Martin Scorsese ‘still angry’ over final edit of Taxi Driver, says author, longtime friend Fran Lebowitz

Taxi Driver ranks among the best films from Hollywood veteran Martin Scorsese but filmmaker still has some regrets about the 1976 feature — mainly the colour red.

According to American author Fran Lebowitz, the longtime friend of Martin Scorsese, the filmmaker is “still angry” over the final edit of the Robert De Niro-starrer cult classic movie.

Fran, who is the central focus of Martin’s latest Netflix docuseries Pretend It’s A City, discussed the editing process of the filmmaker during an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

“I guarantee you if they had not taken it away from him, he would still be editing Taxi Driver. He’s still angry,”Fran said.

“He said to me numerous times: ‘You know what ruins Taxi Driver? The colour red. The studio wouldn’t give me enough money to correct the colour red, and that’s why it’s horrible. I say, ‘You know what’s wrong with Taxi Driver, Marty? Nothing’,” she added.

Martin had directed Taxi Driver from a script by his frequent collaborator Paul Schrader.

Set in a decaying and morally bankrupt New York City following the Vietnam War, the film follows Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro), a taxi driver and veteran, and his mental state as he works nights in the city.

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The movie, which also featured Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Leonard Harris and Albert Brooks, was nominated for four Academy Awards, including best picture and best actor for Robert.

Martin is currently hard at work on his next feature Killers of the Flower Moon. Headlined by Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert, the movie will be released on Apple TV Plus.

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