Not Quite Right(s)

If you’ve ever wondered why we haven’t screened a digital DCP of Blade Runner (1982) since the installation of our awesome 4K digital projector, then Wednesday’s late change in programming is probably a really good departure point for a bit of chat about those necessary and sometimes prickly things called theatrical screening rights.

Though we talk about this often, it’s so important we think it’s worth re-stating; we would love to just pick the films we want to screen and programme those (and yes, before you ask, the first thing we would show would be the original Star Wars Trilogy!) Unfortunately, and beyond whether or not there is an available format to screen from (70mm, 35mm, 4K or 2DCP, digital et al), there must be valid theatrical screening rights for us and indeed any cinema, society or organiser of a public screening to show a film.

Theatrical rights will usually have a termed option (most often five years) and then, once those rights expire it’s a matter for legal negotiation between rights holders and potential distributors as to whether or not they wish to renew. If not the doors are open for another party to try to obtain the rights, which come at multi-thousand (sometimes in the tens of thousand) dollar prices. Even after rights are purchased, the producer always gets around 50% of rentals earned. As you would expect with anything involving legal contracts, this can take considerable time and money to confirm. This is also why a film might have theatrical rights one year and then no longer have them the next. Returning briefly to Blade Runner, this is why we last screened it in 35mm in 2010 and since have been unable to screen it.

This is also the reason why we were so excited to finally be able to screen Labyrinth (1986)and soon The NeverEnding Story (1984) – Astor proprietor George Florence has been looking into rights for NES for around nine years and now, thanks to Park Circus, acting on our tip, now representing the film, we can finally screen it. And yes, we do still have our fingers crossed for The Dark Crystal (1982).

But back to Wednesday and why we had such a late change to our programming. Of course at the time of printing our calendar (both current and upcoming) we were unaware that the rights for Apocalypse Now: Redux might expire before our scheduled screenings. Once notified that the screening rights had expired and as such our screenings could not go ahead we had two concerns: 1) an expectant audience who ought to be able to trust our calendar and come see the films we’ve scheduled and advertised, and 2) the fate for the incredibly rare and stunning 35mm Technicolor IB film print [Ed's note: the technology that created this stunning film print no longer exists, so even IF someone wanted to, another print COULD NOT be made.]. Often what happens when rights expire is that film prints are junked (destroyed) but thankfully we can assure everyone that the Apocalypse Now: Redux print is safe and being held until new rights can be negotiated.

Even though we began the process of trying to sort out an agreement in time to let us at least be able to honour the screenings already booked, we received late notice Wednesday afternoon that the process could not be approved until the request was officially signed off on by the rights owners. Although we have made inroads and do both hope and believe we will have confirmed something in time for the June 12th screening later this year, we were unable at the last minute to receive the approval we thought we would be granted to screen Wednesday night.

We want you to know that it wasn’t for lack of trying that the screening of Apocalypse was replaced by Django Unchained (2012). We also want you to know that we’ll keep working on it from now until however long it takes to get the film back up on our big screen. Apocalypse Now: Redux has been an Astor staple for years and every calendar has a space for it. One of the most significant reasons for this is due to the rarity of the print, made with a now past process that, as mentioned, can never be replicated. But, even as much as we love the print, and admire the incredible technical process to create it, without an audience the print is just a physical object in a box. For Coppola’s vision and the Technicolor frames to mean anything, they need to be seen by an audience in the original intended theatrical environment. It is our undertaking to bring what we consider to be the most sensational viewing experiences to the big screen. Apocalypse Now: Redux is one of them and we fully intend to keep it on our calendars.

Written by Tara Judah for the Astor Theatre.

To keep updated with news about future screenings of Apocalypse Now: Redux and other Astor related screenings and giveaways, keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter accounts and subscribe to our weekly E-news via our website.

Thank you 2012.

It’s time to farewell 2012 and get ready to welcome another stranger, 2013, uncertain as we are about what it will hold…

It’s no secret that 2012 has been a significant year for all at the Astor, with a lot of change, and not a lot of change, occurring all at once. We’ve had an incredibly important year in the old dame’s some 76 year history; another story for the history books in years yet to come. If you’ve been with us on our journey in 2012 then you’ll know the moments we’re talking about with your own memories of fondness, triumph, tears and determination. The most striking thing about what this last year offered was its extension of the shared experience from the confines of the auditorium into the truly public domain. We shared everything with you this year and you supported us with a level of passion that succeeded any expectation we could ever have held, and it more than matched our own. For this we are incredibly grateful, and humbled too. Thank you for everything, here are the dot points:

Bricks and Mortar

We learned the true meaning of friend this year as the Friends of the Astor showed everyone, not just our previous landlord, how treasured and loved the Astor is. The show of support that garnered more than 14,000 signatures on a public petition effected change and helped to convince St Michael’s Grammar School to sell the building. The building was sold with much haste to an independent landlord, Ralph Taranto. Since settlement, attempts to negotiate a new long-term lease have been put in place. We remain hopeful and optimistic that 2013 will see some advancement in this area. Meanwhile, The Friends of the Astor Association intend to re-focus their aims and objectives in 2013 with a view to continuing to work towards our ultimate shared goal of setting up a future trust for the secured future and ensured longevity of George Florence’s beautifully conceived vision for The Astor Theatre.

A Full House is a great hand.

Many might remember the ‘old days’ when the auditorium was often ‘packed to the rafters’, but recent years have seen changes in cinema-going and on a regular night we won’t always open the stalls. 2012 however has seen some truly magnificent occasions with an electric atmosphere that only a proverbial house full of film fans can create. Some of our highlights include; Labyrinth 2K, Raiders of the Lost Ark 4K, Cabin in the Woods, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy – Extended Editions, Paul Thomas Anderson in person for a Q&A at the Australian 70mm premiere screening of The Master and FOTAA’s Protect the Astor Day, to name a few. A Full House is a great hand to have and even when we’re a card shy, we love to feel the energy of an enthusiastic audience fill both auditorium and foyers alike.

Print or pixel?

Although it’s well over a year since we had our Barco 4K digital projector installed, 2012 was the year that the greatest demonstration of change presented itself across the industry and really brought awareness into the public domain. For our part we too have noticed a great change for both better and for worse (we’ll leave you to conclude for yourselves which is which in this subjective debate). One change is that a perfectly good quality 35mm print, the once standard theatrical format, is now being referred to as an “analogue backup” within the industry, and is, in some instances, no longer available for us to screen, removed from circulation following the creation of its DCP (counterpart). Moreover, new titles rarely have film prints made at all. We have however been overjoyed at the most notable exception to this being Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master which was not only released in 35mm in this country but most significantly was shot and printed on 70mm; the first film since the 1996 release of Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet to be shot on 70mm (excludes IMAX 70mm). The advent of digital has also opened many so-called cinematic doors for us this year, allowing us to re-present much loved classic films such as Labyrinth and now the Indiana Jones series as well as a stunning 4K restoration of Lawrence of Arabia, where, for various and often terribly sad reasons, film prints no longer exist.

Everything Else.

So many things happened in 2012, including the almost-concluded shooting of a documentary about the Astor and everything aforementioned in much greater detail, but surmising a year is difficult. How can we put into words the elation we feel every time someone walks through the front doors for the very first time, and exclaims in genuine awe? How too can we put into words the hours of blood, sweat and tears that our dedicated staff and supporters have put in both in front of and behind the scenes, to ensure we always open our doors, ready to welcome another audience and eager to entertain? It’s not easy to convey something so ethereal in a blog post, and that’s because what we do, like any live experience, has to be felt. And with that, we hope you have a fantastic New Year’s Eve (we’ll see some of you in fishnets later on), and we look forward to welcoming you and everything else on that unseen dossier for 2013, once again. As we farewell 2012 we hope our account can add a dot point or two to the history books, and we rest well with the knowledge that 2012′s feeling is shared by many.

We Wish You An EPIC! Christmas

Irregardless of our indidvidual religious beliefs, Christmas has long been a time to celebrate cinema going and great epic movies. That’s why this Sunday we’re screening both a brand new super high definition 4K digital DCP format remaster of The Ten Commandments and a glorious 70mm film print of Ben Hur on our giant Astor SuperScreen. Before the days of CGI, such films engaged large-scale set production and thousands of extras to achieve their grand epic proportions. Famous and remarkable sequences such as Ben Hur‘s gripping chariot race and The Ten Commandment‘s truly awesome parting of the red sea have become famous and acclaimed moments in movie-history as well as landmarks in production achievement in the field. They certainly don’t make ‘em like they used to…

And thanks to our good friends at the Jewish Museum we have 35 passes (some complimentary and some two-for-one) to giveaway to their current exhibition: EPIC! 100 Years of Film and the Bible. The first 35 people to purchase tickets from our ticket box to The Ten Commandments (ticket box opens Sunday at 1pm) will receive a pass. Having visited the exhibition ourselves we can definitely recommend it as a holiday season must-see (exhibition runs until February 3rd 2013).

Curated almost entirely from one man’s private collection (Father Michael Morris O.P., Professor of Religion and the Arts at the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California), EPIC! includes original press kits, lobby cards, daybills, one sheets and more from the films’ original publicity materials, including some very rare and impressive posters from Europe. A vibrant lay-out complements the many kitsch, camp and stylised pieces set out under four sub-categories; Gender & Sexuality, Violence & Catastrophe, Magnificence & the Monumental, Righteousness & Redemption.

From Adam and Eve, through to David & Goliath and Sodom and Gomorrah, EPIC! 100 Years of Film and the Bible offers a look at the items surrounding public film exhibition, offering up publicity materials as works of art in their own right. And, much like the movies they relate to, they sure don’t make ‘em like they used to.

Lawrence of Arabia Blu-ray Giveaway Winners!

Thanks to our friends at Sony Home Entertainment we were given three copies of Lawrence of Arabia on Blu-ray to giveaway to ‘Aurens’-loving Astor fans! We asked you to tell us about your experience of seeing Lawrence of Arabia at the Astor and were absolutely delighted by all of your replies. Here are our three winning entries:

I first saw “Lawrence of Arabia” on the big screen as a young teenager, with my Mum, at West’s Picture Theatre, Hindley Street in Adelaide.  When epic movies, were shown on Todd-AO wide screens with a sort of  surround sound !!    I remember being overwhelmed by the size and grandeur of the filming of the movie and the man behind the story.   Over the years I read anything about “Lawrence” I could find, including the “Seven Pillars of Wisdom”,  and in my mind  I always pictured Peter O’Toole as the epitome of the man.  So the movie has remained a favourite of all time, but it was just not quite the same on video.  It is many years since I have seen the movie, but a year ago, my husband and I traveled to Jordan to visit “the road Lawrence took”, visiting Aqaba, Petra and Wadi Rum.

When I  read the Astor announcement of the season  for the 50th Anniversary, super high definition 4K digital restoration, I was so excited.   We purchased tickets for Sunday 30th September 7.00 pm session and arrived early to ensure good seats.   There was a buzz of anticipation in the audience, from those who were cinema veterans, to those who were about to have the “Lawrence” cinematic experience for the first time.   When the lights dimmed and the swell of the soundtrack [Overture - Ed] filled the cinema I was immediately taken back to that time in 1963 when I first heard it…….. and it was just as awesome this time.

At interval (such a civilised concept), we drew breath and everyone around us, exchanged comments on the movie, the quality, the acting, the soundtrack. After a pause for a choc top, we resumed our seats to immerse ourselves in the dramatic conclusion and the round of applause at the end was proof of how much everybody there had enjoyed and appreciated this spectacular piece of cinema history. What a fantastic opportunity to have again in one lifetime. This time also seeing  the places we had visited, (ooooh “we have been there”…..) was just an added bonus  !!

Thank you to The Astor and all concerned for making this possible…. There is now a whole new generation who have been able to have this wonderful experience.

- Denise Robinson

I just saw “Lawrence of Arabia” for the first time at the Astor on Friday 5 October. Although the film had been on my watch list for many years, for some reason I had never gotten around to seeing it. I had planned to see it at the Astor as part of Columbia Pictures 75th Anniversary in 1999, but study commitments prevented me from getting there.

So on Friday 5 October I finally got round to seeing “Lawrence of Arabia” at the Astor, and it was an amazing experience. While I am sure I’ll watch the film again at home, I very much doubt the viewing experience and atmosphere will replicate the brilliance of seeing it on the Astor super screen.

I hadn’t been to the Astor in a few years, and seeing “Lawrence of Arabia” reminded me of how much better films look when watching them in a cinema. This inspired me to visit the Astor again two days later to see the Lana Turner double. Although I had already seen both these films several times before, it was so much better seeing them on the big screen. Had I not seen “Lawrence of Arabia” on 5 October, I probably wouldn’t have gone to see the Lana Turner double. I now look forward to seeing the Greta Garbo double tomorrow and the Joan Crawford double next Sunday, and I’m sure there’ll be many more visits in the near future.

- John Aron

I saw LoA last Wednesday (October 3rd) and spent much of the movie thinking how great the surround sound was, what with the jingling of camel tassels coming from various directions. Then I realised it was Marzipan’s bell.

- Gary Chapman
This year’s 50th anniversary restoration and re-release screened exclusively in Melbourne at the Astor Theatre in 4K on 4K September 23 to October 6th and the Blu-ray releases Wednesday October 31st. For info, updates and to enter our upcoming giveaways make sure you Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our weekly E-newsletter via our website.

What Does It All Mean?

It’s sure been an interesting week online with regard to all things “Astor” and, in response to the very many questions appearing on facebook, twitter and elsewhere, we thought we ought to clear up a few points that seem to be causing confusion. So here it is, as we see it, in simple points:

A Brief History Lesson

In 2007, the freehold for the building at 1-9 Chapel St, St Kilda was for sale. St Michael’s Grammar School purchased the building at auction for $3.8 million dollars. With the purchase for SMGS (landlord) came an existing lease until 2015 for the the current major tenant, The Astor Theatre. The building was Heritage Vic listed when St Michael’s bought it  – and we already had a lease in operation. So no matter who owned it, we were always going to be here until May 2015.  No developers were interested because of the Heritage Listing and our lease which is why there was only one bid at auction. The Friends of the Astor Association Inc did not exist until 2010 which is why they did not bid at auction (it’s difficult to do things when you don’t yet exist).

Unfortunately, the media and estate agent were calling it the sale of The Astor Theatre, but “The Astor” is an entity that was not for sale. So rather than ‘Save the Astor’ in 2007, St Michael become the building’s new landlord. Much like when you privately rent a property, the landlord is the person you pay monthly rent to and just because they own (for example) ’10 Happy Lane’ doesn’t necessarily mean they own, run, understand, or have anything to do with the “home” existing inside of it.  If you replace ’10 Happy Lane’ with ’1-9 Chapel Street’, and “home” with “Astor Theatre”, you see clearly the current existing relationship, one of landlord/tenant.

The Astor Theatre

This is the point with the most – and most dangerous – element of confusion; “The Astor Theatre”, “Astor Theatre”, “The Astor”, all refer to the entity currently in operation inside the building at 1-9 Chapel St, St Kilda. Furthermore, it is a trademark belonging to Chapel Theatres Pty Ltd, owned and operated by George Florence, Proprietor of The Astor Theatre as you know it, since 1982. The school have been asked to please not use the word ‘Astor’ when referring to the building as it creates confusion.

Simon Gipson, Head of School at SMGS, commented, that ‘The Astor’ will continue to show films, but this could only be true if George were to be given another lease or if the freehold was sold to someone (i.e. FOTA) who would ensure The Astor could stay. So even though the assurance is that 1-9 Chapel Street will in future show films, The Astor will not.

The school have said they will be in consultation with the broader community. Good news for everyone is that the community includes a great group of people called The Friends of the Astor who are actually offering assistance with community consultation. And so far the community are speaking up loud and clear in favour of The Astor Theatre, which is – everyone all together now – “the entity inside the building”, owned and run by George Florence.

Friends of the Astor

The Friends of the Astor Association Inc is a distinct and separate body from The Astor Theatre. It’s a not for profit incorporated body that aims to become a not-for-profit trust and was founded by a group of concerned individuals within the community who are passionate about The Astor Theatre. Their aims are to preserve and protect the Astor. Their campaign comes from a concern for the future of the Astor. Their intent is not cyber bullying, far from it, they are interested in opening up the dialogue about the future of the Astor and are calling on SMGS to be good corporate citizens, to see that thousands of people out there want the Astor Theatre to exist, in its current incarnation, for future generations to experience.

Too Early to Speculate

It has been stated by the school that it is too early to speculate on the long-term uses for The Astor (one more time – the entity inside the building) but their Preliminary vision, plus the architects who visited the building with tape measures, suggest there has already been at least some consideration for what the future may hold for “The Astor”. And as a entity, “The Astor” must take the landlord’s intended long-term use of the building into consideration: for example, The Astor has recently installed state of the art digital projection and we might be considering further technical additions/upgrades, but it’s difficult to know what to invest in if we don’t know whether or not our intended improvements have a limited time-frame of two and a half years – the time-frame we realistically have left to trade.

Moving house from a small flat with few belongings may only take a couple of days to pack up and move but moving out of a more than thirty year tenancy will take a lot longer. With that in mind, with things as they currently stand, we will close in late 2014 to give us time to take with us everything that belongs to the The Astor including, but not limited to; a cooling/heating system, courtyard full of plants, popcorn machine, film projectors, 4K digital projector, amplifiers, sound rack and sound system, as well as our iconic carpet and a much loved Astor cat. As such, there will be another seven Astor Theatre calendars. And if there are only seven calendars left and with, for example, the 70mm film print of 2001: A Space Odyssey belonging to George Florence, one thing we might like to consider is how many more times we will screen it on the Astor’s SuperScreen before that print is never seen theatrically again. Certainly without the Astor, without George, the building can’t screen it.

The Library

There’s also been some confusion about the library of films The Astor have access to. Some titles, such as Casablanca, that we regularly screen, belong to Chapel Distribution Pty Ltd, a company, though co-founded by George Florence, that is again distinct from “The Astor Theatre”. These films would continue to screen at a number of cinemas in Australia and New Zealand but of course would not screen in the building that houses the Astor Theatre without The Astor in operation.

The Future

Whether or not the people currently operating the business of the Astor wish to stay is not really what’s at stake here, what the concern is, is what the public want, and what might happen to what the public can access. The Friends of the Astor Association is an independent body who could ensure the aims and intentions of The Astor continue once the business is handed over to them as a not-for-profit trust, ensuring The Astor exists, not as a private business but as an entity open to the public. This is something the current model of The Astor strongly supports.

It would be an incredible loss if future generations could not put up an Astor Calendar on their toilet door and come see 70mm film prints of films like 2001: A Space Odyssey or Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet. If the Astor doesn’t stay inside the building then no one in Australia will see those films in those formats again. No one is saying that the school wouldn’t ever show a film again – as Simon Gipson, Head of School has stated, it will do so for perhaps ten weeks of the year. But will you be able to see It’s A Wonderful Life every Christmas Eve and then come back on Boxing Day for the Monty Python double? Will the Astor cat greet you in the foyer? Will you ever see the Astor logo on the big screen again as you take a bite into your Astor Choc Ice?

The Astor is so much more than just a venue and removing it from the building would be like removing its soul. The Astor isn’t bricks and mortar, it’s ethereal and it only exists today because the collective experiences of the community continue to feed its soul. If it’s gone then you will still have a building, and you will probably still be able to see films there, but do you want to enter the auditorium having purchased a scarf from the uniform shop instead of an Astor Choc Ice?

For more information please visit fota.net.au and sign the petition at change.org/astor

Written by Tara Judah, PA to the Proprietor at the Astor Theatre, for the Astor Theatre.

The Great TAXI DRIVER Scavenger Hunt continues…

It’s a little before noon and we want you to be able to find these tickets before our kind friends who’ve agreed to participate close their doors tonight. So, to make it a little easier for you, we’re releasing each location’s Clue number 2 – listed after Clue 1 for context. Think literally but and also a little outside the box and you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding these awesome locations….

**Please note that one set of tickets has already been claimed from READINGS CARLTON**

Awesome Astor Supporter #1:

Clue 1: What’s On

Clue 2: Opposite to Coming Soon

Awesome Astor Supporter #2:

Clue 1: This store has been an independent music retailer for almost 50 years

Clue 2: Technically located in a “street”, though you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in a “Melbourne laneway”

Awesome Astor Supporter #3:

Clue 1: Notorious retail outlet, watch out for the cops.

Clue 2: Totally Weird Shit.

Awesome Astor Supporter #4:

Clue 1: Looks & smells like a teenager’s bedroom?

Clue 2: You don’t have to grovel for good music here?

Awesome Astor Supporter #5:

Clue 1: Living in New York, Travis Bickle doesn’t need to drive his cab to this City location to see super heroes.

Clue 2: If you wear Converse, you can find us underfoot or in the evening sky, with many a varied fable inside.

Awesome Astor Supporter #6:

Clue 1: A small side street that shares the name of the town The Beatles call home will point you in the right direction.

Clue 2: Some say comics Golden and Silver Age’s are between the 1930′s-1960′s but to find these tickets you’ll find them between Bourke and Little Bourke Streets

Awesome Astor Supporter #7 & #8:

Clue 1: Books, Music, Film.

Clue 2: Tickets at two locations though there are stores in six.

We’ll announce the final clues in a just couple of hours, so get hunting!!

The Great TAXI DRIVER Scavenger Hunt

Just as Travis Bickle roams the streets of NYC, we’re giving you the opportunity to roam the streets of Melbourne – only instead of experiencing the dark, isolated world he drifts through, we want to invite you into a warm, friendly environment; where you can sit down in silence and experience in mindblowing 4K Bickle’s proverbial dark, isolated world as it was meant to be seen.

So,  Saturday August 13th, we’ve got a Super Scavenger Hunt for you. Hidden in eight unique, awesome locations around Melbourne are in-season double passes. That’s right, there are Astor envelopes behind the counters in eight of the greatest independent stores around town that will give you the chance to see Martin Scorsese’s TAXI DRIVER, restored and recently rebuilt in 4K for the 35th Anniversary, shown on Victoria’s very first Barco 32B 4K digital projector, in 5.1 uncompressed digital stereo surround sound on the unbelievably awesome Astor Theatre Superscreen.

All you have to do is find them! And it couldn’t be easier – here are the first round of clues to get you started:

Awesome Astor Supporter #1:

Clue 1: What’s On

Awesome Astor Supporter #2:

Clue 1: This store has been an independent music retailer for almost 50 years

Awesome Astor Supporter #3:

Clue 1: Notorious retail outlet, watch out for the cops.

Awesome Astor Supporter #4:

Clue 1: Looks & smells like a teenager’s bedroom?

Awesome Astor Supporter #5:

Clue 1: Living in New York, Travis Bickle doesn’t need to drive his cab to this City location to see super heroes.

Awesome Astor Supporter #6:

Clue 1: A small side street that shares the name of the town The Beatles call home will point you in the right direction.

Awesome Astor Supporter #7 & #8:

Clue 1: Books, Music, Film.

If you want to win, make sure you “like” us on Facebook and “follow” us on Twitter. More clues will be revealed throughout the day and the first person to enter each location and ask the friendly folk behind the counter if they’ve won the Astor Theatre Taxi Driver tickets wins! All tickets are valid in-season: SUNDAY AUGUST 14th – SUNDAY AUGUST 21st (no screening Tuesday 16th) and it’s actually that easy to win.

For session times and further details, visit our website: astor-theatre.com

Happy Hunting!

From the team at The Astor Theatre.

Taxi Driver – Australian 4K presentation premiere

Thirty-five years after it claimed the Palme d’Or for best feature film at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver remains a landmark work of cinema. An iconic depiction of loneliness, violence and urban alienation, Scorsese’s film stands out within that period of American cinema during the late 1960s and 1970s often referred to as its last Golden Age. With its provocative subject matter, European cinema-inspired style and distinct directorial vision, Taxi Driver is characteristic of the daring and artistic brand of filmmaking that defined the era.

But Taxi Driver also reflects the social context of the 1970s in other ways. Through its representation of Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro), a twenty-something year old Vietnam veteran who takes a job driving taxis in New York City to break the monotony of his aimless existence, the film evokes the uncertainty and trauma of America’s post-war years. In many regards, the character of Travis symbolises the loss of national confidence following the failure in Vietnam, the collapse of the counter-cultural revolution, and the rapid decline of America’s post-WWII economic prosperity.

Like the nation for which he’d gone to war, Travis Bickle seems caught at a crossroads in history. When we first meet him he appears as a kind of moralising observer, railing against the perceived filth of the city streets. However, as his personal frustrations intensify, Travis begins to envisage himself in a series of different roles – as lover to Cybill Shepherd’s Betsy, then as liberator to Iris, a twelve year old prostitute played by Jodie Foster – culminating in his emergence as a self-appointed avenging angel. Insisting upon the need for decisive action, Travis resolves to commit an act of bloodshed in order to bring about his salvation. Yet as Taxi Driver’s oft-discussed ending implies, the traditional resort to violence may no longer serve as an effective means of achieving personal or social redemption.

Beyond Taxi Driver’s cultural significance, the film is also important in the context of Scorsese’s career through the creative relationships that it helped forge, and which would shape the director’s work in the years that followed. Taxi Driver’s screenwriter Paul Schrader would go on to collaborate with the director on three subsequent films (Raging Bull 1980, The Last Temptation of Christ 1988, and Bringing Out The Dead 1999) while actor Robert De Niro (who had previously appeared in Scorsese’s Mean Streets 1973) has worked with the director on eight occasions.

Through these associations Scorsese had found the perfect collaborators for the exploration of male violence, existential ennui, and religious burdens that define the male subjects of his films. And in these regards Travis Bickle is the archetypal Scorsesean protagonist, particularly when it comes to the issue of sex. Fixed in a dichotomous understanding of women as virgin/whore (a perception he imposes upon both Betsy and Iris), Travis’ sexuality is characterised by a stark ambivalence. Even as he habitually frequents porno theatres, Travis displays disgust at the presence of sex workers on the streets of New York. He is, as Betsy refers to him in one scene when she likens him to the lyrics of a Kris Kristofferson song, ‘a walking contradiction’.

Travis’ inability to reconcile these contradictory aspects of his personality may be one explanation for the violence that erupts in the film’s latter stages. And increasingly, the violence in Taxi Driver is coded with sexual connotations. Through Travis’ pistol-like gestures to pornographic imagery, to the scene of the disturbed passenger (performed by Scorsese) and his description of what he plans to do to his adulterous wife, the fetishistic close-up imagery of the .44 Magnum and the climactic shoot-out that takes place in a brothel, Taxi Driver repeatedly collapses the boundaries between sex and violence. In doing so, the film appears to locate and explore the impetus to violent action as emanating from a male paranoia and anxiety regarding sexuality.

But the violence in Taxi Driver (for which it is renowned) has another aspect to it that distinguishes it from the standard vigilante or psychotic Vietnam vet narrative. Rather than simply enact violent imagery, Taxi Driver repeatedly links Travis’ actions to the violence of earlier cinematic representations. From its overt references to numerous films and genres (particularly John Ford’s The Searchers 1956), to Travis’ transformation from insomniac flâneur to urban cowboy and Mohawk warrior, together with the guns that he purchases, each one associated with characters such as Dirty Harry and James Bond, or in his self-seeking performances before the mirror (“Are you talking to me?”), Taxi Driver draws attention to the role representations play in constructing individual and cultural identity. In this context, Taxi Driver’s coda can be seen to offer a critique on the way cinema (and the wider media) shape cultural perceptions of violence and heroism.

It is in this final regard that Taxi Driver, far from being merely a product of its time, remains entirely relevant to the contemporary era, and continues to exert a profound influence on filmgoers more than three decades after its initial release.

Written for the Astor Theatre by Josh Nelson.

Josh Nelson is a Melbourne-based film critic and academic who writes for a number of publications including the website Philmology (www.philmology.com), and is a member of the Plato’s Cave team, a weekly film criticism podcast hosted by 3RRR (www.rrr.org.au/programs/podcasts).

Our TAXI DRIVER season, the Australian premiere presentation in 4K on our brand new Barco 32B 4K digital projector starts Sunday 14th and runs till Sunday 21st (no screening Tuesday 16th). This is the first time the film will be presented in uncompressed 5.1 digital sound, having always previously been in mono. We can guarantee, no matter how many times you’ve seen this film, you’ve never seen or heard it like this before! For more info, visit our website: www.astor-theatre.com