GROUP 6 – THE CABBIE

Avon Chen

May Lee

Shirley Lee

Tina Tseng

Miley Yen

Amy Chiu

Is this movie a post-modern film?

1. Comedy2. This film is rather different from those we‘ve watched in the MOOC class

Post-modern features in this film

1. The characters themselves2. the connection between Da Chuan and other characters 3. death

Outline

I. Flâneur a. The definition of flâneur b. Two theories

II. Characters and their occupations a. The occupations among characters (1) Flâneur  (2) Non-Flâneur

III. Death a. Related to career  b. Related to relationship between characters c. Related to comedy representation

Outline (cont.)

IV. Relationship between characters a. Family relationship b. Romantic relationship c. Da chuan and Ah-di

V. Flâneurial look a. Movie analyzed through the Flânuerial look

VI. The Ending a. Alive or dead

VII. Taxis around the world

VIII. Q&A

IX. Conclusion

I. Flâneur

FlâneurParis. London 19th century: Capitalism City: where people can wander Bourgeois; gentleman stroller of city streetsRichTime to fool around

Showing off

Gustave Caillebotte. Paris Street, Rainy Day, 1877.

Flâneur

19th-20th century

Bourgeois

consumers

Internet wanderer

Flâneur

I. The effects of the modernization of the city

City landscape

Arcade in Paris

Crystal Palace in London

Streets

Department stores

Shopping mallCreating lots of possibilities

Flâneur

II. The response to the modernization of the city

City landscape

Three groups

Consumers

Workers: ragpicker, prostitute, taxi driver

Artists

Walter Benjamin

Consumers

Workers: ragpicker, prostitute, taxi driver

Bourgeoisconsumers: walking commodity

Charles Pierre BaudelaireArtists

Writer

Idle stroller

The representative modern figure in the capitalist

metropolis

Wandering among the flux and flow of the crowd

on the city streets and arcades

Keenly observed and studied the crowd with

aloof detachment

II. Characters and their occupations

Professions & The Triangle Relationship

Death

Police

Cabbies

Scientist/Forensic

莊靜文

媽媽（游希子）小妹妹夫

蘇大全爸爸（蘇周）蔡仔阿東蟹仔阿亮

張仔

Taxi DriversName Special features/behaviors

蘇大全 A car lover since his teenage

爸爸 The owner of the taxi agency / Experienced driver

蔡仔 Skillful driver / A show-off

阿東 A multi-tasking driver

蟹仔 Skillful driver / Stubborn personality

阿亮 A poor driver (a very poor one!)

Who’s a Flâneur?

張仔

Name Special features/behaviors

蘇大全 A car lover since his teenage

爸爸 The owner of the taxi agency / Experienced driver

蔡仔 Skillful driver / A show-off

阿東 A multi-tasking driver

蟹仔 Skillful driver / Stubborn personality

阿亮 A poor driver (a very poor one!)

張仔 A cleaner of accident scenes

Waiting for costumers $ Observing people and the city

An artist

Waiting for accident to happen $ Waiting for chance to earn money

A ragpicker

“View their taxis as their home.” (The Cabbie)

III. Death

Death• Related to Career

• Taxi Driver• Police • Coroner

Death• Relationship

• Between Daquan’s (大全 ) parents

• Between Jingwen (靜文 ) & Daquan’s family

Death• Comedy representation

• Humorous & Ridiculed• Car accidents• Parent’s relationship• The ending

• Incongruity Postmodern features

IV. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHARACTERS

Family Relationship (1)

Father Mother

A Quan Sister

• A common nuclear family• Harmonious

Family Relationship (2)

• Traditional• Different types of taxi drivers

A Quan’s Fmaily 車行

Romantic Relationship (1)• 運轉手之「戀」 -> Theme : LOVE!• Father & Mother• Sister & the doctor of• A Quan & Jing Wen

Romantic Relationship (2)

Father

Mother

• Mother & her suitorsnot matched because of her occupation

Death is uncomfortable to deal with for the others

• Father & Mother

taxi driver & coroner

death is common

Romantic Relationship (3)

A-Quan

Jing-Wen

• Taxi driver & the police

Conflicts• In common w. each other:

• Death• Floating in the city, on the road• Meeting different kinds of people

People to People• Father’s attitude toward the wounded patients of the car accident caused by

their taxi drivers• The family’s attitude toward the car accidents vs. The parents attitude toward

soap dramas

People to Objects

• 我與阿弟

V. FLÂNEURIAL LOOK

Flâneurial Look

“Flâneurial look”:

* Shuttling through streets: Urban maze→marginal experience: multiple/ deep and dark/ obscure urban space

- The variety of modern city- The mobility of the viewer/flâneur

Flâneurial Look in The Cabbie (運轉手之戀 )

Flâneurial Perspective—蘇大全

- The variety of modern city- The mobility of the viewer/flâneur

Flâneurial Look in The Cabbie (運轉手之戀 )

The variety of modern city: Multiple people, multiple characters (眾生相 ) :→ “people sometimes reveal their deepest secrets to the people who they just met” (The Cabbie).

Flâneurial Look in The Cabbie (運轉手之戀 )

The mobility of taxi drivers:

Pros Cons

free dangerous

confinement: not that free; limited in the vehicle

Compare to Other Vehicles

Cab Bus Train/MRT

Route free regular regular

Interaction with passengers

yes less no

Vulnerable to accidents

yes yes (but less) no

Tavi drivers in other films

Taxi Driver (1976, Martin Scorsese, dir.)

Taxi(1998, Gérard Pirès, dir.)

Taxi(2004, Tim Story, dir.)

VI. The Ending

How do your interpret the last scene of the movie?

ALIVE?

DIED?

Let’s see everybody’s reaction!

Who is back?Da Chuan’s spiritWounded Da

Chuan

Da Chuan is Alive!

1. His wife goes back to kitchen to prepare his meal.

2. I do not believe that a spirit can be seen

3. If he is dead, why his mom and wife can be this calm?

CALM CALM

Da Chuan Died!1. He = Ah-Di

2. What does the script mean by “our

turn”?

Former script: See, car accident happened

again. But the difference is…

( 你們看又發生車禍了，但不同的是…… )

*Note that every car accidents in front of

their house take people’s lives away.

Da Chuan Died!

She hears someone is slamming on the brake Maye another accident happened?

*Life is as usual. Nothing change, but da Chuan leaves them.

VII. Comparisons of taxis

United States England Japan

Mexico Germany Malaysia

Taxis around the World

United States England Japan

Mexico Germany Malaysia

Q & A1.Do you have any special experiences when taking

taxi?

2.Do you think Da Chuan is alive or dead at the end of

the movie? And why?

IX. Conclusion

Thank you