Behind the scenes of "Taxi Driver" (Taxi Driver coffee table book for $700)

NY Post ^ | October 10, 2010 | STEVE SCHAPIRO

[lowbridge]

“New York is clean and becalmed now — a nice place to visit with your kids, do some shopping, see the sights. Thirty-five years ago, it wasn’t. For many who lived in the five boroughs, it was a desperate time, and you could feel it out there, day and night. For us, everything in Paul Schrader’s brilliant script — the loneliness, the paranoia, the feeling of barren, dirty streets filled with angry people — was magnified.”

So explains Martin Scorsese in the introduction to photographer Steve Schapiro’s retrospective of the 1976 classic “Taxi Driver.” Schapiro, who worked behind the scenes of the film, captured the gritty look of a man and a city on the brink, exclusive shots of which are now collected in the oversize, glossy — and $700! — coffee-table book (Taschen).

Schrader’s script was inspired by a Harry Chapin song called “Taxi,” in which an old girlfriend gets into a guy’s cab, and Arthur Bremer, a deranged man who paralyzed vice presidential candidate George Wallace in an assassination attempt — and whose diaries detailed a man out to make a “bold statement.”

[lowbridge]

A few photos from the book are here:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/books/behind_the_scenes_of_taxi_driver_29clOZAkoRNeHCL0rUOoJL

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

You talking to me?

[lowbridge]

I dont see anyone else here.

[Artemis Webb]

I bet John Hinckley will buy it.

[Daffynition]

Setting aside their politics, they were brilliant together.

[denydenydeny]

This is in part the future of bookselling. Physical books will never go away but they will lose pleasure-reading to e-readers. Books will become luxury status items. The most popular e-books will get deluxe printed editions, etc. Coffee table books will become more elaborate, more expensive.

[Artemis Webb]

You have to admit though that there is endless joy in a big elaborate coffee table book. I have some big expensive ones and they are immersive.

[Oatka]

You talking to me?

any great scenes in that movie, but two I liked were the gun salesman, working out of his suitcase, giving a line of Sham-wow-like patter on the different guns, ending up with, "You want a car? I gotta Cadillac . . .". The other was the shootout at the end, starting with taking out the pimp, beautifully played by Harvey Keitel, followed by Travis trying out every weapon he carried - a small scale Armageddon compressed into a few minutes.

[fieldmarshaldj]

*ping*

[digger48]

have to admit though that there is endless joy in a big elaborate coffee table book

"100 Girls I'd Like To ****"

It's a coffeetable book.

[rabidralph]

Harvey Keitel looks like Bono in that movie.

[rabidralph]

My brother bought an Army utility jacket after seeing that movie and spent the next five years quoting those lines to me. I never knew what he was talking about till I was old enough to see the movie. Now, it’s one of my favorites.

[NowApproachingMidnight]

NYC clean?

[The Comedian]

Taxi Driver motivated me to both construct my own custom clandestine handgun delivery system, and to closely follow Jody Foster. I mean, closely follow Jody Foster's career.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[Moonman62]

Thirty-five years ago, it wasn’t. For many who lived in the five boroughs, it was a desperate time, and you could feel it out there, day and night. For us, everything in Paul Schrader’s brilliant script — the loneliness, the paranoia, the feeling of barren, dirty streets filled with angry people — was magnified.”

Democrats can do that to a place.

[muleskinner]

Thank Rudy for making it livable again.

[lowbridge]

I finally found out why the price of the book is 700 bucks: “This edition is limited to 1,000 copies, numbered and signed by Steve Schapiro.”