Papillon (1973)

A man befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence on a dreadful prison island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.

Director:

Franklin J. Schaffner

Writers:

Dalton Trumbo (screenplay), Lorenzo Semple Jr. (screenplay),

Stars:

Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Jory

Top 250 #240 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve McQueen	...	Henri 'Papillon' Charriere
Dustin Hoffman	...	Louis Dega
Victor Jory	...	Indian Chief
Don Gordon	...	Julot
Anthony Zerbe	...	Toussaint
Robert Deman	...	Maturette
Woodrow Parfrey	...	Clusiot
Bill Mumy	...	Lariot
George Coulouris	...	Dr. Chatal
Ratna Assan	...	Zoraima
William Smithers	...	Warden Barrot
Val Avery	...	Pascal
Gregory Sierra	...	Antonio
Vic Tayback	...	Sergeant (as Victor Tayback)
Mills Watson	...	Guard

Storyline

Henri "Papillon" Charierre is sentenced to life in prison and transported to the penal in French Guyana. Aboard ship on the voyage over, he meets Louis Degas, a forger. They form a bond that will last them a great many years. The conditions at the penal colony are horrific and Papillon desperately wants to escape. He first attempt ends quickly in failure and as a result he spends 2 years in solitary confinement. His next attempts is somewhat more successful and he actually spends a idyllic time with a tribe of Central America Indians. Once caught however, he does 5 years in solitary confinement. Once released, he decides to make one final attempt at freedom.

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Plot Keywords:

escape | solitary confinement | butterfly | prison | island | 

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Taglines:

The greatest adventure of escape ever filmed!

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA France

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

16 December 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ba Bi Long

Filming Locations:

Higuerote, Estado Miranda, Venezuela

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$53,267,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allied Artists Pictures, Corona-General, Solar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

151 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (magnetic prints) Mono (optical prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was made and released about four years after its source novel of the same name by 'Henri Charriere' was first published in 1969. A sequel to this book, "Banco", was first published in 1973, the same 1973 year that this picture was released, as well as the same 1973 year that Charrière died. The sequel has never been filmed.

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Goofs

At 1:21:04, shaving cream pattern changes.

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Quotes

Dega: Blame is for God and small children.

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Connections

Referenced in ALF: Pennsylvania 6-5000 (1986)

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Soundtracks

"Ballet Music from Faust"
(uncredited)
Music by Charles Gounod

User Reviews

This actually happened

Steve McQueen plays Henri "Papillon" Charriere who is sentenced to life in a French penal colony for a murder he didn't do.There he befriends with an other convict Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman).Henri's only goal is to escape.Franklin J. Schaffner's Papillon (1973) is based on a true story.Charriere actually went through all this and then wrote a book. The acting work is unique.Steve McQueen (1930-1980) is superb in the lead.Also Dustin Hoffman (1937-) is excellent as always.This movie is filled with incredible scenes.Everything works perfectly in this amazing movie.If you want to see a dramatic adventure masterpiece this is a movie for you to see.