the psychology of TRAVIS BICKLE | therapist explains Taxi Driver
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
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Time to discuss the psychology of Travis Bickle from the Martin Scorsese film Taxi Driver, played by Robert De Niro. This videoessay tries to provide psychological character analysis on who Travis is and why he behaves the way he does.
My Little Thought Tree is my channel for drawing out the deeper meaning and emotion in film, TV, and the world at large through relaxed, analytical video essays. I am a professional counsellor and often draw on my psychology and therapy background to better understand characters, themes, and emotion in fiction. I upload every Saturday and occasionally on Tuesdays, if I'm feeling productive.
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
02:51 Loneliness
11:20 World Anvil
13:11 Animals
18:32 Observer
21:46 Masculinity
27:30 Madonna
33:52 Flood
MUSIC (in order)
Bladverk Band - The Longest Night
Calme - Ever So Blue
A L E X - missing my ntpp
Idealism - Phosphenes
Kuronosu Jikan - Sugoi
Idealism - Lonely
Jay-Longue - Lakehouse
Martin Landstrom - Paris in the Rain
Ludovico Moulin - Sad Cop Story
i p p i - overcast
Alan Ellis - Sea Terms
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#taxidriver #psychology #analysis - Krátké a kreslené filmy
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A detail I’ve always thought was fun as a stylistic choice but actually holds significance with your point about agency is that Martin Scorsese plays the guy who tells Travis he’s gonna kill his wife with a Magnum. He has so little agency that the director literally enters the story and puts the idea to buy a gun into his mind, thereby setting the plot into motion
Well, the reason Scorsese played that part was because the actor that was supposed to play it fell through, and he stepped in last minute.
I think taking Betsy to the porn film is perhaps the most perplexing inexplicable thing in the whole film. He doesn't understand that it's wrong or that she would be offended. He's surprised by her reaction. I think it shows his detachment from reality and from other people. Perhaps an inability to understand other people's thoughts and emotions.
Not reality just their societal and social norms and stuff.. betsy is from a different world. So to speak. And he wasn’t raised right or somethings wrong with his brain like mental illness, whether it be nature, nurture or mix. He just has different norms. Not only that, but it doesn’t help that if he was already messed up, he went into the Marines, which is very psychologically taxing, especially back, then in the Vietnam war era, and if he was a veteran, and saw action even worse for PTSD, and being disconnected from others. A recluse who imagines their own version of everything or things society is how he thinks it is, but it’s not. Or maybe sometimes it is because he’s around scum a lot relatively speaking so to them it’s normal I mean look at the people who go to those theaters and he has seen couples there.. he doesn’t know or hasn’t been taught. Or shown that that’s like not a normal thing for the average person to go around sharing on first dates. As if you can come off as rude and such
That scene was the funniest scene in the movie.
I think perhaps it was an act of self sabotage. If he had a healthy, meaningful relationship with Betsy, then It might stop him from destroying himself, which seems to be his ultimate goal.
And we can say about Betsy almost the same - that she doesn't have ability to understand other people's thoughts and emotions.
I think he’s so disconnected from society that he has adopted this primal, animal, “alpha” mentality. He holds her in such high regards. To him she is the epitome of purity, the society he longs to be apart of. He sees himself as not worthy of her, beneath her instead of bettering himself, he needs her to become corrupted to become the loser he is. In his mind she holds such power over him to bring her down to his level he can regain that power.
The writer said making a sequel would be the worst idea ever. He said Travis wouldn't be alive 6 months after the movie ends, he's not okay he would continue to deteriorate
Taxi Driver ranks very highly in my favorite movies. For a period of time when I was 22-24 (Deniro was 26 at the time of filming), I related a lot to Travis Bickle. I think, broadly, he is something that a large portion of men can relate to. More specifically, men in their early 20s who may have experienced or participated in traumatic events (I had by that time) and suffer from that loneliness, the disconnect from what we might call normal people, the feeling that our efforts just don't work, and the desire to just do something besides waste away. I got out of it and my life will never be the same, but I understand it because I lived it and other men do too because so have they. We found in Travis Bickle someone to whom we could relate on some level. This is why we see "He's literally me" used by men when referencing characters like Travis Bickle. It's hard to explain in a way that makes sense to anyone but those of us who have felt that way.
I'm 23 and I've been through 2 traumatic events, and I can relate
13:47
It's worth noting that in the first draft of the script, Sport and the other people Travis kills at the end were all black, but Scorsese changed it as he felt it would be too inflammatory.
I feel him being a Vietnam veteran could explain him being the way he is to a good extent. He needs help, yet being in New York isn’t helping him. Soldiers with PTSD back in the 70s weren’t really able to get the help they needed and while things have improved over time regarding soldiers who have PTSD from their experiences in war, it still is not the best. The ending is basically things are starting over and Travis is a ticking time bomb, where the violent climax we got at the end did not kill Travis, the next time something extremely violent happens will kill him. It’s a cycle that can only end one way unfortunately. Thank you for talking about Travis Bickle. Taxi Driver is one of my favorite movies and Travis Bickle is one of those characters that just stays with you, not just because of the famous “You Talkin’ to Me?” line, but because he is a very fascinating character.
As someone with ptsd stop spreading this harmful rhetoric about stuff you absolutely do not understand.
You of course realize you’re implying it makes sense for murderers to murder if they have ptsd, which throws literally everyone who has it in the same boat. As if they haven’t been through enough. I’m so sick of this ableist rhetoric so comfortable blaming atrocities on innocent people who have seen more than you could imagine.
@@private755 I dont think he was trying to say all people with ptsd are murderers. He was pointing out this case in particular, where vetrans have been known to suffer from ptsd and the main character in the movie shows signs of it. also he does end up murdering people. I dont see him saying anywhere that its completely fine to murder people as long as you have ptsd. He was simply analyzing the movie in his own way, with his own interpretation of it.
Except for the fact that the film is told from Travis’ POV and he ranges from being an unreliable narrator to a completely full of shit compulsive liar. All we know about his military record is what he told the manager of the cab company, and he wasn’t going to do a background check; he just wanted someone willing to work graveyard shift in Harlem and the Bronx. So as plausible it is that he’s a “battle hardened veteran,” it’s just as plausible he was a degenerate who got shipped off to the military instead of jail and washed out due to mental problems, but still postures as a war hero. A troubling bit is the letter to his parents; he tells them he’s still working for the government, implying he’s a spy or something. 3 years after he was discharged, his parents may not even know he’s not in the service anymore.
I feel a lot like Travis.
I'm a vet, and I seem to just be coasting through life.
I am not living life so much as I am observing it. I sleep sporadically unless I take pills. I get along better, though not totally, with people who are on the fringes of society rather than active participants.
I have always thought that Bickle's life was destined for a violent end, either through his own actions or the actions of some random act of violence that came upon him suddenly.
Fun fact: Travis Bickle is one of the few movie characters who makes you not only remember his first name, but also his last.
Another fantastic character analysis on a spectacular piece of cinema history!
One reason as to why I think "Taxi Driver" is a great film and has stood the test of time is because it still encapsulates a struggle that a lot of men have to deal with nowadays: Loneliness. Martin Scorsese (the film director) has even said in a recent interview with GQ that the majority of modern men tragically are experiencing the same psychological and emotional state as Travis Bickle, which I think is one of the primary reasons as to why so many men are drawn to this film because they can relate to the character (which is further evidenced by a large portion of your comments listed for your character analysis of Travis Bickle). Scorsese said that that was unintentional as this movie was primarily a product of its time in that it reflects the bitter and cynical points of view of the 70’s which is reflected in the film making, the hints of racism (such as the term "spook"), and the overall grim tone of the movie much like many other movies of the 70's.
For me personally, I've always seen the movie "Taxi Driver" as a deep dive into loneliness and the effect that it can have on a man. Specifically on how loneliness can sometimes inspire and drive a man to do really great and wonderful things in his life or how seemingly most of the time it can inspire and drive men to do really horrible and horrendous things, which I think is a trap that is very easy to fall into for very much the same reasons that you mentioned such as the inertia, the frustration, and boredom that can ensue from the repetitiveness experienced. But I think it’s important to remember that being bored can be a good thing because it’s times when you’re bored that you should be learning some new skills, discovering new things either about yourself or the world around your, or simply just being creative.
I’ll admit it’s really not an easy thing to do, but if you can either survive loneliness, find contentment in your own company, or find meaning in a seemingly meaningless world, then you can survive anything! It’s a testament of how life 5% of your life is determined by the sequence of events of what happens to you, while 95% of your life is ACTUALLY determined by how you REACT to it.
As for the ending of the movie, I think Betsy’s final appearance at the end can provide some form of closure for himself in that he proved to himself that's he IS someone and that his life DOES matter, which I think is further solidified as to why we see the letter from Iris's parents thanking him. As for Betsy’s final appearance at the end of the film, I think it’s fair to question “Did it really happen? Or was it a figment of his imagination?” I mean no else witnesses her departure or stepping foot into the cab other than Travis, which I think from a film making perspective was done on purpose to suggest this. I also think it makes it open to interpretation, which could be why he looks into the mirror as he drives off at the end, to confirm to himself as to whether or not it was real. I mean you are right and he’s uninterested in Betsy anymore by the end of the movie but he clearly wanted her approval at the beginning of it and his seeing her is like him getting it as her appearance is like a guardian angel acknowledging that since he pedestaled her to a great deal very much like how you mentioned and Travis in turn not only saved Iris's life, but also his own life. I mean yeah, Iris is likely traumatized by witnessing murders, but is that trauma worse than the trauma that might've come from what could've been a lifetime of s3x work? But that’s my opinion on the ending.
Anyway, another fantastic character analysis and I’m looking forward to your next big one. Thank you for your interesting psychoanalysis, perspective, and opinions!
I think that's a pretty fair interpretation of the ending but it also raises the same concern for me: it makes his actions feel like a good thing worth repeating. He begins the film trying not to give in to his anger/desires. Then he gives in and is praised for it. It feels good. It arguably does leave him more positive in the ending but what if it's not positive enough? What if his life starts to slip back into how it felt before, and he remembers how good it felt to do what he did, so he tries to do it again. Only this time there isn't an Iris to save and maybe he ends up killing people who are more sympathetic? I don't think that possibly is certain. I hope it's not what would happen but it is definitely plausible
Travis is a man who is suffering from the effects of loneliness, a loneliness that he has and continues to create in everything he does - but he doesn't understand this, he can't see it he has no insight, this is his flaw. So everything he does to overcome it just makes it worse and as it gets worse he blames it on everyone and everything but himself.
Another great film which features a similar toxic character is Falling Down starring Michael Douglas. If you haven't seen it, it's really worth the time.
Very cool interpretation of a classic! I also recently re-watched this movie, but I'm thinking that there's a far more symbolic interpretation of the film that was intended. For example, Betsy is always dressed in some pastiche of red, white, and/or blue. You could interpret her as a campaign supporter working for an up and coming presidential candidate, or you could view her instead as an embodiment of America itself. In this sense, Travis is enamored with the American Dream but becomes dissatisfied and seeking purpose after the American Dream denies him. Regardless, your take has given me food for thought.
Really good analysis! I agree with a majority of your points and it was really nice hearing them fleshed out articulately. It's pretty wild that this examination came from a single watch! I think that a big reason for Travis Bickle's desire to assassinate Palantine also came from a sense of wanting to get revenge against Betsy in a hyper-violent way, as that's how he's been raised to treat his problems. I almost feel that the final shootout was a downstairs way of getting revenge against Iris for accepting the "scum" conditions she was in and refusing Travis's original help.
I don't think Travis took her to the porno theater out of any deep reason or purpose at all. I think he's just so socially isolated and out of touch that he tried that he clueless to how terrible an idea it was. The scene was meant to show how socially awkward he was and such little understanding of other people he had. He also was so clueless to her own personality and feelings he was oblivious to how uncomfortable she was at going there.
Man, you only watch porn with a chic AFTER you've "closed the deal" with her. Not before. Lol😂
Travis is a very broken man and I think there's more going on than just PTSD. I've seen people mention schizotypal personality disorder. Of course it's a fictional character who wasn't written to have a specific diagnosis, but I think it's an interesting take on the character. I agree that "saving" Iris was incidental. He wanted to assassinate senator Palantine but he couldn't and went to plan B. I think it was just as likely Travis would have killed people who were far more sympathetic if a good opportunity presented itself. |
You brought up a good point about the viewers never hearing from Iris herself after the massacre. Of course her parents are happy because she's home and it's good she's not on the streets anymore. But how does one even process the kind of violence she witnessed? It's ironic that Travis subjects Iris to trauma that is probably very similar to what he may have experienced in Vietnam.
And yeah. Joker is nothing like taxi driver. It’s like a strip down Main stream. Wanna be if anything
They’re too afraid the bigwigs to do this kind of thing
They’re OK with violence and the joker being the joker and weird and mental illness with giggling And oh I don’t connect to the world and it’s not fair. This world is mad.
Taxi driver goes deeper than that, and it’s not afraid to make you feel gross and grimy and scared And it shows you how some people can be disconnected not in a fantastical way, but in a way that has happened and will happen
The final shootout might never have happened; could've just been a fantasy, given Travis is just fine at the end, despite his injuries.
Taxi Driver, one of my favorite films ever made, doesn't really even feel like a movie. It feels more like a journey with someone as they spiral downward mentally. As someone with anxiety, depression & I have suffered from insomnia it hits even more like watching a real life story. Truly one of the most honest films out there in my mind.
(Edited later in the video - Feeling that meaningless kinda going nowhere that Travis feels is something I really relate to.)
I could discuss this film all day but in a nutshell...Bravo on your analysis. I think you described this movie for people that haven't dealt with mental illness & also for those that have so very well.
Joker ripped off several early Scorsese films. I thought it was a nihilistic slog. Taxi Driver is such a great film. Thanks for this analysis.
i love ur videos man ur voice is so calming
Hey, I love the work you do. It’s a little bit out of topic but there is a game called “The Beginners Guide” and it’s a pretty special game. It’s a walking simulator kind of game that takes 1.30 hours to complete. You don’t even have to play it you can watch it too (because it’s just a walking simulator) I would really like to see you analyze that game because I think it’s really well suited for your videos. Anyways, I love your videos. I hope you reach broader audience :)
Well done
I don't exactly feel like this guy, but there's a thought that I can't shake lately. Even after years of therapy and the ability to function pretty well in daily life I feel like the massive childhood trauma and emotional neglect I was subjected to changed my brain beyond repair. I can't experience the world the same way as other people, I'm excluded from meaningful relationships with healthy, normal people. The only long term relationship I had was ten years with a man who abused me. I have found my personal meaning and happiness very early in science but people and the meaningful experiences that arise from connection with others are somehow not attainable. I feel like almost a different species, we're the traumatized. Thank god I'm good at math and it gives me happiness, not sure how I'll survive in case of retirement, I sincerely hope I don't see that day because I'd be lost just like this guy.
Maybe it's just because you're intelligent. Smart people find it very difficult to fit into this world. Hence why you may find yourself trapped in a cycle of alienation
I can’t believe you hadn’t seen this movie before!!! You must be a very young person. Anyway, great job as usual and maybe consider doing Deniro as Jake Lamotta in Raging Bull, which is kind of a companion piece to Taxi Driver.
I never noticed the similarity b/w Iris's hair and clothing and Betsey's. Your pointing it out gave me an added perspective. This video is a great psychological breakdown. Thanks!
I don’t know how people think it’s boring or that nothing is going on in the scenes… there’s so much in the film going on to examine in every single minute. It creeps me out so much. How disassociated he is with the world his society he does not belong there, and I have no idea about his upbringing because we’re not showing much, but something went wrong somewhere or biological or a mix of nature and nurture. But it’s terrifying to witness, and to realize the connection that people are out there like this in varying extents. I don’t know how people don’t get creeped out or see him as a possible threat immediately. Or they could feel empathy for him but as soon as you realize he’s totally lost and just don’t know he wants to do the right thing, but his right thing is insane.
Great job! Do Jack Torrance next.
I hope at this point world anvil has sent you some gift boxes or something
I loved the video, though the part where you said "patriarchal ideas" and "toxic male" made me roll my eyes a little. The racism part im not sure yet, though is very interesting because in the original scirpt i remember that originally the pimps that Travis killed were going to be all blacks.
Yeah I can't blame you for that, I find it hard to take the words seriously and I generally hate the idea of calling anyone toxic, but at the same time there are social traps that we can all get stuck into, so many expectations for what it means to be a man, it can be damn hard and it's no wonder people relate to Travis. I feel like the discourse around things like "patriarchy" often derails into just saying "men are bad and they run the world, and that's bad". It does make it hard not to roll our eyes at the words
I wonder is Travis a depressed man with PTSD after vietnam. He cut his hair into a mohawk the way soldiers did when going on potential suicide missions when in Nam.
27:32 The reason why he brings her to a porn movie is because he is so desensitized by everything. Sex, violence, hatred, but overall loneliness. He feels so disconnected from reality and uses these intense emotions to feel something again. The blank stare in his eyes; while washed over with hyper sexual images. The streets and "scum" might disgust him, but he truly doesn't care. He desperately wants...to believe in anything, but simply can not. The mind numbing reality of mental illness leaves him with utter neuropathy, while the ever longing feeling to reconnect to society and belong. "There's no escape. I'm God's lonely man".
The "literally me" genre really needs a dig.
The fact that this is not the first time you watch a movie for the first time exactly at the time like me is mind boggling 😂
Love your videos!
❤ from Israel
At about 9:00, Travis has no plan?!? I liked the video up to there, Travis was a paratrooper in Vietnam, his mohican is a very good indicator of his troop and mission mindset. Godamm do some research before trying to come across as a psychologist.. just saying its the video that lacks planning not Travis
I don't see what you mean, no one's denying he is capable of planning, however in the instances of this film and his life beyond the marines, he displays little. Lots of time preparing but very little consideration for an effective plan to murder palantine. I am well aware of Travis's background, I mention as much in the video but surely that makes the question even more relevant: why is his attempt so badly planned? What other psychological factors were at play here?
@@mylittlethoughttree I have sort of wandered if the plan is fluid based on the reactions he gets from more immediate sources of validation(that he badly seeks), again that would be in line with his background and the potential underlying PTSD from the war that blends in strangely with the urban isolationism that he perceives probably better than most, as he is more dissociated and will probably have a longer attention span.
My angle is that he might understand the isolation and lack of purpose from a higher place because that war again was an event that shaped a generation and heavily associated with a lack of purpose. In the end as you point out so well, society perceives his journey in a positive light that simply is not there, as he looks into the mirror we are left with that, he never healed and the entire societal acceptance experience might have actually made him worse. Travis is at this stage more reactive than proactive, the lack of purpose really doubles down on improvising as he would in Vietnam's guerrilla war model, but still he demonstrates to be adaptable in a completely futile way for the circumstances that reflect the loneliness that he confesses to have been his reality even before the war.
This was good reflection of societal progress since then. My angle is the planning and I will watch the movie again just to attempt to figure it better. Thanks for the video, I have enjoyed this thinking exercise.
@@NoLikeNoSub I always enjoy when frustrated comments turn into thoughtful discussion. Thanks for the input!
@@mylittlethoughttree I understand what you mean, we are all frustrated to an extent with various things at many levels, and sometimes a healthy thoughtful discussion is really something that brightens up our day. I guess that the world needs a lot more of open, understanding, collaborative discussion. We all benefit from it and become more understanding people. Hope you have a great New Year. Thanks.
Paratrooper according to who? Travis? Throughout the movie, he has at best a passing acquaintance with the truth. He’s the template of the unreliable narrator. He could have just as easily bought those jacket patches at an army surplus store and just heard about certain troops cutting their hair in a Mohawk.
One of these days I'm gonna get World Anvil
This probably would’ve been a more effective exercise if you worked on your thoughts longer.
This is short on insight
Long on the obvious.
When he first met Iris she was stoned. On every other occasion she was very sober, very present.
On those occasions her only quasi-proposal (a commune) he rejected.
In the end he took away her choices. He sent her back to the home she had left. HE decided what was best for her, what she _should_ want, and he murdered to do it.
Toxic masculinity at its best.
How is that toxic masculinity? You're just assuming what masculinity is, and dubbing it toxic. How are you helping? And why do you consider yourself superior?
Tarantino has an interesting take on Travis; he's NOT a Vietnam vet. He's a pathological liar. He just bought that jacket in a surplus store/goodwill...
probably the least interesting take on this film i've ever seen
@JohnSmith-ij6ms why? We see him lying multiple times throughout the movie. Have you ever known a pathological liar? It's puzzling why they do it. Shows somethings way wrong with them...
God he is so WEIRD. I had no idea men were this weird
Im not trying to be able-ist I have ptsd myself. That was my genuine reaction to this video
Wow what a depressing comment. You immediately jump to men. Like all men are exactly like Travis, a movie character. Loneliness is not weird. It's very common in both men and women. Just how both genders are full of different kinds of people. Imagine I projected your comment on all of women. Peculiar
I assume you're a man hating feminist. I feel sorry for you
Unpopular Opinion: Taxi Driver is a crap film.
You have a point! Here's a reviewer who agrees with you! filmsdeconstructed.wordpress.com/2018/07/02/why-i-dont-like-taxi-driver-1976/
It's a question of how you measure a crap film