I Escaped from Devil's Island (1973)

In 1916, A group of prisoners plot their escape from the notorious fortress located in French Guiana.

Director:

William Witney

Writer:

Richard DeLong Adams

Stars:

Jim Brown, Christopher George, Richard Ely

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jim Brown	...	Le Bras
Christopher George	...	Davert (as Chris George)
Richard Ely	...	Jo-Jo (as Rick Ely)
James Luisi	...	Dazzas
Paul Richards	...	Maj. Marteau
Richard Rust	...	Sgt. Zamorra
Bob Harris	...	The Barber (as Roland 'Bob' Harris)
Jan Merlin	...	Rosenquist
Robert Phillips	...	Blassier
Stephen Whittaker	...	Leper Count
Eduardo Rosas López	...	Sergeant Brescano
Jonathan Dodge	...	Lieutenant Duplis
Quintín Bulnes	...	Sgt. Grizzoni
Gabriella Rios	...	Indian Girl
Ana De Sade	...	Bedalia

Storyline

In 1916, A group of prisoners plot their escape from the notorious fortress located in French Guiana.

---

Plot Keywords:

escape | french guiana | raft | hands tied behind back | leper | 

---

Taglines:

No man ever broke this prison! No prison ever broke this man!

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Mexico USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Meuterei auf der Teufelsinsel

Filming Locations:

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Corman Company, The, Estudios Churubusco Azteca S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Co-stars Jim Brown and Christopher George both appeared as nude centerfolds in Playgirl magazine.

---

Quotes

Sgt. Zamorra: I'm warning you. Prisoners can be shot for disobedience.

User Reviews

She doesn't know any more. Anything else would be lies.

If they had released this movie in Britain, it would have likely become one of the infamous video nasties. It has all the elements: low production costs, natives in various stages of undress, animal abuse, shark attacks, cannibalism, torture.

It just didn't really cross the line, however. The torture was not overtly explicit, the cannibals were never shown eating their victims, the undress was not excessive.

If it had come out a month later and starred Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, instead of Jim Brown and Christopher George, they might have named it Papillon, and given it an Oscar or Golden Globe nomination. But, this is a Roger Corman production, so it is the R rated version of Papillon.

Paul Richards, as Major Marteau, the head of Devil's Island, gave the best line after they tortured a woman to get information on the escaped prisoners: "She doesn't know any more. Anything else would be lies." He knew even then the uselessness of water-boarding.

Great ending!