TAXI DRIVER: SPORT AND IRIS: THE SCENE MOST PEOPLE ARE PROBABLY AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT

Jul 09, 2022

Naturally, when discussing a film as edgy and as introspectively counter-cultural as Taxi Driver, the idea of there being a scene people are too afraid to talk about does carry a sense of redundancy to it given the already controversial nature aspect of the film. At the same time though, it’s very biased of people to think that there won’t always be something in a film we are afraid to discuss. In a film like Taxi Driver, the framing of a narrative that is told from a first-person perspective is integrated into the structure of the story in which it is told. And although there are certain moments in the film where the narrative shifts from Travis Bickle’s point of view to that of other characters, the one that truly stands out is the one featuring only Iris (Jodie Foster) and her pimp Sport (Harvey Keitel).

Taxi Driver spares no effort in illustrating that Jodie Foster’s character Iris is a 12-year-old prostitute. In fact, it is her age that adds an extra element of purity to the innocence a mad man like Travis Bickle uses to paint her as an embodiment of his own inner salvation, or if we’re being more specific, “someplace to go” as Travis narrates to himself from time to time. This same innocence is captured among the few scenes Iris is given that doesn’t feature Travis, and it even has her being intimate with her Pimp Sport.

There’s nothing that can be argued against when discussing the stellar performance Harvey Keitel gives in his brief role as Sport. If anything, the legacy of Taxi Driver as a cultural icon of cinema pretty much makes it impossible to not see any of the characters played by other actors. As short as Sport’s screen time is, the color and flair that Harvey Keitel brings to what is an inherently despicable character is truly telling of the craftsmanship behind what is certainly the work of a truly talented actor. The talent displayed by Harvey Keitel speaks deeply in not only his ability to make a character like sport iconically memorable but even human despite his incredibly despicable traits.

In addition to his work as a pimp, Sport is also a pedophile. Taxi Driver does not shy away from making it clear that Harvey Keitel's thuggish pimp Sport is in what is depicted as a sexually intimate relationship with a twelve-year-old girl, that being Iris. Knowing this would make it very easy to hate and loathe the very core of a man like Sport. At the same time though, in spite of his repulsive vices, the intimacy of the scene featuring him dancing with Jodie Foster’s Iris along with the coordinated use of the late Bernard Herrmann’s score paints a much more emphatic portrait of a man anyone with a shred of the conventional common sense should hate beyond a second of consideration. Taxi Driver doesn’t take that route. In fact, if there is any film out there that illustrates the importance of empathy, then it is Martin Scorsese’s overview of modern society's comparison with that of an individual. This narrative approach all goes back to Travis, and it can even be coupled with that of Hermann’s score, which is a big part of capturing the essence of what makes Taxi Driver both iconic and even beautifully tragic in its presentation.

Very much in the same regard that Taxi Driver would not be the film that it is without the specifics of its cast, the same case can be made regarding the score by Bernard Herrmann. From the opening scene, featuring the powerhouse emergence of the Taxi from the smoke, Hermann’s intimating yet equally endearing score builds to a point where the true nature of the film is shown. As the score plays out, the sad close-up glimpse of Travis Bickel’s eyes while Hermmann’s score reaches its most romantic elements further showcases a sense of longing within the character’s mind. This sense of longing is felt every time this score is played throughout the scenes we see Travis alone, and it is also featured in the scene with sport and Iris dancing. With every objection Iris makes to the things she has to perform, Sport uses some lovey dove type of defense in order to rationalize her value as well as the “feelings” he has for her.

As bizarre as the scene begins, once the Hermmann score begins to play, and Sport becomes intimate with Iris, he says “You know how I feel about you. I depend on you. I'd be lost without you. Don't you ever forget that - how much I need you. Come to me baby. Let me hold you. When I hold you close to me like this, I feel so good. I only wish every man could know what it's like to be loved by you... God, it's good so close. You know at times like this, I know I'm one lucky man. Touchin' a woman who wants me and needs me. That's the way you and I keeps it together” it essentially assigns a level of humanity few films would be able to capture given the content presented.

It’s an odd thing to see a character as detectable as sport receive a level of humanization that forfeits any attempt of painting him to an even darker degree than what a more traditional theatrical brush would do given his dark vices. At the same time, if Harvey Keitel who played sport can be open-minded and empathetic enough to state “But then again, you know, the pimp in TAXI DRIVER has this reason, given the environment he was living in,” shows that Sport is no different from Travis, or any of the other characters within a film a complex and nuanced as Taxi Driver. Although the intimacy depicted in the scene featuring Iris and Sport can’t be called endearing, the empathetic approach it takes illustrates how Sport and Iris are very much like Travis. Both are broken and longing for some sense of a connection that the environment they inhabit denied them to the point where tragedy becomes inescable for people like them.

Taxi Driver is many things. It’s about violence, mental illness, a destabilizing cultural climate, and essentially, it is a story about humanity and how complex it can when the best and worst of it are put on screen for the purposes of understanding, as opposed to judging on the more simplistic standards that would frame Travis as either a hero or villain when there is more to the ticking time bomb his tragic life embodies.

Bonus Announcement

Thank you, and please accept these links as a gesture of good faith. I don't know how familiar you are with Bitcoin. In case you are curious, Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, which is a decentralized digital currency that is based on cryptography. It can operate without the need of a central authority like a central bank or a company. It is unlike government-issued or fiat currencies such as the US Dollar or the Euro, which are controlled by the country’s central bank.

The decentralized nature of Bitcoin allows it to operate on a peer-to-peer network whereby users are able to send funds to each other without going through intermediaries. There are many cryptocurrencies out there, and some hold a technical utility, while others are just outright scams. But Bitcoin is the most decentralized, the most scarce given that there will only be 21 million Bitcoins in existence.

In addition to sharing these links so people can have a chance to make some extra money, I also like to stress the moral/philosophical imperative that defines Bitcoin so greater adoption can drive price and greater integration of a monetary system that is not only the best fight against rising inflation but also the greatest possibility for users to achieve the economic sovereignty that fiat-based government-controlled currencies, whose purchasing power is constantly debased through rampant money printing, deny their citizens. That can’t happen with Bitcoin because there will only be over 21 million, which is a blessing because it propels users to acquire a greater monetary value, and with no end top insight. Basically, to quote the CEO of Micro Strategies, Michael Saylor, “Bitcoin Is Money Go Up Technology.”

Please accept these links as gifts and as a chance to accumulate more Bitcoin over time, be it through large purchases, or dollar-cost averaging. Just by simply buying every day, week, or month, you’re channeling the volatility of this asset, which can be discouraging, to your advantage. Do not be fooled. Bitcoin is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s a don’t wind up poor strategy for the long run, and those who play the short game never win. Stick to the long game for a long and economically prosperous life. Stack And Holdl Away!

Disclaimer:

THIS NOT FINANCIAL, LEGAL, OR TAX ADVICE! IT’S JUST MY OPINION! I AM NOT A FINANCIAL ADVISOR ! THERE IS NO GUARANTEE ON A PARTICULAR OUTCOME! I HAVE NO INSIDE KNOWLEDGE! DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS! THIS IS JUST A SUGGESTION!

Sincerely,

Andres

My podcast: https://fountain.fm/show/eaalMjP1QIybelBMofNU

coinbase.com/join/WJ8960?src=ios-link

https://cash.app/app/QKJZMSX

https://use.foldapp.com/r/WTHXYPKJ

https://www.swanbitcoin.com/FilmDeepThought

https://platform.ledn.io/join/b46ac46d55664ac8dffe54d11c85e3af

https://coinbitsapp.com/?ref=0SogLANZiCOE2XFVOuMt

https://use.choiceapp.io/p7Xmb5G

Also, please share, and if you can, please support this Substack by donating to my Patreon or Monero

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=73393538