Papillon (1973)

Director:

Franklin J. Schaffner

Writers:

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

Release Date:

16 December 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Biography | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

The greatest adventure of escape ever filmed!

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Escape | French | South America | French Guiana | Tattoo

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

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

Runtime:

150 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints)

Certification:

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)

Filming Locations:

Jamaica

Company:

Allied Artists Pictures

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.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Newer prints, with improved resolution and brighter tone reveal that the leader of the leper colony's mouth isn't moving at the end of the "cigar" conversation, when he talks to McQueen.

Quotes:

Dega: If I stay - here in this place -I will die!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Atomic Brain (#6.18)" (1993)

The Caged Butterfly

"Papillon" (pronounced "pap-e-yawn") is one of the most underrated films of the 1970s. Most critics attacked it on it's released, accusing it of being extremely overlong. That is unfortunate, because that is it's only major fault. Despite the rather silly casting of Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman as French criminals, they work surprisingly well together. Franklin J. Schaffner's direction is inspiring, as is most of the work he did while at the top of his game. He creates one of my favorite shots in film history (the short blow-dart sequence), and captures the isolation of McQueen perfectly.

As for length issues, the native villager sequence runs too long (though the nudity will no doubt entertain some), and trimming of some earlier scenes may have helped. Still, "Papillon" remains one of the most gruelling and well-made prison dramas of all time.

7.7 out of 10