Paul Schrader, the screenwriter of Martin Scorsese's 1976 film Taxi Driver, has said the movie was too controversial to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Speaking ahead of the film's 50th anniversary, Schrader reflected on the enduring legacy of Travis Bickle, the alienated Vietnam veteran turned vigilante taxi driver.
Schrader, now 79, wrote the screenplay as a form of self-therapy after a difficult period in his life. He had lost his job, left his wife, and was living in his car with a gun. 'If I didn't write about him, I'm afraid I might become him,' he said. The character of Bickle, he noted, would today be described as an 'incel' – a lonely man unable to connect with women, harbouring anger and fantasies of violent transformation.
The film, starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, and Cybill Shepherd, was a critical and commercial success but was snubbed by the Oscars. Schrader attributed this to its controversial content, including the famous 'You talkin' to me?' scene and the violent climax. 'It was too dark, too disturbing for the Academy at that time,' he said. 'They were afraid of it.'
Taxi Driver was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, but won none. Schrader, however, remains proud of the film's impact. 'It captured something about urban alienation and the dark side of the American dream that still resonates today,' he said.
