From a wad of Cookie dough to carved out of wood...

Michael Kera

The general consensus between Scriptwriters and News Reporters is Show not Tell. Taxi Driver did an ok job at this. When we first meet Travis Bickle he is at the main taxi garage applying for a job. Right away we discover he has some education and an honorable discharge from the marines because he says so. As the movie progresses we see him writing in a journal and his handwriting is sloppy and he doesn’t have a large vocabulary. He says what he means, but ends up to him rambling because he can’t say what he means concisely. We see his military experience when he practices with his guns and how he works out. Towards the beginning of the movie his home is messy, later while he is on his date with Betsy he tells her how unorganized he is. My favorite show don’t tell scene is when he is getting to know Iris. He is dressed well with his hair neat and how he treats her is almost fatherly. The way he looked and acted showed concern for Iris’s safety.

“Body language often communicates more than words do.” In the beginning, Travis’s appearance is that of a slob; messy hair, unkempt appearance, stubble. He acts as if he has no care in the world. When he meets Betsy he is still unkempt but he has confidence and a cheerful demeanor. He gets the courage to go up to her and talk to her. It seems he might have a glimmer of hope in this dingy world. When he goes on his date with her he has a haircut, suit and cleaned up. He wants to make sure this date goes well so he will have another. During and after the breakup he goes into a slump, he becomes aggressive and messy again. He views the world as evil and needs a good cleaning up. Then after almost running over Iris and meeting “the sketchy man” the one who talked about shooting his wife, he becomes more aggressive and cocky, he buys some guns, and he starts to work out again. He wants to makea difference in the world, and clean the scum from the streets. When he finally meets Iris and talks with her, a new side of him comes out, he cleans up and shows a kind, gentler side. When he attends Palantine’s rally he sports a Mohawk, aviator glasses, and his everyday jacket. At the rally he sticks out like a soar thumb. Then he goes after the pimp to free Iris and get her out of the prostitute life. By the end of the movie, he is almost back to the way he was at the beginning of the movie.

Now for the segment I like to call Michael’s Miscellaneous.

I was a fan of Palantine’s rally speech because the statue behind him also had its arms raised. He chose a good location for his speech because the statue reiterated his point Palantine is for the people.

I also liked the ending shot of Betsy. The reflection of her face floating with out of focus lightsmade it seem almost ghostly, like she was just fiction in Travis’s mind.