In light of all the renewed interest about Martin Scorseseâs long-overlooked âGoncharovâ (1973), has anyone noticed the element which repeats in his later and much better known film âTaxi Driverâ (1976)?
Itâs The Gun As Protagonist Accessory.
In âGoncharovâ itâs right there on the poster, held by Robert de Niro: thatâs a Thompson M1921 with 50-round drum magazine, the classic gangster gun, the Chicago Typewriter, the gun that made the Twenties roar.
This weapon has appeared in many gangster movies, most famously in the original âScarfaceâ (1932) where Tony Camonte (Paul Muni), encounters one for the first time when itâs used in a murder attempt against him and all but falls in love with the thing.
âWhen this gives orders, people listen!â
In âTaxi Driverâ itâs an enormous revolver, a Smith & Wesson M29 similar to the one carried by Dirty Harry, though here made even more imposing with an 8â barrel (Harryâs was only 6â). Scorsese is making a visual comment about the way his anti-hero Travis Bickle (Robert de Niro again) compensates for perceived inadequacy.
Iâm not making any observations about trigger discipline. Really. No. Iâm not.
Anyway, if Bickle could be associated with the clock motif in âGoncharovâ the clock in question would be a cuckoo, so playing around indoors with this hand-cannon is no more than might be expected.
âYou talkinâ to me...?â
Thereâs even a piece on the soundtrack, accompanying the gunâs introduction, entitled âThe .44 Magnum Is A Monster.â (YouTube link.)
Having said that, itâs worth noting that in the final confrontation â when Bickle proves himself a more than adequate hero by rescuing underage Iris (Jodie Foster) from her life of sex slavery â the huge revolver plays a less significant role than expected from the way itâs been set up. Bickle defeats his opponents with much smaller handguns and even cold steel in the form of a boot knife.
This hero has overcome his monster in more ways than one. Â
The Thompson plays a much more prominent role in âScarfaceâ than in âGoncharovâ. Rather than a villainâs perverse secondary love interest, there itâs built up as a necessary adjunct of brutal power, which then fades into the background of relationships presented (this was released in 1973 after all) as improper if not actually warped.
âIce-Pick Joeâ Morelliâs (John Cazales) preference for a penetrating weapon rather than a gun (also favoured by real-life mobster Abe âKid Twistâ Reles)...
... is a pointer (sorry) at aspects of his character which couldnât yet be stated clearly on-screen. What remains obvious through Scorseseâs direction and the excellent performances of his actors is that human failings are more destructive than any mere weapon.
Itâs a masterful inversion of Chekovâs Gun, the premise where âa gun shown hung on the wall (for which read âany plot element given extra emphasisâ) must be fired (used) before the performance endsâ.
I havenât been able to find actual screenshots from the film so these are representative images, but I hope theyâll show how, by utilising "Goncharovââs recurrent clock motif to segue from Ambrosini (Al Pacino) winding one of his cherished antique timepieces...
... to Lo Straniero (de Niro) winding the clockwork drive of his Thompson gunâs drum magazine (incidentally an action seldom seen in films)...
...Scorsese manipulates his audience into believing that the film will culminate in a classic head-to-head gunfight.
Thatâs how Brian de Palma, a much less subtle director, ends his 1983 âScarfaceâ remake, with Tony Montana (Al Pacino) inviting his enemies to âSay hello to my little friend!â, the grenade-launcher attached to his automatic rifle.
Though âGoncharovâ does feature some firearms action (itâs a gangster film after all), Scorsese leaves most its guns on the wall as a distraction until his audience realises, as the movieâs climax approaches, that destructive violence can take place as quietly and irreversibly as the passage of time marked out by a ticking clock in a darkened room.
