The practice of studio execs cutting down a filmmaker’s vision to serve their own interests is not uncommon in Hollywood, which often does a disservice to the film’s quality. Surprisingly, not even one of the greatest filmmakers of all time was immune from the studios’ scissors, as witnessing his film being trimmed down by the execs to meet specific ratings was distressing for Martin Scorsese.
Of all the films Scorsese has developed throughout his iconic career, Taxi Driver remains’ Scorsese’s magnum opus, which launched him to the limelight, kickstarting his ascend to the top. But things weren’t smooth sailing behind the film’s production, as following the growing tension between the director and Columbia Pictures, Scorsese almost lost his cool recalled Spielberg.
Martin Scorsese Made Remarks About Shooting Studio Head Revealed Steven Spielberg
The legend goes that Martin Scorsese stayed up all night drinking with the thought of shooting the studio exec in the morning for making him trim Taxi Driver while others kept trying to talk him out. And while fans weren’t sure whether there was any truth to the story or not, Steven Spielberg eventually cleared the air, stating that Scorsese did make remarks about shooting the executive.
However, the Jaws director clarified that Scorsese wasn’t being serious about his remarks, explaining that he was just relishing his rage following Studios’ decision to cut his film down. Spielberg recounted,
“‘He’s the head of the studio he’s the guy I’m angry at, so I’m gonna get a gun and shoot him.’ He wasn’t serious about it, but he was relishing the rage, and he wanted us to share his anger.”
Thankfully the Killers of the Flower Moon director didn’t go full Travis Bickle, but he did reluctantly agree to desaturate the color in the film’s finale, lessening its gruesome nature.
The Time After Taxi Driver Was Depressing for Martin Scorsese
The years after Taxi Driver witnessed Martin Scorsese going through a creative struggle, as the director expressed that he was depressed for over two years post-Taxi Driver. Reflecting on the period at the BFI London Film Festival (Via Yahoo! Movies), the Oscar-winning filmmaker said,
“The film stayed with me, and I think ultimately led to two and a half years of delving into just the kind of loss of where was I going to go next? Where was I going to go? I tried with New York, New York, I tried many different things, but I didn’t know where I was going creatively and it depressed me a great deal and I almost lost out completely.”
But it wouldn’t be long before Scorsese would found his footing back, and would deliver a plethora of classics, which fans keep on revisiting.
Taxi Driver is available to rent on Apple TV.
