Taxi Driver - Blu-ray + DVD

TAXI DRIVER is an iconic film, considered by many to be a masterpiece and the crowning achievement of both Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro. Whatever your opinion this is a powerful film that starts strong and never lets up that has also stood the test of time. Everything in the movie is done so realistically that the story could still be told today. Robert Deniro plays Travis. We know little about him other than that he is an ex marine and a deep insomniac. He also sees the world as a dirty place that needs to be cleaned up. He becomes a taxi driver in the city of New York which takes on a realistic role of its own here. We see the two sides of everything and the same goes for New York. Nothing is held back on showing the realistic gritty underside of the city. But what of the transfer of this movie classic to blu ray. Seems like all the classics are being brought to blu ray, some more succesfully than others. The questions are always how does it look, is it an improvement over the dvd and does it bring the film to new life. TAXI DRIVER was the first film to receive an enhanced 4k restoration and what it does is perform magic on a decades old film. The video presentation is purely amazing. It is funny for when the film starts the Columbia logo is very fuzzy and then the movie starts. It is clear, crisp with colors strong. The film is very definitive in that scenes are either nighttime or daytime, dark or light. The blacks and dark colors are brilliant and all color ratios amazing. Whites contrast perfectly. No matter what the scene everything pops. The night scenes are very realistic and when colors are introduced they are vibrant and real. Nothing is overenhanced. Instead the film looks the way it must have when released originally in theaters. It is leaps and bounds over any dvd version. The climactic scene at the end is brought to new devastating life with this new restoration. Flesh tones are also perfect. Blu ray is put to amazing use here restoring this classic film to all its glory. The graininess here is meant to be here. It represents New York City in full detail. And the audio is just as perfect. The DTS 5.1 audio allows the amazing soundtrack to fully blossom and soar over the entire film. The score here tells the story as much as any character or visual. And dialogue is strong and present. Nothing is wrong here. The film itself is told in a way that it is open to many different interpretations but the blu ray itself needs no debate. It is spectacular. I will reiterate again. The film looks as pure and original as when in the theaters restored to its true glory. Do not hesitate to double dip if you own the dvd. This blu ray shows the movie as a whole new experience. I give this blu ray my highest recommendations.

Last saw this on cable about 15 years ago for about the 5th time, and liked it after every viewing, spaced about 3 or 4 years apart. Fast forward to day with a longer gap between views, coupled with higher quality blu-ray this time, and I now love it more than ever. This film has aged very, very well for me. I'm telling you a quality transfer to blu-ray from original film elements improves the color depth and contrast and audio so much so that it's like watching with a new perspective. Especially watching on a good quality big screen tv, in a dark room, sitting close to get a cinema theater type experience. Trivia that I learned in the extras: A big scene with blood late in the film looked oddly brownish to me, instead of dark crimson red. I was thinking a defect in the color from a damaged film element. Turns out the brownish blood was by design, via censorship from the powers that be. The scene was so graphic for the time that the only way the censors would let the scene remain was to alter the blood's color in post, to make a little less graphic. A deranged DeNiro is at his height as a young actor, and Cybil Shephard's sizzling good looks and decency create a dynamic contrast that bodes so well for the story line. This is pure cinema and story telling at its finest.

One of the greatest Martin Scorsese movies ever!! The frustration and angst of a late-20’s Vietnam veteran about the filths of 70’s New York City and America in general with internalized hatred toward then politicians, portrayed with De Niro like skillfulness. A MUST WATCH for all generations!!!

I don't know how you sum up such a perfect, artful, thoughtful film. It's important to note that introverted males are likely to click with this more than any other demographic, but the character portrayals are so strong and realistic that most of the message will shine through regardless. This is a film about emotions, about finding yourself, about seeing all the good and bad in the world, not even quite realizing your part in all of it but you desperately want to. It's about finding realistic meaning for your life, about taking chances, and about learning to be functional in difficult situations. The food in the film-- any time anyone purchases or eats food-- it's symbolic of how they're living their life or feeling inside. This is a really good movie and anyone feeling lost could benefit from watching it. You don't get any grandiose answers, just the simple ones you needed all along. People are important, and the little things you do impact everyone around you.

Taxi Driver is not an easy film to watch, it's both gritty and confronting at times, and the depiction of New York as an "open sewer" is pretty depressing. That said it is an important film in the history of cinema, not the least because it serves as an interesting glimpse of society in the time in which in was made. De Niro's performance is a standout, but all the actors play their parts extremely well. It's hard to come away unaffected by Taxi Driver, and to me that's the mark of a great film. The Blu-ray edition looks great considering the age of this film, though it's obviously not as sharp as recent releases. This Blu-ray worked fine in my region B player.

『タクシードライバー』(Taxi Driver)('76) 出演∶ロバート・デ・ニーロ、シビル・シェパード、ジョディ・フォスター、ハーヴェイ・カイテル、ピーター・ボイル、アルバート・ブルックス、レナード・ハリス、ダイアン・アボット、スティーヴン・プリンス、マーティン・スコセッシ、ハリー・ノーサップ、ヴィクター・アルゴ、 ジョー・スピネル、リチャード・ヒッジス、ナット・グラント 監督∶マーティン・スコセッシ 1970年代というのはアメリカ映画にとって､色んな意味で大転換期だったと思う｡『フレンチ・コネクション』『ダーティ・ハリー』の大ヒットで刑事アクションものが定番ジャンルとして定着｡『ゴッドファーザー』『バラキ』でマフィア映画が大流行｡『エクソシスト』『オーメン』でオカルト映画がメジャー・ジャンルに昇格し､『スター・ウォーズ』『未知との遭遇』『エイリアン』でSF映画が"お子様映画・B級映画"のイメージを脱却してドル箱大作の目玉になった｡ 1960年代後半〜1970年代前半､アメリカ映画界には"アメリカン・ニューシネマ"と呼ばれる一大ムーブメントがあった。世界的な反戦運動､人権運動､差別反対の風潮の中､反体制的な人物やアンチヒーロー､ダーティ・ヒーローを主人公とする作品がもてはやされた｡『俺たちに明日はない』『真夜中のカーボーイ』『卒業』『明日に向って撃て!』『イージー・ライダー』などがヒットして一時代を築いた｡ だがニューシネマ時代の諸作品には､かつて映画が娯楽の王様だった時代のような娯楽大作感や単純明快なヒロイズム､痛快さに欠けるものが多かった。その反動だろうか､1970年代〜'80年代になると前記のような様々なジャンルに娯楽性を求めるようになり､スティーヴン・スピルバーグ､ジョージ・ルーカス､ジェームズ・キャメロンら後の超大物監督が登場し､SF超大作・冒険大活劇などのメガヒット作を連発するようになり､今に至る｡ この『タクシードライバー』は､ニューシネマ時代とメガヒット娯楽大作時代の端境期に出現した異端的傑作だと思う。'70〜'80年代のアメリカ映画の多くは､ベトナム帰還兵の様々な問題を扱った"ベトナム戦争後遺症映画"的な側面があったと思う｡『タクシードライバー』は､どこか異常性を孕み､狂気と正義感の狭間で常軌を逸した行動に走る帰還兵が､異常犯罪者とヒーローの境を駆け抜ける問題作だ｡ [物語] アメリカ､N.Y.。ベトナム帰りの元海兵隊員トラヴィス・ビックル(デ・ニーロ)は除隊後､極度の不眠症に苛まれ定職に就けずにいた。小さなタクシー会社に定職を求め､治安の悪い地区もいとわない夜勤シフトの運転手となる。麻薬や売春､暴力のはびこる街の住人たちを嫌悪しながらも客の選り好みはせず､売上げは上々だった。眠れない昼間はポルノ映画館で漫然と過ごす｡ ある日､トラヴィスは次期大統領候補パランタイン上院議員(ハリス)の選挙事務所に勤務するベッツィ(シェパード)に魅かれ､彼女をデートに誘う。徐々に親しくなる２人だったが､トラヴィスはつい習慣でベッツィをポルノ映画館に連れて行き､激怒させてしまう。選挙事務所に押しかけて､彼女をなだめようとする彼だが､けんもほろろで相手にしてもらえなくなる。トラヴィスの心はすさんでゆく｡ そんなトラヴィスのタクシーにローティーンと思しき少女売春婦アイリス(フォスター)が逃げ込もうとするが､ヒモの男スポーツ(カイテル)に強引に連れ戻される事件が起きる。それを契機に彼は闇ルートの拳銃を数丁手に入れ､ストイックで狂気じみた射撃訓練と肉体強化の日々にのめり込む。そんなある日､食料品店で強盗事件に出くわした彼は反射的に犯人を撃ってしまう。度重なる強盗事件に辟易していた店主は､拳銃所持の許可証のないトラヴィスを密かに逃がす｡ 何かがハジけたトラヴィスは､前腕部に忍ばせた拳銃が素早く手のひらにスライドして収まる装置を装着すると演説中の大統領候補に近づくが､護衛官に怪しまれて逃げ出す。街で再び売春婦アイリスに出会った彼は客を装って近づく。家出して､やくざ者のスポーツに食い物にされている彼女に､売春をやめるよう説得するトラヴィスだが､彼女は現状から抜ける意志はない様子。だが､狂気をはらんだ正義感に囚われた彼は……｡ 現在80歳を越した名優ロバート・デ・ニーロは『ゴッドファーザー PART II』でアカデミー助演男優賞を獲って以来､都合８回同賞ノミネートの常連だが､本作で初めて主演男優賞にノミネートされている｡(初受賞は数年後の『レイジング・ブル』だが…) 彼はのちに役作りで体重を大きく増減させたり､髪をごっそり抜いたりで有名になるが､本作での肉体鍛錬ぶりにもその片鱗が……。腕力で体を浮かせた瞬間に両手で１拍手する腕立て伏せ､マネしたなぁ…(笑) 脚本のポール・シュレイダーは､京大や同志社大で教鞭を取った大学講師でもある兄レナードと共作の『ザ・ヤクザ』(主演:ロバート・ミッチャム､高倉健)で脚本家デビューした人。スコセッシ監督とは『レイジング・ブル』『最後の誘惑』でも組んでいる。兄レナードは､日本語でも脚本が書ける人で､『太陽を盗んだ男』『男はつらいよ 寅次郎春の夢』などの日本映画や米・ブラジル合作『蜘蛛女のキス』も手掛けている｡ そういえば､スコセッシ監督が頭角を現した頃､イタリア系のその名前"Scorsese"の読み方が日本ではマチマチで一定しなかった。イタリア風にスコルセーゼと表記する配給会社や英語風にスコシージと読ませる会社があって困りものでした｡(実際､アメリカでも英語風に読む人もいるようです) その後､本人の主張(?)で"スコセッシ"に統一されたようですが……(笑) あと､この映画で忘れてならないのは少女娼婦役で大いに話題になった13歳のジョディ・フォスターだろう。この時のセンセーションはよく覚えているが､まさか彼女が大人になってからあれほどの大物女優になるとは思いませんでした。この映画を最初に見た時､単純に傑作だとは思ったが､いま改めて見ると未来のハリウッドをしょって立つ稀有な才能のかたまりでしたね｡

Il DVD è arrivato in largo anticipo rispetto al previsto ed in ottime condizioni . Il film dura 109 minuti. Il formato video è 1.85:1 un po' granuloso, audio in italiano, in francese ed inglese tutti in dolby digital 5.1. interessanti anche gli extra . Il film è un vero classico sull'alienazione, sulla solitudine, sui disastri sociali . Bello da vedere e da rivedere. Ottimo cast.

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Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro) is a former Marine and a veteran of the Vietnam war. He frequently has trouble sleeping and is plagued by headaches. The pills he takes don't seem to help at all. Because he's likely to be awake all night anyway, Bickle takes a job driving a cab. He prefers the night shift. Scorsese's version of New York is gritty and realistic. Most of the film is shot at night and we see just how crazy some of the people are. It's a crime-ridden world populated by junkies and prostitutes. Bickle hates how much scum exists in the city, and he's referring to the people more than the dirty streets. Bickle is looking for something to brighten up his seedy existence and a woman catches his eye. Betsy (Cybill Shepherd) works in a local office for a senator who is hoping to become the next president. After pestering her for a while, she eventually agrees to go on a date with him. He talks to her in a very straightforward way. It's not clear whether he lacks intelligence, or if he doesn't see any point in hiding the truth about himself. His approach works and leads to one of the funniest scenes in the film when he takes her to see a movie. Other things attract Bickle's attention. He's particularly drawn to Iris (Jodie Foster), who is a 12-year-old prostitute. As his frustration mounts at the disgusting state of the city, he begins to devise a plan to clean up one small part. An incident on the street gives him the idea of saving Iris from her situation and giving her the opportunity to escape from her pimp (Harvey Keitel). It's interesting watching Bickle trying to escape his miserable existence. He figures out how to buy and use weapons and starts working out to strengthen his body. All the while, there's mounting tension, and we sense that Bickle is close to losing touch with reality completely. The supporting cast is strong, with Shepherd, Foster and Keitel all playing their parts well. You'll also see Peter Boyle and Albert Brooks. One of the most surprising scenes involves a cameo from Scorsese. His character might even be the catalyst for the change which eventually occurs in Bickle. I have to mention Scorsese's decision to shoot most of the scenes at night. It was an inspired choice and adds so much atmosphere to the film. Bernard Herrmann's saxophone-heavy score is also an important part of the mix and helps helps transport us into Bickle's troubled world. De Niro has produced some incredible performances over the past 40 years and Travis Bickle is probably my favorite De Niro character. There's so much going on beneath the surface and De Niro portrays much of it with his body language. The meaning of the conclusion is open to debate, but if you take it purely at face value, it's quite uplifting. The Blu-ray presentation adds a lot to the experience and is a must-own for fans of the film.

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