Robert De Niro didn’t expect the Oscar-winning movie, Taxi Driver, to resonate as deeply as it has. Directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader, it was a raw, grimy descent into urban isolation. The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and earned four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for De Niro.
Robert De Niro on the impact of Taxi Driver
Robert De Niro recently reflected on Taxi Driver, saying that he never anticipated the 1976 film would become a classic. “You never can think that you’re doing something that’s going to have an impact,” he told Page Six in a recent interview with Tribeca Festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal while promoting next month’s event. The Oscar winner added that he never thought about it that way, noting that success is beyond anyone’s control.
The neo-noir drama casts De Niro as Travis Bickle, an unhinged taxi driver whose mental state unravels throughout the film. He starred alongside Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, and Albert Brooks.
At release, the film drew controversy for its graphic violence and for casting 12-year-old Foster as a child sex worker. It later faced renewed scrutiny after inspiring John Hinckley Jr.’s attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.
Despite the controversy, the film is now considered one of cinema’s greatest. The Library of Congress recognized its “cultural, historical, or aesthetic” importance in 1994, preserving it in the National Film Registry.
The film turns 50 this year and will screen at the June festival, where De Niro and Scorsese will reunite to discuss the project. The sit-down is among many special talks and screenings planned for the 25th Tribeca Festival this year.
Madonna, Sean Penn, and Josh Safdie are also set for interviews, with anniversary screenings of The Cable Guy and Bridget Jones’s Diary rounding out the slate. The Tribeca Festival runs June 3–14. It launched in 2002 to support Lower Manhattan’s recovery after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
