In the films, Taxi Driver and Do the Right Thing, realistic views of New York are shown for the time periods in which they took place. In Taxi Driver, New York is portrayed as a hostile environment with corruption lurking in the city. In Do the Right Thing, there is a similar environment of reality but there is racism prevalent among the various communities that are present.
In both movies, violent is a part of the New York City that the characters are accustomed to and it is also something that is controversial according to how it’s used. For instance, in Taxi Driver, Travis sets out with an evil motive to kill Senator Palantine but doesn’t kill him in the end and ends up exposing one of the prostitution leaders. Also, in Do the Right thing, when Mookie grabs a trash can and throws it through the window of Sal’s restaurant, we can question this act, was it heroic? Or just adding to the violence that the mob was creating? Travis was a character that became a hero by accident, and in the end of the movie we are left to decide if he is a real hero or not. Similarly, in Do the Right Thing, violence becomes a big part of the problems that are present, or it was a means by which the problems would be solved, again, it is up to the audience to choose.
I think that both movies had kind of similar views on New York and they are accurately represented for that time. However, I think that I relate more to the view in Do the Right Thing because of the prejudices shown against different races. I believe that there’s still racism present in today’s society and that is something that I have seen and even gone through in New York. It became more apparent to me after 9/11 as I am Muslim. I frequently heard snide remarks while walking down the street or got looks when I went to the local store. I feel like the racism that was present in Do the Right Thing is similar to the racism that is spurring today. It’s a shame that we still can’t unite as one people and see past color, race, and/or religion.
In Taxi Driver, a community really isn’t shown; it’s more like Travis’s journey. However, we do see a predominately white community that is shown through politics and people on the street such as Iris. Corruption is definitely a big part of the community in Taxi Driver as shown by the somber scenery and gloomy time of the movie. In Do the Right Thing, various communities are shown. For instance, we see the black, asian, Hispanic, white, etc communities. There is a wide range of people in the film, something that I am accustomed to today and have been accustomed to throughout my whole life.
Both movies had strong views on the political world and had a realistic approach in showing it. It’s been so many years since the production of these films yet sometimes I feel like we are reliving that era, and taking steps back instead of forward.
