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:

For Papillon survival was not enough .... he had to be free

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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

The film's music score composed by Jerry Goldsmith was included in the American Film Institute's 250 top nominated soundtracks for it's "Top 25 American Film Scores" list.

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Goofs

(at around 35 mins) The prisoner's uniforms are cleaner than they were just prior.

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Quotes

Papillon: [to Dega] Me they can kill... You they own!

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Alternate Versions

The 1974 UK cinema release was heavily cut to secure a AA rating (nobody under 14 admitted) instead of a more restrictive X rating (nobody under 18 admitted). The cuts include . Reel 1: Reduced shot of Papillon stabbing man in the face in the scene on prison ship. . Reel 2: Removed shot of dead prisoner's bloody head in the sea. Removed shot of decapitated head falling into camera when guillotine blade descends. . Reel 3: Removed shot of Jules with his throat cut. . Reel 5: Removed shot of Maturette kicking guard in the testicles. Removed shot of blood coming from Clusio's mouth after he has been clubbed. . Reel 6: Reduced to flash shot only, the Spaniard impaled with spikes after he has trodden on a trap. . Reel 7: Removed shot of Papillon's toes being broken with a rifle-butt. The film was later passed uncut for all UK home video releases with an 18 rating in 1986 but the same uncut version was later passed with a 15 rating for the DVD release in 2000 (still retaining the Irish 18 rating however).

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Connections

Referenced in Parker Lewis Can't Lose: Against the Norm (1991)

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Soundtracks

Ballet Music from Faust
(uncredited)
Music by Charles Gounod

User Reviews

Excellent film entertainment

Excellent movie. Entertaining and realistic.

Although media promotion hinted that this was another version of "The Great Escape", the movie, and Steve McQueen, avoided what would have been a fatal pratfall - remaking the 1962 POW war film with different costumes.

In fact, this was an excellent film that stood on its own merit(despite the fact that historians claim the story is not true) It was an excellent depiction of the French penal colony in Guana. It would have been great even without McQueen in the title role.

Dustin Hoffman was his usual superb actor, making the most out of his role. McQueen wisely avoided playing himself, and as a result, his role was stronger and believable.

Location scenes and overall plot were superb.

Outstanding film.