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By the mid-1970’s the old Hollywood studio system was on life support, allowing new filmmakers to break through with unusually provocative features, none more so than Martin Scorsese’s surprise 1976 hit, Taxi Driver.
With its perversely lost and disconnected “hero”, remorseless dive into the most degraded aspects of a dying New York City, and shocking violence, Taxi Driver was unique. Leonardo DiCaprio has described it as the greatest independent film ever made, even though it was financed and distributed by a major studio.
Half a century later and with a steady diet of screen violence and horror, how has this great film’s cultural meaning and impact changed?
Listen in to hear the viewpoints of film lovers who were there when it was released — and those seeing it for the first time with 21st century eyes.
Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik
Panelists: Guy Lewis, Olive Goldberg & Sonia Howell
