Papillon
Adventure, Biography, Crime, Drama
Warner Bros.  (1973) 150 mins PG

8.0 (22,357 votes)
The Greatest Adventure Of Escape.

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 junctures. 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....

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Cast and Crew
Steve McQueen  ......  Henri 'Papillon' Charriere
Dustin Hoffman  ......  Louis Dega
Victor Jory  ......  Indian Chief
Don Gordon  ......  Julot
Anthony Zerbe  ......  Toussaint
Robert Deman  ......  Maturette
Director  .....  Franklin J. Schaffner; Franklin Schaffner
Producer  .....  Robert Dorfmann; Franklin J. Schaffner
Writer  .....  Dalton Trumbo; Lorenzo Semple Jr.; Lorenzo Semple, Jr.
Notes
Goofs:
Factual errors: When Papillon is in his first solitary confinement a vampire bat bites him and drinks his blood. The wound is two fang-like holes where the blood comes out. A vampire bat doesn't have fangs for teeth. Using their sharp teeth, the bats make tiny cuts in the skin. The bats' saliva contains a chemical that keeps the blood from clotting. The bats then lap up the blood that oozes from the wound. (more)

Trivia:
"Papillon" is one of those rare films that were given two major releases by two different distributors. First, Allied Artists and then Columbia released it in 1973. (more)

Filming Locations:
Jamaica (more)

Quotes:
Warden Barrot: Put all hope out of your mind. And masturbate as little as possible, it drains the strength! (more)

Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination (more)