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

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

A semi-fictional account of Henri Charrière's time in the penal system in French Guyana - some of it spent on infamous Devil's Island - is presented. It's the early 1930s. Charrière - nicknamed Papillon because of his butterfly tattoo - and Louis Dega are two among many who have been convicted in the French judicial system, they now being transferred to French Guyana where they will serve their time, never to return to France even if they are ever released. A safe-cracker by criminal profession, Papillon is serving a life sentence for murdering a pimp, a crime for which he adamantly states he was framed. Dega is a wealthy counterfeiter, who expects his well-to-do wife eventually to get him released. On Papillon's initiative, Papillon and Dega enter into a business arrangement: Papillon will provide protection for Dega, while Dega will finance Papillon's escape attempt. As Papillon and Degas' time together lasts longer than either expects, their burgeoning friendship ends up being an ...

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Plot Keywords:

prison warden | hopelessness | homosexual interest | shot to death | manhunter | 

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Taglines:

Two men with nothing in common but a will to live and a place to die

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

France USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

19 December 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Papillon

Filming Locations:

Higuerote, Estado Miranda, Venezuela

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$53,267,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Corona-General, Solar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

151 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dustin Hoffman became angry and uncooperative for some time after he discovered that although he and Steve McQueen would receive equal billing, he was actually making seven hundred fifty thousand dollars less than his co-star. Although they didn't really speak to each other between takes or after principal photography was completed, they behaved professionally on the set for the most part.

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Goofs

When Papillon first visits the lepers, the leper he speaks to does not move his lips (probably because of makeup).

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Quotes

Camp Commandant: Make the best of what we offer you, and you will suffer less than you deserve.

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Alternate Versions

Some American prints of this film run 132 minutes, instead of 150.

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Connections

Referenced in Sekasin: Hattumies, ketjusilmukka ja levottomat jalat (2016)

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Soundtracks

Ballet Music from Faust
(uncredited)
Music by Charles Gounod

User Reviews

A must see...

This is the second greatest "run after freedom" movie i've ever seen. Two great actors Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen are able to present you disappointment, happiness, loyalty, patience, hope, insanity, friendship and depression perfectly. Every single scene in the picture has a lot of things to say to you. You might get emotionally confused when watching this movie, you might even sense a little bit of friendship or love between the prison guardians and the prisoners and at the same time you might be able to sense the unreasonable hate. When you are not free, then you have nothing else to lose thus you have to run after your freedom, however do not believe in freedom until you get what you used to have before losing it.