Taxi Driver

a) I chose the five minute extract (6:50-12:10)when Travis Bickle is preparing for the presidential candidate, Palentine’s, assassination. I chose the five minutes section of the film because it showed Bickle’s breaking point; he cannot take living in a “filthy” New York City anymore, so he takes matters into his own hands. It also reflects some genre influences and explores Bickle’s character as an awkward, lonely, yet hysterical, violent, and obsessive man. He descends into madness after the rejection from Betsy. He loses all self-awareness and convinces himself that shooting a presidential candidate and then suicide is a heroic act.



b)The director, Martin Scorsese's body of work includes themes as Italian American identity, Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption, machismo, modern crime and violence”. Taxi Driver delves more deeply into modern crime and violence. The streets of New York are mean and tough while Bickle drives in his taxi at night, which is enhanced by the grittiness from the steam and sewers. His practice with the guns is unique, like most of Scorsese’s Film Noir films. The robbery and shooting in the store is also typical of Scorsese as well. He tends to have the same style: New York settings and loners struggling with inner turmoil.





c) The narrative is linear in the film. Before the extract, Bickle gradually loses his mind after losing Betsy. He feels more isolated and miserable in the city. He absentmindedly runs his cab into a young prostitute, the same one who jumped into his cab earlier in the film. After buying guns from a salesman, he begins training his body for what it seems like combat. His speech begins to become repetitive and disjointed and he even shoots a black robber in a convenience store. Bickle’s voice over (him explaining why he hates New York and his new mission in life) dominates the extract, and basically the entire film. This allows the audience to delve deeper into his mind.

d) The director attempts to explore the theme of lonliness in crowds or isolation. In the large population New York City, forming intimate relationships can be rare. With Bickle’s traumatized mind due to the Vietnam War and inability to fit in to society, he reflects the typical urban isolation. Travis resents that the people in his taxi who pretend he doesn't exist, and in a way, New York itself is an extension of the taxi. Bickle is shown as isolated from society or separated from reality when he is watching television alone. It seems as though the only exposure to culture is through television. Due to his failed relationship with Betsy and his strained relationship with his parents, Bickle chooses to isolate himself where he can reflect on life in his journal and mope.






e) Taxi Driver is a gritty, disturbing, nightmarish modern film classic, that explores alienation in urban society. Scorsese combines elements of Film Noir, the western, horror and urban melodrama film genres. The film appeared after the Vietnam War, and after President Nixon's resignation. Travis’ attempt to assassinate the presidential candidate, Palantine, was inspired by current events of that time period. In 1972, Arthur Bremer tried and failed to assassinate presidential candidate and Governor George C. Wallace. He was a young loner who lived in a rented room and stalked Wallace for weeks. His attempted assassination is almost identical to Travis Bickle’s attempt.

The Rise the American Anti-Hero

What historical factors influenced the rise of the American Anti-Hero in cinema and how does this hero contradict the Classic Hollywood Ideology.


Throughout film history, audiences have rooted for the protagonists who were the true “heroes” of the story. However, as the world faced challenges and innocence soon diminished, audiences yearned for characters who showed human weakness and venerability-- someone who was more human. This character rose in cinema and became known as the anti-hero. “What is it?”, you may ask. An anti-hero is "a protagonist of a drama or narrative who is notably lacking in heroic qualities" (1).

World War II played a major role in influencing the rise of the American anti-hero in cinema. The first reason was that America wanted new kinds of heroes because America was seriously traumatized after the war. The second reason was that citizens wanted the protagonists “to rebel against the status quo” (1). Thirdly, people wanted heroes with human qualities, “who were true representations of life, who were faulty and vulnerable” (1). Lastly, America wanted its heroes to reflect the true American spirit, no matter they were good , bad or ugly.



In the 1940s and 1950s, the anti-hero became popular due to the cynicism during and following World War II. People were relating to the anti-hero “who was not involved in world problems but devoting his time to overcoming hisown personal problems" (2). Duel in the Sun and The Best Years of Our Lives demonstrated that America after the war was not always a happy go lucky place, and happy endings were rare.

John Garfield could be argued as the creator of the anti-hero. His characters were more relatable to real life. "The anti-hero was daring the audience to relate to doing wrong or being wrong even for the wrong reasons" (2). Watching a character commit wrongdoings makes us reflect on our own failures to encourage us to do the “right thing”.



The Cold War created a sense of fear and hate in the people the 1950s. People were paranoid in this atmosphere of hostility with Russia. Filmmakers thus had characters “embrace the duality in the nature of man” (3). Character could then show good and bad characteristics. In the second half of the 20th Century, America was rebelling against Communism and aggressors in Vietnam and Korea, which influenced the anti-hero to be rebellious as well. “The rebel anti-hero was rebelling against the American standard, and America itself was born through rebellion and revolution” (4). Rebellion became a new standard in cinema.



The Anti-hero contradicts the Classic Hollywood Ideology because the anti-hero is more realistic and shows human flaws. The traditional hero is supposedly ‘perfect and good’. However, as America experienced WWII, the Cold War, and domestic revolutions, audiences wanted a type of hero that depicted their time period. They desired a character that made mistakes and reflected true human nature. People wanted to see the darker and cynical side of human nature after experiencing the horrors of war. An anti-hero creates a sense of realism through their character. Classic heroes intentional attempt to do good deeds whereas the anti-hero performs good deeds, but may do them in illegal/ immoral ways. “Anti-heroes became these altruistic characters that were supposed to be representations of real people...”(6). I personally prefer anti-heroes to classic heroes because they have more depth and are more compelling to watch on screen.

Article- Intensified Continuity

According to David Bordwell, explain how and why continuity has intensified in Hollywood cinema. Also consider whether anything has been lost with this change.
Please include a minimum of 3 quotes from the article in your response

According to David Bordell, the author of the article “Visual Style in Contemporary American Film”, Hollywood cinema continuity has intensified throughout the course of film history. The predominant stylistic tactics of intensified continuity includes: increased use of rapid editing, extremes of lens length, close framing during dialogue scenes, and a free-ranging camera.

Rapid editing is the first stylistic technique of intensified continuity. Between 1930 and 1960, the average shot length was between 300-700 shots. In the 1980s, the ASL was about 1500. Fast editing continued to grow in popularity throughout the ages. Bordwell states, "Today, most films are cut more rapidly than any other time in U.S. studio filmmaking.” (2). Bordwell explains that there are few films today that are “long action sequence[s]”. As time passed, artist strayed away from realism and eventually with quick cutting, a more “post classical” style was more predominant. Bordwell explains that “classical cutting contains built in redundancies: shot/reverse shots reiterate the information about character position given in the establishing shot”(2). He believed that Kuleshov and Pudovking agreed that many artists started to distance themselves from realism since the repetition of shots/ techniques began to bore audiences. Rapid editing has intensified in Hollywood because filmmakers wanted to try something that was never attempted before. They wanted to create new techniques/ concepts that they could call their own. Classicism became too unoriginal and to become authentic, filmmakers gradually developed this type of ramped up continuity. Also, to match the face paced life of Americans, quick cuts would force the audiences to pay close attention and make the film more dynamic.

Bipolar extremes of lens lengths was yet another stylistic choice. From 1910 to 1940, the average focal length for normal lens was about 50mm (or 2 inches). Longer lenses ranging from 100mm to 500mm were used mostly for soft-focus close ups and for “following swift action at a distance” (2). The shorter lenses (25-50mm) were used to create a good focus in several different planes or cramped settings in one shot. Bordwell states that “filmmakers used wide-angle lenses to provide expansive establishing shots, medium shots with strong foregrounds/background interplay, and grotesque close ups,"(2). Wide-angle lenses enabled filmmakers to get a variety of unique shots. Wide angles were able to skew images by creating bulging edges that exaggerated distances (foreground/ background interplay) in a frame. Long lens grew in popularity as well because of its advantages. Bordwell explains, “The long-focus lens became and has remained an all purpose tool, available to frame close-ups, medium close-ups, over the shoulder shots, and even establishing shots”. The longer lenses also allowed cameras to stay out of other cameras’ way during the shooting of an interior scene. The longer lenses was useful with rack-focusing and the "wipe-by" cut as well. I think the use of longer lenses became popular in film industries because as the technology became more advanced, the more inclined the filmmakers are to experiment with the interplays between the actors and their environment. The effects of long lenses can contributed to the film’s content (the characterization, plot) and is a way to show and not tell the story.

The third technique of intensified continuity is close framing in dialogue scenes. "Singles allowed the director to vary the scene's pace in editing and to pick the best bits of each actor's performance" (3). Medium shots and close ups were used to highlight the actors’ performances during important scenes critical to the film. A variety in shot scales was utilized to avoid reemphasizing lines or facial expressions in shots. This would decrease the boredom of the audience when watching the repeating switching two shot dialogue. This introduced the over-the-shoulder and medium shots for dialogue scenes. However, filmmakers had a narrower scale to work with in the process. When wide-screens were introduced into the film industry, “filmmakers felt obligated to use long-shots and medium shots” (4). Fortunately, Panavision's sharper, less distorting lenses allowed directors to film closer wide-screen framings. Filmmakers felt more inclined to use closer framing during dialogue scenes because it was important to observe the actors’ facial expressions. A tighter shot meant the audience would greatly connect or sympathize with the character(s) during that scene and throughout the film.

Last, but not least the fourth technique of intensified continuity is using a free-ranging camera. Bordwell comments, "Today's camera movements are ostentatious extensions of the camera mobility generalized during the 1930's" (4). The prolonged following shot, developed in the 1920, is when the camera tracks “a character moving along a lengthy path” (4). Improved technology (Steadicam) throughout film history was a benefit as well. In today's films, crane shots are “casual embellishments” and help "enliven montage sequences and expository moments"(4). They now are used during the exposition or montages. The technique of "push-ins" is used during a moment of realization for a character. The circling shot is a method of introducing all the present characters in a scene. The free-ranging camera was first used around the 1970's when it was popularized in horror films. It gave a “hovering, slightly shaky camera that represented the monster's point of view”. With the advancement of sound came the common use of camera movement, which shows the progression of film. To capture the audience’s attention and maintain their interest, camera movement would be crucial. It indicates the presence of the camera and adds production quality to the film as a whole.

Such stylistic changes occurred because of the changes in culture. With movies, video games, and television already having short ASLs and variations of shots, filmmakers had to match and even go above and beyond the typical media art form to really shine.

Advanced Editing Notes- Overview/Classical Paradigm

a. Compare the following two short films: the "Arrival of a Train" and "Damsel in Distress"- as they relate to Realism, Classicism and Formalism

1. How would describe the difference in camera work: composition, angle, movement
For the “Arrival of a Train” clip, the camera work was in my opinion very static and boring. This short film is relates to Realism the most. There was a long shot of the train arriving and people walking to the train to board. The take was extremely lengthy and their wasn’t any camera movements because it was just a recording of time.



“Damsel in Distress” is quite different from “Arrival of a Train” in that it is a Classical film. The cinematographer used a variety of different shots, such as LS, MS, ELS, etc). This makes the film seem more interesting compared to the other film. The camera followed the man while he rode this bicycle to the “damsel”, which incorporates some camera movement to the film.

2. How would describe the differences in the edit?
For the “Arrival of a Train” had no editing whatsoever, a goal realists attempt to strive for.
There were more cuts in the other film, which emphasizes speed as the man tries to save the woman on the railroad tracks before the train runs her over. I noticed that the edges of the film was softened and sometimes black encircled a character to create focus.
3. How would describe the characteristics of the story being told/narrative?
There isn’t a “story” being told in the train short film because the directors wanted an objective recording of what actually exists. It depicts the ordinary, everyday lives of people in their routines.
The storyline was a little cliche for my taste, but it was typical for the Classical style. The story for “Damsel in Distress” is basically about a villain chaining a woman to railroad tracks. She whistles for her dog who fetches a man to help the poor damsel in distress. Together they rescue the woman. In the end everyone is happy and the villain is arrested. Parallel action dominated the film. The woman is in desperate need of saving as the train was approaching in another shot. At the same time, the man and dog tries to beat the train. The three event happening simultaneously at different locations create suspense for the audience. Ultimately, these come together in a climax.

Advanced Editing Notes Questions: 3. Soviet Montage and 4. Realism

3. Soviet Montage and Formalism
a. What was Pudovkin's concept of constructive editing and how did it manifest itself on film?
Pudovkin created the concept of constructive editing in which he wanted each shot in film to make new meanings. For this type of editing, close ups are used to create a unified meaning. Constructive editing favored close ups, textures, symbols, and other selected details. These were montages that, in his opinion, was a great way to express life. Formalists believe that the art of film lies more in the way materials are taken apart and put back together.



b. What was the Kuleshov effect and give me an example of how is it used in today's film's?
The Kuleshov Effect is a type of film technique in which emotion isn’t created by the actors’ performances, but by the juxtapositions of shots. Filmmakers utilize this effect to bring out certain emotions from their audiences without much talent from the actors. This technique is used in today’s films still. For example, a shot of a man who smiles at a women and her child makes the audience believe that he is admiring their close relationship. A shot of the same man and then a shot of a girl in a bikini makes us believe that the guy is a pervert. It all depends on how the shots are put together.



c. What was Eisensteinian Montage and how does it work in the "Odessa Step" sequence?
It is the montage of sharply contrasting or conflicting images. In the “Odessa Step”, the images of a small boy being trampled on the stairs by people are contrasted with the image of the aristocratic women with the umbrella. These two images are highly differently, but it shows the differences in the human condition. It shows that the soldiers do not spare any expense when terrorizing the people.

4. Andre Bazin and Realism



a. What were Andre Bazin's frustrations with Classical and Formalistic film making?
Bazin believed there were distortions in using formalist techniques, especially thematic editing because it can violate the complexities of reality. Formalists were egocentric and manipulative, he believed. Bazin also thought montage imposes a simplistic ideology over the infinite variability of actual life. Classical Cutting was also seen as potentially corrupting because the technique encourages audiences to follow the shot sequence without our being conscious of its arbitrariness.

b. What do Realist filmmakers strive for in their work?
They strive for the recording of what actually exists. Realistic cinema must balance the artist vision with the objective nature of the medium. Directors should reveal the poetic implications of ordinary people, events, and places.

c. What techniques to realists use in their filmmaking?
Techniques include long shots, wide screen, lengthy takes, deep focus, panning, craning, tilting or tracking rather than cutting to individual shots. This leaves the audience the ability to “observe, choose, and form an opinion”. This also forces audiences to be more creative and less passive.