Papillon (1973)

Director:

Franklin J. Schaffner

Writers:

Dalton Trumbo (screenplay) and
Lorenzo Semple Jr. (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

16 December 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Biography | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

The greatest adventure of escape ever filmed!

Plot:

A man befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence on a dreadful prison island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.

Plot Keywords:

Escape | French | South America | French Guiana | Tattoo

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Steve McQueen	...	Henri 'Papillon' Charriere
Dustin Hoffman	...	Louis Dega
Victor Jory	...	Indian Chief
Don Gordon	...	Julot
Anthony Zerbe	...	Toussaint
Robert Deman	...	Maturette
Woodrow Parfrey	...	Clusiot
Bill Mumy	...	Lariot
George Coulouris	...	Dr. Chatal
Ratna Assan	...	Zoraima
William Smithers	...	Warden Barrot
Val Avery	...	Pascal
Gregory Sierra	...	Antonio
Vic Tayback	...	Sergeant (as Victor Tayback)
Mills Watson	...	Guard
Ron Soble	...	Santini
Barbara Morrison	...	Mother Superior
Don Hanmer	...	Butterfly Trader
E.J. André	...	Old Con
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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter Brocco	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Richard Farnsworth	...	Manhunter (uncredited)
Billy M. Greene	...	Old man (uncredited)
Anne Byrne Hoffman	...	Mrs. Dega (uncredited)
Fred Lerner	...	Convict on ship (uncredited)
Harry Monty	...	(uncredited)
Ellen Moss	...	Nun (uncredited)
Dalton Trumbo	...	Commandant (uncredited)

Directed by
Franklin J. Schaffner

Writing credits
Dalton Trumbo		(screenplay) and
Lorenzo Semple Jr.		(screenplay)
Henri Charrière		(book "Papillon")

Produced by
Robert Dorfmann	....	producer
Robert O. Kaplan	....	assistant producer
Ted Richmond	....	executive producer
Franklin J. Schaffner	....	producer

Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith

Cinematography by
Fred J. Koenekamp		(director of photography) (as Fred Koenekamp)

Film Editing by
Robert Swink

Casting by
Jack Baur

Production Design by
Anthony Masters

Art Direction by
Jack Maxsted

Costume Design by
Anthony Powell

Makeup Department
Charles H. Schram	....	makeup designer (as Charles Schram)

Production Management
Emmett Emerson	....	production manager
Robert Watts	....	unit production manager
Francisco Ariza	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
José López Rodero	....	first assistant director (as Jose Lopez Rodero)
Kuki López Rodero	....	first assistant director (as Juan Lopez Rodero)
Joe Nayfack	....	second assistant director
Roberto Parra	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Bill MacSems	....	assistant property master (as William MacSems)
Dennis J. Parrish	....	property master (as Dennis Parrish)
Hugh Scaife	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Derek Ball	....	sound recordist
Gordon Daniel	....	sound editor
Richard Portman	....	sound re-recordist

Special Effects by
Alex Weldon	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Joe Canutt	....	stunt gaffer
Jophery C. Brown	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dar Robinson	....	cliff stunt double: Steve McQueen (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Mike Benson	....	assistant camera (as Michael Benson)
Jack Courtland	....	camera operator (as John Courtland)
Reggie Jones	....	key grip
Thomas Laughridge	....	camera operator
William McCreery	....	assistant camera
Gene Stout	....	gaffer
Steve Yaconelli	....	assistant camera (as Stephen Yaconelli)
Owen Marsh	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tony Pueo	....	wardrobe supervisor
Mickey Sherrard	....	wardrobe supervisor

Music Department
Erma E. Levin	....	music editor
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator
Charles Gounod	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Robert Laffont	....	publisher: book "Papillon"
Lucien Lamontagne	....	technical advisor
Marshall Schlom	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Allied Artists Pictures
• Allied Artists Productions
• Corona-General
• Solar Productions

Distributors

• Allied Artists Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (????) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1974) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Irfan Film (1974) (Turkey) (all media)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1977) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Egmont Film (1996) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Nordisk Film (2000) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Vii Pillars Entertainment (2004) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Allied Artists Home Video (1973) (worldwide) (all media)
• Altomedia. Co. Ltd. (????) (Korea) (DVD)
• Altomedia. Co. Ltd. (????) (Korea) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (2002) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Flashstar (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2002) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2002) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-edited)
• Screen Life Sucessos (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Pacific Title  titles

Runtime:

150 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints)

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Australia:M | South Korea:18 | Canada:14A (video rating) | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-18 | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1974) | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | UK:AA (original rating) (cut) | West Germany:16 | UK:15 (video rating) (2000) | USA:PG (re-rating on appeal) | USA:R (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Jamaica

Company:

Allied Artists Pictures

Trivia:

Dustin Hoffman's then wife, Anne Byrne Hoffman, plays his (uncredited) wife in this movie and is the very first person to utter any words of dialog in the opening sequence.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The alligator the two are supposed to grab has its mouth tied shut.

Quotes:

Camp Commandant: Make the best of what we offer you, and you will suffer less than you deserve.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tian bian yi duo yun (2005)

Unflinching look at brutal penal colony...gripping but exhausting...

Brutal treatment in a penal colony has been explored on the screen before in such earlier films as I WAS A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG, but never has there been a more graphic expose of the sort of conditions prisoners faced under the worst sort of environment.

At times the film is extremely harrowing to watch, and at other times the story tends to drag a little. But there can be no doubt that STEVE McQUEEN and DUSTIN Hoffman create believable and sympathetic (yet quirky) characterizations and do some of the finest acting of their careers. Their roles are physically demanding and always played with total conviction.

Not for the squeamish, but extremely well acted by the entire cast, great location photography and a nice background score by Jerry Goldsmith. The first half of the story is much more compelling than what happens in the final years and the last half-hour of the film is a bit sluggish in pacing. But overall, a memorable escape film that ranks with the best of other escape stories.

My first viewing of the film years ago made an indelible impression on me, but I must confess that later viewings convinced me that it is not exactly flawless in that the pacing is sometimes much too slow and the ending is somewhat unsatisfying.