Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
Back
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro
Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen in Papillon (1973)

FAQ

Papillon

FAQ



    The script made several deviations from the book:

    * The ages of Papillon and Dega are radically changed from book to film: in the book, Papillon is "25 years-old, looking 20" and Dega is 42. Dega is a bit younger in the film, and Papillon appears much older. * It dramatizes the role of men hired to hunt down escaped prisoners. * Papillon's imprisonment before sailing to French Guiana is not depicted in the film, nor is his trial. * Papillon knew Dega well before boarding the transport to South America. They had agreed to protect each other while waiting in prison. * Dega was not included in the first escape attempt. * Dega is portrayed as also being imprisoned on Devil's Island. In the book, he is imprisoned on another of the Îles du Salut, but never Devil's Island. * Papillon's ultimate escape is somewhat changed; the film ends with his escape from Devil's Island to the mainland, without covering his subsequent escape from the penal colony (bagne) itself to eventual freedom in Venezuela. * Admonitions against masturbation occur only once in the film, while in the novel, they are quite frequent. * Henri Charrière's real name is not revealed in the movie, as he is only known as "Papillon." The real name of the character is however depicted on the door of his cell during solitary confinement. (wikipedia) *Papillon had no butterfly tattooed on his chest he had a tiger tattooed on the chest and he tattoos the Indian chief with a tiger not a butterfly.

    OTHER NOTES: Many of the secondary characters i.e. the people who escape or attempt to escape with Papillon did exist but are also composites of other characters. In the book, Papillon meets many inmates and the movie had to lessen them, because it's a movie lasting two-hours not hundreds of book pages. The homosexual inmate doesn't die in real life, and in fact winds up free a decade later, as noted by the author. And Dustin Hoffman was given the buddy/sidekick role so Dega's part was expanded greatly, including, as noted above, the fact he didn't attempt to escape and never wound up on Devil's Island. So while this is a Buddy Film so to speak, it's not a Buddy Novel.

Alexa top questions

Powered by Alexa
  • How long is Papillon?
    2 hours and 31 minutes
  • When was Papillon released?
    December 19, 1973
  • What is the IMDb rating of Papillon?
    8 out of 10
  • Who stars in Papillon?
    Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, and Victor Jory
  • Who wrote Papillon?
    Dalton Trumbo, William Goldman, Henri Charrière, and Lorenzo Semple Jr.
  • Who directed Papillon?
    Franklin J. Schaffner
  • Who was the composer for Papillon?
    Jerry Goldsmith
  • Who was the producer of Papillon?
    Franklin J. Schaffner and Robert Dorfmann
  • Who was the executive producer of Papillon?
    Ted Richmond and Emanuel L. Wolf
  • Who was the cinematographer for Papillon?
    Fred J. Koenekamp
  • Who was the editor of Papillon?
    Robert Swink
  • Who are the characters in Papillon?
    Henri 'Papillon' Charriere, Louis Dega, Julot, and Toussaint
  • What is the plot of Papillon?
    A French convict in the 1930s befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence in the South American penal colony on Devil's Island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.
  • What was the budget for Papillon?
    $12 million
  • How much did Papillon earn at the worldwide box office?
    $53.3 million
  • How much did Papillon earn at the US box office?
    $53.3 million
  • What is Papillon rated?
    R
  • What genre is Papillon?
    Biographical, Crime Drama, Crime, and Drama
  • How many awards has Papillon won?
    2 awards
  • How many awards has Papillon been nominated for?
    4 nominations

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen in Papillon (1973)
Top Gap
By what name was Papillon (1973) officially released in India in Hindi?
Answer
  • See more gaps
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More from this title

More to explore

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb app
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
Follow IMDb on social
Get the IMDb app
For Android and iOS
Get the IMDb app
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • License IMDb Data
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.