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Papillon (1973)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
16 December 1973 (USA) moreTagline:
The greatest adventure of escape ever filmed! morePlot:
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. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination moreNewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Steve McQueen Tribute At Lincoln Center- Family And Colleagues Host Screenings (From CinemaRetro. 16 May 2009, 2:58 PM, PDT)
Steve McQueen Biopic Announced For Zzzzzzzzzz
(From Ugo MovieBlog. 23 March 2009, 1:05 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Hollywood's first non-stereotypical gay character? moreCast
(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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
150 minLanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreCertification:
Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Australia:M | South Korea:18 | Canada:14A (video rating) | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-18 | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1974) | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | UK:AA (original rating) (cut) | West Germany:16 | UK:15 (video rating) (2000) | USA:PG (re-rating on appeal) | USA:R (original rating)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Although billed as a true story, the French in French Guiana claim that much of the story of Henri Charrière (Papillon) is fabricated. Papillon was documented to have been incarcerated in Saint Laurent and may have escaped from there, but he never served any time on the Devil's Islands (now known as Iles du Salut or Salvation Islands). The book and movie both present Devil's Island as having rocky cliffs, when in fact, though the entire island is rocky, it gently slopes into the surrounding sea. moreGoofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Papillon is in the natives' village he goes swimming with one of the girls who has tan lines from a bra/bikini top. moreMovie Connections:
Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Atomic Brain (#6.18)" (1993) moreFAQ
Is the movie loyal to the original book?more
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Does anyone remember the name of the medic who escapes over the wall with Papillon and Dega - is it Maturette? In any case, he may mark the first time Hollywood created a gay character - at least in a big-budget film - who is sympathetic, not stereotypical or ridiculous or treacherous, and is given his fair share of personal dignity. First, Papillon wants to prostitute him to distract a guard so that he can escape: He lets Papillon know in no uncertain terms that he's "not a whore" and that "Between the two of us, I'm the one who's killed a man." Later, he shows bravery, solidarity, and resourcefulness equal to the two leads'.
It's a fairly large role, the actor makes a strong impression, yet (almost as important) the filmmakers don't showcase him in a self-congratulatory way ("Look how progressive we are!"). He's not offset by any more "typical" gay characters to lessen his impact, nor, thankfully, by one of those ritual gang-rape-of-the-male-lead scenes that seem to be obligatory in prison pictures (e.g., "The Shawshank Redemption"). This is all especially remarkable in that Hollywood movies at the time were still rife with abysmal gay stereotypes (see "Play Misty for Me," "The Eiger Sanction," "The Producers," any number of others in all kinds of genres.) I'd love to know if this was a conscious decision by Schaffner or the screenwriters (Trumbo and Semple both had good progressive credentials, after all).
By the way, if you're going to see this film, see it letterboxed - it loses much of its visual impact in a standard TV pan-and-scan format.