To this day, not only is “Taxi Driver” thought of as one of the best American films of all time, but it’s also one of the most influential. However, most of the discussion about Martin Scorsese’s thriller, written by Paul Schrader, is focused on the performance of Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle. When Quentin Tarantino wrote about “Taxi Driver” in his new book, he had more to say about Harvey Keitel’s character, Sport.
In an excerpt from his upcoming book, “Cinema Speculation” (via IndieWire), Quentin Tarantino discusses the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the character of Sport in Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver.” More specifically, Tarantino laments the fact that Columbia Pictures felt the need to change Sport’s race from Black to white before filming began, going against what was written in Schrader’s script. For Tarantino, not only is this an ill-advised change, but it fundamentally changes the film.
“The film makes it obvious [Travis Bickle] sees Black males as figures of malevolent criminality,” Tarantino wrote about “Taxi Driver.” “He’s repelled by any contact with them. They are to be feared or at the very least avoided. And since we watch the film from Travis’ point of view, we do as well.”
He added that the filmmakers were urged by Columbia Pictures to change Sport from Black to white “because the race riots a few years earlier still cast a long shadow.”
“And who couldn’t handle that?” Tarantino added. “Black audiences? Or is it more likely that the white folks financing the movie were the ones made to feel uncomfortable by the imagery in Schrader’s original script? So uncomfortable that a fear of Black males causing violence in cinemas was conveniently trotted out as an excuse to change Schrader’s Sport from Black to white? Any way you slice it, Scorsese, and producers Michael and Julia Phillips, and Columbia Pictures changing the pimp character of Sport from Black to white was a societal compromise.”
Obviously, Quentin Tarantino is the type of cinephile who loves to analyze and break down classic films, and he’s also an encyclopedia when it comes to the behind-the-scenes stories involved. So, it makes sense that he would take the time to analyze the race swapping of Sport in “Taxi Driver.”
Tarantino is also the type of filmmaker who has never shied away from tackling race issues in his films, much to the chagrin of some film fans. Whether it’s his use of racial slurs in his scripts or overtly talking about slavery in something like “Django Unchained,” Tarantino has strong thoughts about how Black people can be shown on screen. Alas, there’s not much you can do about “Taxi Driver” decades after the fact.