Papillon [Blu-ray]

Overview

The autobiography of Henri Charriere, one of the few people to successfully escape from the notorious French penal colony of Devil's Island, served as the basis for Papillon. Steve McQueen plays the pugnacious Charriere (known as "Papillon," or "butterfly," because of a prominent tatoo), incarcerated--wrongly, he claims--for murdering a pimp. He saves the life of fellow convict Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman), a counterfeiter who will later show his gratitude by helping Charriere in his many escape attempts, and by smuggling food to Charriere when the latter is put in solitary confinement. One breakout, which takes Charriere and Dega to a leper colony and then to a native encampment, is almost successful, but Charriere is betrayed (allegedly because he stopped for an act of kindness) and back the prisoners go to French Guiana. Years later, Dega is made a trustee and is content with his lot, but the ageing, white-haired Charriere cannot be held back. A tribute to the unquenchability of the human spirit, Papillon brought in an impressive $22 million at the box office.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/18/2018
UPC:	0888574755508
Original Release:	1973
Source:	Warner Archives
Language:	English

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Steve McQueen	Papillon
Dustin Hoffman	Dega
Woodrow Parfrey	Clusiot
Victor Jory	Indian Chief
Robert Deman	Maturette
Don Gordon	Julot
Anthony Zerbe	Toussaint Leper Colony Chief
Bill Mumy	Lariot
George Coulouris	Dr. Chatal
Ratna Assan	Zoraima
William Smithers	Warden Barrot
Gregory Sierra	Antonio
Barbara Morrison	Mother Superior
Ellen Moss	Nun
Don Hanmer	Butterfly Trader
Dalton Trumbo	Commandant
Val Avery	Pascal
Vic Tayback	Sergeant
Mills Watson	Guard
Ron Soble	Santini
Richard Angarola	Commandant
Jack Denbo	Classification Officer
Len Lesser	Guard
John Quade	Masked Breton
Fred Sadoff	Deputy Warden
Allen Jaffe	Turnkey
Liam Dunn	Old Trustee
Anne Byrne Hoffman	Mrs. Dega
Fred J. Koenekamp	Actor
Franklin J. Schaffner	Actor
Jerry Goldsmith	Actor,Composer
Robert Dorfmann	Actor
Derek Ball	Actor
Albert Whitlock	Actor
Ted Richmond	Actor
Lorenzo Semple Jr.	Actor
Gordon Daniel	Actor
William Goldman	Actor
Richard Portman	Actor
Robert Laffont	Actor
Emanuel L. Wolf	Actor
Don Gordon Bell	Julot
E.J. André	Old Con
Peter Brocco	Doctor
Richard Farnsworth	Manhunter
Billy M. Greene	Old Man
Fred Lerner	Convict on Ship
Harry Monty	Actor
Ken Muggleston	Border Official
Dar Robinson	McQueen's Cliff Stunt
Jim Malinda	Guard
Billy Greene	Actor

Technical Credits

Dalton Trumbo

Lorenzo Semple Jr.

Henri Charrière

William Goldman

Franklin J. Schaffner	Director,Producer
Dar Robinson	Stunts
Dalton Trumbo	Screenwriter
Lorenzo Semple Jr.	Screenwriter
Robert Dorfmann	Producer
Ted Richmond	Executive Producer,Producer
Henri Charrière	Screenwriter
Robert O. Kaplan	Producer
Emanuel L. Wolf	Producer
Albert Whitlock	Special Effects
Derek Ball	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Gordon Daniel	Sound Effects
Richard Portman	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
William Goldman	Screenwriter
Robert Laffont	Producer
Jack Baur	Casting
Alex Weldon	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

Although it's overly exhaustive as it catalogues its protagonist's many attempts to regain his freedom, Papillon remains the mother, or at least the master, of all prison-escape flicks. Less of a straight-up procedural than such heirs to the throne as Escape From Alcatraz, the film tempers its unashamedly psychological approach (dream sequences, tests of will, and triumph-of-the-downtrodden hokum) with enough gritty realism (knife fights, guillotines, malaria, and leprous smugglers) to appease those who want their depravity served up extra stark. Escape-film vet Steve McQueen showcases his range both physically and mentally as his character seems to age forward and backward and go in and out of sanity depending on the barbarity of his method of incarceration at any given time. Dustin Hoffman, meanwhile, gets to have it both ways, outrageous vocal and physical tics and subtle psychological shadings, as the rich counterfeiter whose colonic stash of cash finances several of Papillon's attempts to bust out. Viewers may watch the closing credits incredulously, unable to believe that after 150 minutes, director Franklin J. Schaffner still has to resort to a spoken-word epilogue to wrap up loose ends, but for devotees of the genre and fans of McQueen's tough-guy oeuvre, Papillon is worth the investment of time.