Franklin J Schaffner's Papillon is quite possibly the definitive prison escape drama. Not as thrilling as The Great Escape, nor as emotionally cathartic as The Shawshank Redemption, its unflinching emphasis on the barbarism of "civilised" societies is nevertheless unparalleled. Significantly, the only characters to display any real kindness in this film are the social outcasts: the lepers and native Indians; everyone else has been corrupted and debased by the true villain, the penal system itself. Based on Henri Charrière' s heavily fictionalised "autobiography", the... film's timeless themes of man's insatiable desire for freedom and the indomitability of the human spirit are thankfully not dependent for their impact on the source material's veracity. Dalton Trumbo's liberal-minded screenplay echoes the themes of his earlier script for Spartacus, and Schaffner's innate gift for epic cinema (this was made just two years after his great war biography Patton) is fully equal to the task of realising it on screen. The director's painterly eye for widescreen composition and his careful pacing impart a gravitas to proceedings even during the film's most squalid depictions of brutality, of which there are many emphasising the cheapness of human life among the convicts and their equally criminal prison guards in the penal colony of French Guiana. Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman form a remarkable screen pairing, with Hoffman outstanding as the pusillanimous Dega. McQueen magnificently overcomes his tough-guy persona in the extraordinary solitary confinement sequences as he is gradually reduced to a shambling, cockroach-eating wreck. Longtime collaborator Jerry Goldsmith, who had previously scored Schaffner's Planet of the Apes and Patton, attained yet another career high with his music. On the DVD: The anamorphic widescreen print of the original Panavision 2. 35:1 ratio looks fine without being as stunning as some more modern prints; the Dolby 5.1 audio does however do great service to Jerry Goldsmith's score, which can also be selected separately from the Audio Setup menu as an isolated track (note that there's no music at all in the first 20 minutes of the film). The 12-minute "Magnificent Rebel" featurette was made at the time of the film's release , and includes some fascinating footage of Henri Charrière touring the prison se t, reminiscing about his experiences and pontificating ("Society does not want free men, society wants conditioned men"). --Mark Walker [show more]
This was the first film I saw on Video,it was the late seventies and this innovation brought me to a whole new world.This film stands out since the double header of McQueen/Hoffmann playing out their roles perfectly.The story follows the book about as close as any film can,since the time restriction on layout is compressed the story plays out in excerpts of the time in incarceration.
The photoplay seems realistic and the intention of the film is plain.Papillon is not about to give up,not under any circumstances.Care should be taken to adhere to the guidance for there are scenes which younger people may find distressing.All in all the best prison break film ever made,excellent.
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. 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. Actors Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Jory, Don Gordon, Anthony Zerbe, Bill Mumy & Woodrow Parfrey Director Franklin J. Schaffner Certificate 15 years and over Year 1973 Screen Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic Languages English - Dolby Digital (5.1) Additional Languages Dolby Digital (1.0) Mono: German Subtitles English ; German ; Swedish ; Finnish ; Norwegian Duration 2 hours and 30 minutes (approx)
Henri 'Papillon' Charriere's account of life in the infamous and reputedly inescapable Devil's Island prison, brought to the screen with Steve McQueen as its eponymous hero. Refusing to surrender to the cruelty of the prison regime, Papillon protects the bespectacled Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman) from an abusive guard, makes a bid for freedom, and ends up spending a long spell in solitary confinement. When he is finally released back into the main prison, he again refuses to surrender and, along with Dega, makes another escape attempt.
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