The movie Martin Scorsese called his feminist manifesto: “This is my feminist film”
Martin Scorsese has long been criticised for his portrayal and exclusion of women in his filmography, with female characters that are either confined to limiting and insulting stereotypes, such as the endless sea of women in The Wolf of Wall Street who are treated as nothing more than sex objects or the portrayal of Jodie Foster’s character in Taxi Driver.
However, many people tend to dismiss his obvious flaws in favour of praise for his many accomplishments, with the likes of Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas being considered as some of the greatest cinematic feats of all time.
But while this might be the case, there is no denying that his purview is extremely narrow. Even if he might explore issues relating to violence and masculinity in a sometimes thoughtful and nuanced way, his inability to link this to the female perspective in any meaningful way, especially when it is women who are often the victims of this violence in the first place, renders his critique as slightly redundant. However, Scorsese was defensive of this, suggesting that one film of his is actually a feminist story.
Taxi Driver is known for many reasons, with the controversy over Jodie Foster’s character almost leading to the assassination of a US president and the slow-burning insanity of Travis Bickle unnerving audiences all over the world, remaining as a staple within the New Hollywood movement and sparking an era of unconventional stories.
However, the focus is undeniably masculine, with Scorsese commenting on Bickle’s experiences of loneliness and his resentment towards women, perhaps as an early benchmark of so-called incel cinema and the stories that we have come to fear both on screen, and in real life.
Nevertheless, Scorsese had a different perception of the story, and when asked if he would consider any of his films as feminist, he said, “Taxi Driver – this is my feminist film. Who says a feminist movie has to be about women? Alice was never intended as a feminist tract. In the end, she makes the same mistakes. The first shot of her in Kris Kristofferson‘s house shows her washing the dishes. A big close-up”.
But when quizzed about this and the inclusion of a central character who cannot relate to women at all, Scorsese said, “Feminist. Because it takes macho to its logical conclusion. The better man is the man who can kill you. This one shows that kind of thinking, shows the kinds of problems some men have, bouncing back and forth between the goddesses and whores. The whole movie is based, visually, on one shot where the guy is being turned down on the telephone by the girl, and the camera actually pans away from him. It’s too painful to see that rejection”.
It’s an interesting take, but one that prompts further digging about the implications behind this somewhat sweeping statement. While Scorsese is critiquing masculinity, and this is certainly an aspect of feminism and something that feminist directors like Claire Denis and Eric Rohmer explore in their work, this is balanced by their inclusion of the female perspective and general interest in female characters, creating other films that show their respect towards women through allowing time to document their experiences and how they feel about them.
But Scorsese’s work has never done this; in fact, he almost seems afraid of writing women and avoids them in most of his films. A critique of masculinity is certainly feminist adjacent, but his overall methodology makes me hesitant to label it as a feminist film, with no real care to show the implications of his behaviour on the women around him and no films around the female perspective, leading this description to feel like somewhat of a stretch.
