IMDb > Papillon (1973)
Papillon
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Papillon (1973) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
Top 250: #241  (login to vote)
8.0/10   56,081 votes »
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No change in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Dalton Trumbo (screenplay) and
Lorenzo Semple Jr. (screenplay) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Papillon on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
16 December 1973 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Biography | Crime | Drama See more »
Tagline:
The greatest adventure of escape ever filmed! See more »
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. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination See more »
NewsDesk:
(32 articles)
Supporting Actors: The Overlooked and Underrated (part 1 of 5)
 (From SoundOnSight. 23 May 2012, 12:39 AM, PDT)
'Justified' Ep Graham Yost dissects 'Measures' in weekly postmortem
 (From EW.com - Inside TV. 27 March 2012, 11:00 PM, PDT)
TCM Classic Film Festival Adds Award-Winning Stars, Filmmakers And More
 (From WeAreMovieGeeks.com. 8 March 2012, 7:40 PM, PST)
User Reviews:
This actually happened See more (135 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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
Ron Soble ... Santini
Barbara Morrison ... Mother Superior
Don Hanmer ... Butterfly Trader
E.J. André ... Old Con
Richard Angarola ... Commandant
Jack Denbo ... Classification Officer

Len Lesser ... Guard
John Quade ... Masked Breton
Fred Sadoff ... Deputy Warden

Allen Jaffe ... Turnkey
Liam Dunn ... Old Trustee
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter Brocco ... Doctor (uncredited)

Richard Farnsworth ... Manhunter (uncredited)
Billy M. Greene ... Old Man (uncredited)

Anne Byrne Hoffman ... Mrs. Dega (uncredited)

Fred Lerner ... Convict on Ship (uncredited)
Harry Monty ... (uncredited)
Ellen Moss ... Nun (uncredited)
Ken Muggleston ... Border Official (uncredited)

Dalton Trumbo ... Commandant (uncredited)
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Directed by
Franklin J. Schaffner 
 
Writing credits
Dalton Trumbo (screenplay) and
Lorenzo Semple Jr. (screenplay)

Henri Charrière (book "Papillon")

Produced by
Robert Dorfmann .... producer
Robert O. Kaplan .... assistant producer
Ted Richmond .... executive producer
Franklin J. Schaffner .... producer
Emanuel L. Wolf .... producer
 
Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith 
 
Cinematography by
Fred J. Koenekamp (director of photography) (as Fred Koenekamp)
 
Film Editing by
Robert Swink 
 
Casting by
Jack Baur 
 
Production Design by
Anthony Masters 
 
Art Direction by
Jack Maxsted 
 
Costume Design by
Anthony Powell 
 
Makeup Department
Charles H. Schram .... makeup creator (as Charles Schram)
Evet Hussey .... hair stylist (uncredited)
 
Production Management
Emmett Emerson .... production manager
Robert Watts .... unit production manager
Francisco Ariza .... production manager (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
José López Rodero .... first assistant director (as Jose Lopez Rodero)
Kuki López Rodero .... first assistant director (as Juan Lopez Rodero)
Joe Nayfack .... second assistant director
Roberto Parra .... second assistant director
 
Art Department
Bill MacSems .... assistant property master (as William MacSems)
Dennis J. Parrish .... property master (as Dennis Parrish)
Hugh Scaife .... set dresser
Tom Jung .... poster artist (uncredited)
Tom Jung .... poster designer (uncredited)
Alan Roderick-Jones .... assistant art director (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Derek Ball .... sound recordist
Gordon Daniel .... sound editor
Richard Portman .... rerecordist
 
Special Effects by
Alex Weldon .... special effects
 
Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock .... special photographic effects
 
Stunts
Joe Canutt .... stunt gaffer
Jophery C. Brown .... stunts (uncredited)
Dar Robinson .... cliff stunt double: Steve McQueen (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Mike Benson .... assistant cameraman (as Michael Benson)
Jack Courtland .... camera operator (as John Courtland)
Julio Garbi .... electrical equipment supplier
Reggie Jones .... key grip
Thomas Laughridge .... camera operator
William McCreery .... assistant cameraman
Gene Stout .... gaffer
Steve Yaconelli .... assistant cameraman (as Stephen Yaconelli)
Owen Marsh .... camera operator (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tony Pueo .... wardrobe supervisor
Mickey Sherrard .... wardrobe supervisor
 
Music Department
Erma E. Levin .... music editor
Arthur Morton .... orchestrator
 
Other crew
Lucien Lamontagne .... technical advisor
Marshall Schlom .... script supervisor
Scott Alexander Tritt .... stand-in
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
151 min
Country:
USA | France
Language:
English | Spanish
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (magnetic prints) | Mono (optical prints)
Certification:
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) (1990) (1995) | UK:AA (original rating) (passed with cuts) | West Germany:16 | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2000) | USA:PG (re-rating on appeal) | USA:R (original rating) | 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:Livre | Argentina:13 | Japan:G (2010) | Peru:14 | UK:15 (tv rating)
Filming Locations:
Higuerote, Estado Miranda, VenezuelaSee more »
Company:
Allied Artists PicturesSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
The cave sequences were filmed below on the cliffs of Negril, Jamaica where the Xtabi Hotel is now located.See more »
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: A harness is visible on Papillon's midsection as he helps Dega over the wall.See more »
Quotes:
Warden Barrot:Forget France and put your clothes on.See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "ALF: Try to Remember: Part 2 (#1.17)" (1987)See more »
Soundtrack:
Ballet Music from FaustSee more »

FAQ

Is the movie loyal to the original book?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
37 out of 57 people found the following review useful.
This actually happened, 3 August 2004
Author: Petri Pelkonen (petri_pelkonen@hotmail.com) from Finland

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.

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (135 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Papillon (1973)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Confused... Please help (Spoilers) Useful_Reviewer
and the moral of the story is... flatlinebeforedeath
No accent? jakholman
Great movie, but I call 'Bull *beep* le-fantome
Subtitles? iffatall
Top 250 ? af19
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