Papillon
Not Just A Great Escape. It Was The Greatest.
They called him Papillon, meaning "butterfly." If only he had wings to go with the name. Unable to fly, Henri Charriere virtually willed himself free. He persisted until he did the impossible: escape Devil's Island.
Based on Charriere's bestseller and shot in Spain and Jamaica, Franklin J. Schaffner's film of Papillon united two stars at key career junctions. After a decade of fine work in The Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles and Bullitt, Steve McQueen found in Charriere another ideal tough guy role. Coming off The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, and Little Big Man, Dustin Hoffman again distinguished himself as Dega, Charriere's scruffy friend.
Member Reviews
A masterpiece - sal33
I wonder if a film like papillon would be a hit today? It moves at a slower pace than the frantic, senseless modern films.
McQueen & Hoffman are simply superb in this. The direction doesn't get in the way and the storytelling is wonderful. For a film that is 2 and 1/2 hours long there is very little dialogue. This is truly a moving picture.
The writing is concise, precise, evocative. It's a brilliant masterpiece.I'm still here you bastards! - CaptainRhodes
Just watched this again. Last time was maybe a decade ago and I love it just as much as I did the first time around. Good flick.
USELESS FACTS:
The real-life Papillon, Henri Charrière, was 25 when he was sent to Devil's Island.
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.
Dustin Hoffman based his character on the movie's screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, particularly his withdrawn and shy mannerisms which had inspired Hoffman when meeting Trumbo for the first time.
Dustin Hoffman had to wear contact lenses so that he could see correctly through the thick glasses he had to wear.A Classic - Marko
I disagree with the negative review as well and thought that this movie was great. I have had a copy for years on VHS and now want it in DVD format. It is definetly an all time classic that I could watch over and over. I would recommend this to any Steve McQueen or Dustin Hoffman fan. Highly unlikely that if they are a fan of them that they have not seen this picture.
Member Reviews
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A masterpiece - sal33
I wonder if a film like papillon would be a hit today? It moves at a slower pace than the frantic, senseless modern films.
McQueen & Hoffman are simply superb in this. The direction doesn't get in the way and the storytelling is wonderful. For a film ...I'm still here you bastards! - CaptainRhodes
Just watched this again. Last time was maybe a decade ago and I love it just as much as I did the first time around. Good flick.
USELESS FACTS:
The real-life Papillon, Henri Charrière, was 25 when he was sent to Devil's Island.
Although ...A Classic - Marko
I disagree with the negative review as well and thought that this movie was great. I have had a copy for years on VHS and now want it in DVD format. It is definetly an all time classic that I could watch over and over. I would recommend this to any Steve ...