TAXI DRIVER
Martin Scorsese (1973)

Friday, 15 July – 20:30

Set in a decaying and morally bankrupt New York City following the Vietnam War, the film follows Travis Bickle (De Niro), a taxi driver and veteran, and his deteriorating mental state as he works nights in the city.

With The Wrong Man (1956) and A Bigger Splash (1973) as inspiration, Scorsese wanted the film to feel like a dream to audiences. The production team engaged in the making of the film accepted payment cuts in order to ensure that the project could be completed within the planned budget of $1.9 million during the planned period of one year.

The film was released by Columbia Pictures on February 7, 1976, and it became an immediate critical and commercial success, despite generating controversy for its graphic violence at the climactic ending, as well as the casting of the then 12-year-old Foster in the role of a child prostitute. The film received numerous accolades including the 1976 Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or, and four nominations at the 49th Academy Awards, including for Best Picture, Best Actor (for De Niro), and Best Supporting Actress (for Foster).

Taxi Driver is now widely recognized as one of the greatest films ever made. In 1994, the film was considered “culturally, historically and aesthetically” significant by the US Library of Congress, and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.