Sitting home during this COVID-19 crisis I was browsing Netflix and I came across Taxi Driver directed by Martin Scorsese. I watched the movie a few years ago and re-visiting this I had Doctor Strangelove in my mind the whole time. Both directed by both legendary directors. I wanted to talk about masculinity as both movies touch upon this topic.
To begin with the film, In "Taxi Driver," Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) is a war veteran, horribly scarred in Vietnam. He encounters a 12-year-old prostitute named Iris, controlled by a pimp named Sport. Sport wears an Indian headband. Travis determines to "rescue" Iris, and does so, in a violent act. A letter and clippings from Iris' parents, thank him for saving their girl. But a crucial earlier scene between Iris and Sport suggests that she was content to be with him, and the reasons why she ran away from home are not explored. In another plot, Travis becomes infatuated with Betsy, a campaign volunteer for Senator and presidential candidate Charles Palantine. After watching her interact with fellow worker Tom through her window, Travis enters to volunteer as a pretext to talk to her, then takes her out for coffee. On a later date, he takes her to see a pornographic film, which offends her, and she goes home alone. His numerous attempts at reconciliation by sending flowers and apologizing over the phone are rebuffed, causing him to become embittered and convinced that she is exactly like the "cold" people he detests in the city. He finally confronts her at the campaign office, berating her before being kicked out by Tom.
These two women are what builds the character of Travis. Travis develops hatred towards the lifestyles that reject him which inflates his egotism. For Iris, is the rejection that she does not need saving and for Betsy the rejection of a normal lifestyle/ fitting into society. As a result, the themes of status and masculinity begin to sync with Travis which triggers his rampage to kill Palatine and Sport. Killing them gives him a purpose in his life which he eventually goes on a killing rampage at the end of the movie. Travis makes himself believe that his revenge is motivated by altruism, from rescuing them from repression, but in reality, it is his way to show his masculinity.
Travis Bickle Taxi Driver
To me, it reminds me of the infamous character Jack D. Ripper from Doctor Strangelove. Ripper is having this persona that we should start a war because he believes that the communist poisoned the water. To add on, the scene where Ripper is unleashing bullets into the opposing army shows his macho and masculine side of him. To add on Cpt. Mandrake sits behind him where he hides from the shower of bullets coming in. Mandrake is portrayed as a feminine character as he is unable to feed bullets to Ripper and not being able to fire a gun. What shows Ripper’s ego is when Mandrake barges in and asks if he can have the recall code. Ripper blatantly denies this request, displaying the risk he puts a country in with his personal interest. To add insult to injury, he kills himself so that no one gets the recall code and now there’s no chance for the missile to be sent back. Causing an indefinite act of war against another country. An action of one man has caused the potential of total annihilation against the whole world. This is caused by one man who puts his ego first before thinking straight.
Jack D. Ripper Doctor Strangelove
These two characters Travis and Ripper are two people who believe that they are doing the right thing. However, what’s right to them is wrong to others. It’s nice to see that recent films like Joker and The Irishman bring attention to masculinity as a theme in society. Especially Joker where it displays a man with a social disability trying to fit in society.
PS: Interesting that Robert De Niro also stars in every movie I mention except Doctor Strangelove. He is truly one of my favorite actors.
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