All language subtitles for 00334

kt was a film that,
if you had the patience...

tS @ film that came trom tire heart.
It came trom= Meaning that

It was sometning
that was 2 personal project, really.

li Speaking thet way as 2 clirector
but orimarily= | cid not write it.

| mean, Paul Schrader wrote it.
Ele lived those feelings.

| lived those feelings. Fle was alole
to exoress them 2 certain waly.

And || just became enamored of it...

L.A TOUGIAt to Get It on the screen...

Alle Waly Ne Wrote Itt,
the way we envisioned it in a way.

Paul, myseli, De Niro,
everyoody involved with the project.

IS SEript WAS Given to mE
by Brian De Palma.

rie thought
it was 2 wonderiul script...

o-Ali@ thougint tt would loe
something that | should direct,

But Of COURSE at that point In time, |
nadn't really directed any films of note.

| directed an independent teature
over 2 period of several years...

---CAllled Who's Ihat Knocking at
My Door, which wasn't successful.

And then an exploitation tlm tor
Roger Corman called Boxear Bertha.

Ane they reallly
WeKeMeinexciedenialss

Lal GSt 4 StUCIO tO WACK Me Of

The producers of te tilim,
wihich were Michael and Julia Phillips...

LWiNO Were Very Good,
great Producers...

ANG Very SUPPOFUve
throughout the whole picture.

But there reallly wasn't anything
to bank on there, to, you know=

I'd tell er
| wanted to do the picture,

Shed say, "Come back wien you've
done more than Boxcar Berthe.©

But then they saw the rough cut off
Mean Streets, the rough cut of ft.

And they changed their minds:

hat was really a very nice time
for us, aloout 1972, °73. | think.

BSCAUSS Hak SUlNject Matter
at te time

Even att nat time, was kind of
dificult subject matter for a studio.

Ane witin tie right budget and with
ine combination of me anc De Niro...

coming otf of Mean Streets...

Alley thought they might have
the possibility of making the picture:

| ramemioer talking to
Dustin Homean gloout it first.

rie was aloout to do Lenny at that time,

Ane! | tain, tien,
niere was talk of other actors,

But when-= | think De Niro was ofr
in another picture or something=

Well, | drink it was Gochaitner II.

‘SO, you know.... But when it worked out
that Bob was willing to do it...

and tie Stuclio had seen
Mean Streets...

, uying Mean Streets actually,
Wamer Bros.

Then Alice Doesn't
Live Here Anymore...

, WhICA WAS a2 more commercial picture
in 2 sense ancl that was successiul,

SO we had the possibility
then of making tine picture

BU SVEN tNeN tAS budget
was really constricted at that time.

We just wanted to malke the tlm. We
felt very passionate aloout the script.

Ane we even thought, Michasl
and Julia Phillios and myself...

oo WO Thought of malking the
film in vicleo, lif need be, on video...

Yano Ip lack anol wiaris yiciso!

There was tallk
of doing it in a different city...

Jour tien i woulcimt pe the same!

Taxi systems In other cites in America
are different to 4 cariain extent.

We knew we had to staly in
New York and i's pretty expensive.

IS SEript Was SO talnig
and SO Sirong...

Mant It MACS it very Clear
in my mind...

[28 tO how tie plcure should look:

It really comes trom
SiemadeasaviSion#

Lal te telling OF the Story.

Ane! ultimately, | reallizec!
that visually...

WO SHOUld pretky MUGA See
everything from Travis’ point of view.

Not let anyoody else's
thought process...

really enter into the film.

And tis would isolate hin more anc
out you more on his side, so to speak.

Not that we were looking tor that...

AOU MEANING that
it just seemed to me...

LO Maitter wher te Gharacier Is...

-WYOUTS along the journey
wit that character,

You may like the character,
you may Not.

BUC IS just that you're Interested!
Inthe character.

[SI]

We certainly felt, De Niro,
myself and so did Chapman...

- WOU know, we felt very strongly
aloout the emotions...

lat tie Slory Created IN US,
In a way, that evoked trom us.

And it made us very passionate alooutt
making the best tilm we could make...

L Under ine Gircumsiances!

TIACA, Of COUFSS, Cerending it In the
editing too, that became a big issue.

BUM It'S Interesting to Know
that | tain.

Foolt WAS & Til thet we dichn't think
was gonna be seen ly anybody.

We just had to malke tt.

We clidnt think k was gonna loe
successiul financially and it was.

Ane we cic think it was gonna
oe recognized critically and it was.

We had to make tt. We were
Going to make other pictures:

At that time | was thinking of doing,
you know...

, Omerent genre-tyoe-oased films
in Flollywood studios.

Wheat was leit of the studio system
at the time was very little.

And the process was alll cnanging
and we were part of that change.

Coppola, Bogdanovicn and Friedkin
were already there.

And there was Lucas, Spicloerg,
myself, Paul Schrader, John Millius...

Land 2 numloer of others,
| may be forgetting a few.

BU We began to change things:

It was in the doing of it, you know’?

This film Comes out of
4 very special time.

BU We ThOUGht We were also
gonna change the genres.

| think Lucas and Spicloerg
Were More Successiul_at that.

Meaning, they took the genres
from the past...

| .Ano re=creaiied them tor the new,

Ir WO Can Say It Was IA a waly
to carry on a line...

Milmovelmincekeine menominewoast
or the cinema of the present...

Met Was IMmpornant to US
at the time.

Ane so that if people
are interestec_in the film...

and way a certain SAOt
is a cortain Waly...

walt Kind OF relates to Certain SAOtS Of
Jean-Luc Godared’s picture at that time:

But they're waly beyond me. | cant...

egin to even begin to think aloout
what the Godard pictures are.

What theyre aloout, you know.

| mean, | Just reactec
certain ways emotionally...

LO tie ONES Ne Mace InN tae “SOs
and through the Into the *70s.

And so there was
4 certain detachment...

La WAS INLEresting to me...

Lal (16 Way Ne Shot certain Scenes.

Yet, they were very powerrull
and emotional.

‘here's also reierencs,
not really reterence...

, OU a VEry Strong Iniluence
of Fassboinder's....

_ aWOrK OW Me att that time
in Jad Driver,

Saw two or tires of his pictures...

L..€ld tnere Was a Carian honesty
aloout the shooting.

Again, | cant quite tell you
| cant tell you what the films

| cant analyze tie films, | can’t tell
you what they're aloout.

But | had a2 certain emotional reaction
to he Merchant of Four Seasons,

ror example when | saw that:

I've Only S6SN It ONCS OF twice,
but | don't reallly

1 OK

oA! Tl Critic. | can't=
| dont know exactly where...

ool GSSOINGSF WAS GOING.
But | admire his work 2 lot.

And | admire his extraordinary
blocking anc work wit actors.

And so that tlm had a certain
power and honesty to me.

And that, Kind Of the Spirit of that...

Mle Sir OF that OICtUre...

A DOTIMEENSS.. «

LUWne attiniude towards
2 lot of tae SCeNGCS...

Ll Sax! DIVeF, tne way
| approach the scenes.

But | mean, that means everything.

SNOOLtING,
directing the actors, everything.

It Just kept me=
It treed me in a way.

TASTES also
very poweriul references...

AG SUlDtSx
tOMmralnceSCOMNROSSIESMIIINNSS

Salvatore Giuliano
and Hands Over the City...

L_.Wiaich we studied tor,

| wanted tie look, let's say,
of Salvatore Giuliano,

| wanted tiie look of that.
That was iin black ancl winite.

| WAMISeC the Sense of that in color,

Ano Michael Chapman
and | studied tat

We stucied ne Fire Whinin,
Louis Malle’s film. | looked at tina,

But primarily Francesco Ross!
and The Wrong Man again, Hitchcock.

Tne Wrong Man, winicn | keep
referencing 2 lot...

fOr ONE DCODIS tO See, IN terns
Of its Sense Of Camera movement.

The sense or guilt and paranoia
through camera movement.

And even as recently
as [ne Aviator...

La SCreened it again Tor the actors
anc cameramen.

[SI]

‘iinere were alot of tims. Go lack

Oh, A Bigger Splash,
A tilm mace about David Flockney...

Lol Calitiomia oy Jack Flazan.

It Was an interesting tlm:

And also,
that led to certain angles...

L.lnat | thought were Interesting...

-WiiGh became very tlat,
nead-on angles of locations.

ror example,
one | could reierence...

_ wien he drops somebody oft
at 2 note)

It's Shot pretiy mucn head-on tlat and=
Which relates directly to this shot...

.Whicn IS Iravis's Car
in front of the grocery store...

, OSTOre Ne Connmits
nis first murder,

SO tthe linking Of- Ihe Sense of tthe
camera being away trom the action...

And JUSt Presenting Mt
like a tableau, almost.

TAls IS very Important to me and |=

ror some reason A Bigger Splasn
had a very Strong...

--AClAWION tO that In my mind,
it soarked that kind of shooting.

And so a numloer of tilms
that we kept dealing with, looking at.

orior to the shooting of the picture.

Michael Chapman and myselt.

What mace this tlm speciall
was that | really

Ihe precision wit which Scnrader
Was dole tO Greaie ine character,

Ihe teelings, tine thoughts,
the psychological insight.

‘his character Travis, lravis Bickle,
and | just identtiied with him.

We identiiied with hin and that’s alll
We understood how ine felt

And | mean, cdisatiiected,

Disillu= Mayoe osiracizec
from the mainstream of society.

Mayoe tor me and my own
oersonal litte being an outsider.

nies an ouisicier, A loner.

V/A loser to 4 certain extent

Ane there was Something
that touched 2 chorcl in me...

L.unat | felt | could exoress that...

rough the visual Interoretation.

Ihrougi the visual! interpretation
of the film reallly...

ane Uulizing the key Instrument,
reallly.

And more than an instrument,
it's the voices...

And tinalt IS tae ACKOF,
Robert De Niro...

Land what Ae was alole
to boring to the picture.

rie understood it too. We never reallly
yeroalized it, We cant veroalize ft

Ii VEroallizing It to a Certain extent
lpecause people said things to me...

,. Over the years, you Know.
[ mean, you know.

When | said then,
wihat | put into the picture...

AS Chiierant from
what | really put in the film.

That was just te spark Or It.
That was just the beginning.

And then someting else happens
when you're working it out.

So that it's more intuitive,

The hallucinatory clea
is definitely a point of view...

Wen 4 PSrSON CrOSSes the line
between fantasy and reality...

OF reality into tantasy.

The tantasy Is as reall as the reality,

es reall

ine cream ’s real

AS Paranoia is real.

Ihe people may not be coing anytaing
against you but you believe they are.

BeCAUSS Wat's probaloly
what | was gettting att...

Foal talking aloout hallucinatory.

Well, clrug incluceds

Fie GFINKS a lott. Fle takes some pills
to keeo awake.

rie'S young enoug.

In A SENSE the looaly’S Strong.
lis body is strong.

It does Change your perception,
particularly working at night...

nd particularly tf you take pills
to keep you awake working night,

Kt Gregiies 2.

aKING Of Strange sulterranean,
open to subterranean

| mean, that | experienced,
Opens 4 strange world to you.

Images, Shadows IUFKING.
But I'm also an urloan person.

| see things that way.

But if you Keep pushing at night,
and work at night, without drugs...

Met does Something to a person
who works at night.

Especially driving In tie streets, NOt
knowing who's gonna get in your car.

When that person gets In,
that person controls your lite...

Ll tae next 10, 15, 20 minutes,
tells you where to go.

That's very Cangerous.
And he's living on the edge.

SO naturally,
things begin to take on...

6) Ofierent meaning to hin,
especially at 4:30 in the morning,

[SI]

lr Jax? Driver Comes OUT OF any genre,
it’s kind of a noir in a way.

inet was intentional:

‘That noir iil, trom 1945 to 1955,
ending with Kiss Me Deadly.

| Nat first SCFICS Of NOIFS
going mid-war...

rom Doulle Indenmnity
to Kiss Me Deaclly.

‘That had a strong siiect on me...

, OSCAUSE || AADDSNed to seo them
ina theater when | was 2 kid.

So to a theater and there’s a Westerm
and there was this strange thing.

Everyoody was kind of doomed
from the beginning...

WAKING around In trancn coats=

Pretiy rough stuf for kids to see. Um...

Ano! So there was a direct line
there too to noir film.

But also to the lEUropean cinema!

eres no cloulot. INO could

Frencn, litalian, Briusi
to 4 certain extent,

And So this film Comes out
Of 2 time...

, linet there Was a great intluencs
Of foreign cinema...

| on American filmmakers.

But also, the thing to uncerstane
is that it was a laloor of love...

and tat we hadnt exoecied any...

| SUCCESS TrOML It.

[SI]

Personal filmmaking
always considers the audience,

YOU are the audience. You reallly are!
Who are you telling the story to?

Youre gonna le telling your story to
somebody who'd wanna listen, we hope:

Who wanna waten,
wito wanna experience, | should say.

‘So personal tilmmeaking...

. and tie loest Kind, I tainlk..

, Pens 2 line of communication
with people in the audience.

You dont expect trom- In the case off
Taxi Driver, tirom joeople in America...

LO People in Mongolia.
l was ip China in 1984.

who came trom Mongolia...

WAS asking me questions repeatedly
aloout Jax? Driver,

Ultimately encling in the question,
“What do you do albout the loneliness?”

Ane! So, | mean,
this was something=

Ils IS a picture that | hadnt expected
for people to identity win...

ADU It tOUGACC 2 Nerve.
And that’s what Schrader wrote...

sell terms or the Gnaracter, Iravis
Bickle, and the way De Niro acted it.

| tink taere's 4 cerain trun alioourtS

There's 2 certain trutn
that Schrader hit upon...

ocalll] COPICUAG
tinexehalraciemomliaMiss

| sull can't reallly veroallize It.
| mean, the only way | can exoress it...

AS Ws extraordinary reacwon || had...

..wnen I iirst read
Notes from Underground.

eodor Dostoyevsky:

And tat, | ret was something nice.
I've had many of those feelings.

and a lot of people do that.

I was talking to a Novelist,
Russell Banks, ne said, “Mie too.”

Everyoody reels that way
when they read that.

‘SO | dont know tf everyoocdy does,
out itt (pit me.

And | think ax’ Driver,
when | read the script...

allt Mme In a Similar way.
Struck me in a similar way that-

And | use the words “lit, “Sirike,
because ii’s a violent tiecling.

And its an angry reeling,
there's no doult.

But it depends on how
onexdeal Savini

And Travis just does it the wrong waly,
there’s no doult aloout itt,

But again, disatiiected, ostracized...

Molise

AMMalollity to have a relationship
with people.

| mean, a lot of this
Is just something that- You know...

ATOM My Own litre
iat | founc in Travis.

Well, the thing aloout it is that,
of Course, we found it very special.

But we didnt say everyoody teels
this way. We thought we did.

We thought we were,
like, unique in this.

No, we just telt, Jesus,
we, you know, reallly feel bad...

ANG Were reallly Upset
and tis is pow we feel...

,..lOOUK Ire and things and=

And it was reallly part Maye part
of it was a coming-of-age Process...

OF alll of US, Schrader, myselt,
DemNitioy

And mayoe part of that

Mialyoe that's a similar thing
for younger fSople...

, wWatening thre ili
WO are siirected.

Malye It'S part
of a ComING-O-Aage rOCSss.

But the thing Is
not to get stuck there.

[SI]

One can have teelings
AINCRNOMCTOSSHNeRINe®

It's just being honest with yourself
and truthtul, that’s all.

[SI]