Background
Papillon

Papillon

1973
R
151 min
Biography Crime Drama

Plot Summary

A semi-fictional account of Henri Charrière's time in the penal system in French Guyana - some of it spent on infamous Devil's Island - is presented. It's the early 1930s. Charrière - nicknamed Papillon because of his butterfly tattoo - and Louis Dega are two among many who have been convicted in the French judicial system, they now being transferred to French Guyana where they will serve their time, never to return to France even if they are ever released. A safe-cracker by criminal profession, Papillon is serving a life sentence for murdering a pimp, a crime for which he adamantly states he was framed. Dega is a wealthy counterfeiter, who expects his well-to-do wife eventually to get him released. At Papillon's initiative, the duo enters into a business arrangement: Papillon will provide protection for Dega, who, in turn, will finance Papillon's escape attempt. As the two men spend more time together than either had expected, their burgeoning friendship ends up being an important factor altering their original plans, needed as they work with and against others who are trying to achieve their own goals, sometime conflicting with those of Papillon and Dega.

8.0
IMDb Rating
73%
Rotten Tomatoes
58
Metacritic
Section Order: 1. Cast & Crew 2. Ratings 3. Technical 4. Trailer 5. Reviews 6. Recommendations 7. Music Reorder
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Ratings & Reviews

8.0
IMDb Rating
73%
Rotten Tomatoes
58
Metacritic

Technical Details

151 min
Runtime
19 Dec 1973
Release Date
R
Content Rating
Movie
Content Type
1973
Year
Genres
Biography Crime Drama

Watch Trailer

User Reviews

John Chard

John Chard

9.0/10
Recent

Grim and authentic telling of Henri "Papillon" Charrière's time at Devil's Island. Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner (Planet Of The Apes/Patton), Papillon is adapted for the screen by Dalton Trumbo & Lorenzo Semple Jr. from notorious French felon Henri "Papillon" Charrière's own novel. It stars Steve McQueen (Papillon) & Dustin Hoffman (Louis Dega), is primarily shot in Jamaica & Spain with Fred J. Koenekamp (The Towering Inferno) on photography duties and Jerry Goldsmith provides the score....

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Wuchak

Wuchak

7.0/10
Recent

_**The living hell of a penal colony in equatorial South America during the 30s**_ Henri Charrière’s account of his experiences from 1933-1945 involving the penal colony of Cayenne in French Guiana, South America, are chronicled, including solitary confinement, escape attempts, dwelling with Goajira Indians (in northeastern Columbia) and living on Devil's Island. Steve McQueen plays Henri, nicknamed Papillon (aka ‘Butterfly’ due to his chest tattoo), while Dustin Hoffman plays his friend Loui...

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CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

7.0/10
Recent

Steve McQueen is superb as unlucky safe-cracker Henri "Papillon" Charrière, an innocent man convicted of murder and sentenced to imprisonment in the French penal colony at French Guiana. Once there, he learns quickly to appreciate the sheer brutality of a prison where any semblance of decency and humanity has been long abandoned. He allies himself with "Dega" (Dustin Hoffman), the rather wealthy, calculating, forger who fully expects his release papers to arrive any day! McQueen agrees to keep a...

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Music & Soundtrack

No Music Information Available

We couldn't find soundtrack information for this content.

External Links

IMDb
tt0070511
TMDb
5924
Technical Info
19 Dec 1973
OMDb API