Taxi Driver
Taxi Driver is a psychological thriller of 1976 that features a man who has just woken from insomnia and attempts to change the city where he worked. Generally, movies are based on a superhero who goes against odds to achieve what they decide to accomplish at the start of the narrative. “Taxi Driver” is not different from other thrillers, and the driver plays a crucial role in making the thriller move. The uniqueness in “Taxi Driver” is developed in the way cinematography is strategized to come up with pictures that are aligned to the themes and styles in the film. For example, the camera movements and tone work in support of the theme being addressed. The cinematography applied presents the relationship between the characters and the themes that the film attempts to build.
The camera setups used in the film are a clear indication that the actors are interested in picturing all the possible perspectives of the characters. The movements are accompanied by a lyric tone to capture the attention of the audience. The camera is moved frequently instead of moving the characters across the acting theatres. Generally, the movements of the camera create compositions that later develop a story worth narrating. For example, the coverage of Travis would have been covered from a single angle, but Scorsese chooses to tilt the camera at different angles to cover all the possible traits of Travis. Moreover, Travis’ gaze is only visible when the camera is moved and tilted at a certain angle.
The unique camera movements and accompanying sounds create the stylistic and rhythmic elements of the film. Generally, the narration given by the Driver appears irrelevant to the kind of pictures being used. Also, the use of sound appears more than average but is essential in building the rhythm needed. However, the camera movements ensure that the audience learns the intensity of the story from the reactions of Travis to the camera movements. Also, the audience would learn little if the characters’ movements were to be used to create the image that the narrator wanted to portray. For example, Travis seemed to be indifferent to the story being given to him, but the camera movements showed a different reaction. Generally, the transitional sounds prepared the audience for a special moment in the film. Moreover, the theme of racism comes up in the film from the camera movements, and the reaction of the characters shows that they are aware of the shots being taken.
The theme of racism comes up in the film, with Travis being the main perpetrator. The camera movements help in capturing the moments that would otherwise be left out. When Travis is introduced to the taxi driver by Wiz, Travis gives the Driver a cold acknowledgment. The reaction came because Travis and the Driver came from different races. However, the reaction would never be noticed if the camera was not moved to show a reverse shot showing Travis’ reaction. The issue of racism is further developed through a framed shot to show the distance between Travis and Charlie, the Driver. When a group shot is taken at the table, the gap between Charlie and Travis is shown, with the two occupying the far ends of the table and opposite to each other.
In sum, the uniqueness in “Taxi Driver” is developed in the way cinematography is strategized to come up with pictures that are aligned to the themes and styles in the film. The camera setups used in the film indicate that the actors are interested in picturing all the possible perspectives of the characters. The unique camera movements create the stylistic and rhythmic elements of the film. Also, the camera movements are essential in bringing out the theme of racism in the film. Generally, the development of themes and settings of the “Taxi Driver” film is based on the cinematography applied.