Martin Scorsese thought about ‘getting a gun’ after violent scenes were nearly cut from Taxi Driver
Why Martin Scorsese once threatened to destroy one of his most-beloved movies
- Martin Scorsese once threatened to destroy his acclaimed 1976 film Taxi Driver after studio executives demanded cuts to its violent scenes.
- Fellow filmmaker Steven Spielberg recounted Scorsese's distress, stating the director considered acquiring a gun or stealing and destroying the rough cut himself.
- Scorsese admitted to being angry and threatening to prevent the studio from altering the film's graphic content.
- The issue was ultimately resolved when Scorsese agreed to 'tone the colour down' of the controversial sequences, a solution Spielberg credits with saving the movie.
- These revelations are featured in the new five-part Apple TV+ documentary series, Mr Scorsese, directed by Rebecca Miller, which is set to be released on 17 October.