Rent Papillon (1973)

A classic escape picture! - Papillon review by IanF

If you haven''t seen the original Papillon, I strongly recommend it. Some of what he goes through is pretty hard to take, but it's also a warm 'buddy movie' and an exciting escape drama.

The amazing thing is, it's a true story. The subject was locked up in 1933, and did not finally escape for over 14 years.

Fantastic Prison Escape Drama - Papillon review by GI

This adventure drama is a fantastic film based on a bestselling novel that was claimed to be a true story but it's since been exposed as a work of mostly fiction. But that doesn't take away from this brilliant film. It's essentially a prison escape story set in the 1920s where Henri (Steve McQueen in arguably his best role), nicknamed Papillon due to the butterfly tattoo on his chest, a Parisian safe breaker, is framed for murder by the state and sentenced to life on a penal colony in French Guiana. Determined to escape he befriends Louis (Dustin Hoffman giving a typical intense performance) who has hidden reserves of cash. However escape attempts are met with extremely harsh punishments worse than the abysmal conditions in which the prisoners are kept. The film is brutal but it's also a story of friendship and the resilience of the human spirit. An epic, compelling and exciting film and one that you should check out if you've never seen it.

Welcome to Hell - Papillon review by Steve

Ambitious adaptation of Henri Charrière’s bestseller relating his escapes from draconian French penal colonies between the wars. His claimed innocence is hardly a factor; this is an unusually sadistic punishment for anyone. For an hour or so, Franklin J. Schaffner authentically conveys a formidable impression of its dehumanising horror.

It was shot in Jamaica and some actual locations in French Guiana. And it looks extremely convincing. It begins as a polemic against the cruelty of the system, and a tribute to the indomitable spirit of one man who refuses to give in… Which was irresistible to what remained of the late ’60s counterculture.

This was a huge box office success, though less popular with the critics. Steve McQueen in the title role contributes what is usually regarded the best acting of his career. Yet, while he’s an iconic film star, he hasn’t the gravity to sustain the performance and so, when the narrative unravels in the later scenes, he becomes absurd. The director’s exploration of the heroes’ interior life is clumsy.

Dustin Hoffman plays the supporting part of Papillon’s friend as a broad caricature. The screenplay (co-written by Dalton Trumbo) is uncomfortably comical as if they lost their nerve over how grim all of this really is. Eventually it feels incongruously like an early ‘70s buddy picture. This is a sincere adaptation, meticulously produced. But the years have not been kind.