"ARE YOU TALKIN’ TO ME?"
Over at Ticklebooth Ajit Anthony Prem gets ready for Martin Scorsese’s The Departed by trolling YouTube for homemade renditions of Robert DeNiro’s classic scene from Taxi Driver.
From Prem’s post:
There are were many impersonations of De Niro on Youtube, mostly of the notorious “You talking to me?” scene. The scene was largely improvised by De Niro who clearly was “living the role.” The scene is not as powerful as it once used to be. When Taxi Driver was first released, films resisted getting into its character’s head, to spend alone-time with someone. Before Taxi Driver, scenes were clearly part of a bigger picture, if the character spoke in private, it was usually consisted of an intelligent monologue. Unlike the mess that comes out of Bickle’s mouth.
With podcasts and even recent films, talking in private has become common. Scoresese has gone in the opposite direction, when is the last time where we have seen one of his characters just ‘be’ in front of the camera?
Click on the link above for Prem’s curated selection of clips, which include a Spanish-language version, an animated version, and even one performed by a dog!
