truly wishes to clean up the streets but simply desires to play a game as is shown through his attempt to symbolically kill himself with a finger gun after his battle with the pimps. 

The Coat of Society

             The 1959 movie Pull My Daisy offers a classic but unique look at gender and the roles associated with it. The concept of gender within this essay refers to the behavioral norms which are almost immediately associated with a specific sex. Throughout the 28 minute long movie the man is placed in the position of power.  With such imagery as the wife cleaning the home for the husband, the male as the head of the household, and the authority figure in the form of the Bishop, the women within the film are relegated to typical gender roles while the men show the dichotomy in male gender norms.

            The scene starting at 00:07:45 and ending at 00:09:45 shows the distinct outlook on gender that the film uses. The scene starts with Milo’s wife announcing the arrival of the Bishop to an unprepared Milo. As is expected, Milo’s wife goes downstairs to meet the Bishop, the Bishop’s mother and his sister. Milo’s wife is very welcoming and open demonstrating just the attitude that would be traditional for the situation.

            Also as the wife introduces herself, the camera focuses on the upper part of her face. This close up of the wife’s eyes engages the audience by placing the viewer in the role of the guest who is being welcomed into the home. The repositioning of the audience gives the viewer a much more interactive role within the movie. Although she is operating within traditional gender norms, the wife’s ability to be so welcoming shows how she still maintains power in her structured role.

            Pull My Daisy handles the role of women in the film in more conservative ways but not when it comes to the men. Milo’s friends who are at the flat for the Bishop’s visit help to represent a very non-traditional look at male gender norms. The characters of Allen, Gregory, and Peter are told by Milo to be on their best behavior and they sit patiently while they wait for the Bishop to come upstairs. Instead of being in control, the men leave the control up to Milo and occupy the role of the child. The lack of control the men have highlights how they do not play into the gender norm of male as authority figure and controller.

            When the Bishop enters the apartment, Milo is moving his hands wildly about and then goes to put on his jacket. Milo’s friends stand up to meet the guest and then the four men together are introduced as specific types of poets. If the Bishop is thought to be in the role of the authority figure, then Milo’s act of putting on his coat could be seen as him trying to relate to the Bishop’s authority. The coat is used in the film to represent the two sides to Milo. As his friends are dressed in casual clothing, Milo’s jacket represents his work and his ability to contribute to society in a traditional sense. When he takes his jacket off, Milo is then placed in the same role as his friends who act on any whim they have no matter the consequences. So when the Bishop who represents conservative society arrives, Milo puts his coat of society back on.  

Lelia's Fascination

           John Cassavetes’ 1959 film Shadows provides audiences with not only a portrait of race relations but of humanity as well. Human nature is a big focus in the film especially dealing with the flaws that accompany humanity. In the scene that goes from 00:12:45 to 00:14:09, Lelia decides to walk home even after her older brother Hugh begs her to take a cab. Just as Lelia’s choice in men shows her unwillingness to conform to social norms, so does her act of rebellion against her brother.

            Lelia exits the bus station and has a brief moment of indecision. As she turns her head and looks both ways on the street, Lelia is not only making a decision about just how she is getting home but she is also making a decision on what societal customs she wishes to follow.  Instead of taking a taxi, Lelia shuns the socially constructed and accepted ways for a woman to behave and chooses to walk. Lelia is confident in her choice which is evident in the way she holds herself as she walks out of screen but ultimately her shunning of behavioral norms will lead to an altercation that could have had serious consequences.

            When the next section of the scene starts, the camera is focused on Lelia’s feet and a trash can that is very near to her. As the camera pans up, a man in the background of the shot appears to be following her. The introduction of the trash can so close to her before the camera moves upward to focus on the man following her foreshadows the man’s negative intentions. Just like the trash can, all the man represents is trash.

            As Lelia walks on neon signs flash behind her. When she walks past the trash can, the sign in the background reads “Fascination.” This correlation could allude to her fascination with the side of life not structured by societal as well as behavioral norms and rules. Lelia is her own woman in this scene and the freedom it brings opens entrances her. The sign behind Lelia darkens as she passes and only lights up again when the man following her passes under it. The flashing of the sign shows how both characters are fascinated but for different reasons. Lelia is enjoying her freedom and the man is intrigued by her as a possible target.

            Lelia then stops to look at posters that include slightly sexual scenes of a man laying on a woman as well as a woman in a tight bathing suit posed in a pinup fashion. She gazes at these images for quite some which illustrates how intrigued she is by the possibilities offered to her by going against the social norms. Also as discussed in class, Lelia’s attention to the posters could be hinting at her idealized idea of love and sexuality.

            The scene ends with the man that has been following Lelia approaching and then grabbing her by the arm. Lelia fights him off successfully and then another man steps in to shove the attacker. The man who steps into help Lelia represents the traditional values of society that Lelia has rejected. The idea that she is trying to detach herself from is the notion that she needs protection especially from a man. Lelia’s attempt at independence and liberty are thwarted by men who are willing to take advantage of her naïve nature.

            Cassavetes shows not only Lelia’s trouble with race in her relation to Tony but also her humanity by portraying her a woman who wants to escape the confines of society but when her efforts at independence are derailed she regresses to the norms she is accustomed too.