Papillon (film)
| Papillon | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster by Tom Jung |
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| Directed by | Franklin J. Schaffner |
| Produced by | Robert Dorfmann Franklin J. Schaffner Ted Richmond (executive) |
| Screenplay by | Dalton Trumbo Lorenzo Semple Jr. |
| Based on | Papillon by Henri Charrière |
| Starring | Steve McQueen Dustin Hoffman |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | Fred J. Koenekamp |
| Editing by | Robert Swink |
| Distributed by | Allied Artists Pictures Corporation (USA) Columbia Pictures (Non-USA) |
| Release date(s) | December 16, 1973 |
| Running time | 150 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12 million |
| Box office | $53,267,000[1] |
Papillon is a 1973 drama/adventure film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, based on the best-selling autobiography by the French convict Henri Charrière.
The film starred Steve McQueen as Henri Charrière ("Papillon"), and Dustin Hoffman as Louis Dega. Due to remote locations, the film was quite expensive for the time ($12 million), but readily earned more than twice that in the first year of public distribution.[2]
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[edit] Plot summary
Henri Charriere befriends fellow convict, Louis Dega, while serving a sentence on Devil's Island (a hellish, notorious island prison). He plots his escape.
The petty criminal known as Papillon is unjustly convicted of murder (specifically, murdering a pimp) in the 1930s and sentenced to life imprisonment in a French penitentiary on Devil's Island in French Guiana. He attempts several escapes, which result in many punishments, but after more than a decade (at least seven years of which were spent in solitary confinement as punishment for his escape attempts), he eventually succeeds in escaping to freedom.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Steve McQueen | Henri 'Papillon' Charriere |
| Dustin Hoffman | Louis Dega |
| Victor Jory | Indian chief |
| Don Gordon | Julot |
| Anthony Zerbe | Toussaint Leper colony chief |
| Robert Deman | Maturette |
| Woodrow Parfrey | Clusiot |
| Bill Mumy | Lariot |
| George Coulouris | Dr. Chatal |
| Ratna Assan | Zoraima |
| William Smithers | Warden Barrot |
| Val Avery | Pascal |
| Vic Tayback | Sergeant |
[edit] Production
Papillon was filmed at various locations in Spain and Jamaica, with the cave scenes filmed beneath what is now the Xtabi hotel on the cliffs of Negril. While the penal colony scenes for Papillon were filmed in Falmouth, and the swamp scenes were shot near Ferris Cross, Steve McQueen’s famous cliff jumping scene, near the end of the movie, took place on the cliffs in Maui, at Keanae.]].[3] McQueen insisted on performing the cliff jumping stunt himself, and later referred to it as "one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life".[4]
[edit] Soundtrack
The score to Papillon was composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith. Papillon marked Goldsmith's third collaboration with director Franklin J. Schaffner following his Oscar nominated scores to Planet of the Apes (1968) and Patton (1970). The music to Papillon went on to garner Goldsmith his sixth Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score and was one of the American Film Institute's 250 nominated soundtracks for the top 25 American film scores.[5]
[edit] Deviations from the book
The script made several deviations from the book; a few of them are listed.
- Papillon's imprisonment before sailing to French Guiana is not depicted in the film, nor is his trial.
- Papillon knew Dega before boarding the transport to South America. They had agreed to protect each other while waiting in prison.
- Dega was not included in the first escape attempt.
- Dega is portrayed as also being imprisoned on Devil's Island. In the book, he is imprisoned on another of the Îles du Salut, but never Devil's Island.
- The scene in which Papillon and the convicts are forced to catch crocodiles was not mentioned in the book.
- Papillon's ultimate escape is somewhat changed: the film ends with his escape from Devil's Island to the mainland, without covering his subsequent escape from the penal colony (bagne) itself, leading to eventual freedom in Venezuela.
- Henri Charrière's real name is not revealed in the movie, as he is only known as "Papillon." The real name of the character is, however, depicted on the door of his cell during solitary confinement.
[edit] Awards
In 1974, the film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Original Dramatic Score (Jerry Goldsmith) and a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actor, Drama (Steve McQueen).
[edit] References
- ^ "Papillon, Box Office Information". Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=papillon.htm. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
- ^ Movie location and cost information
- ^ Franklin J. Schaffner (Scarecrow Filmmakers Series) (1985) Scarecrow Publishing P. 381 ISBN 9780810817999
- ^ Sandford, Christopher. Steve McQueen: The Biography. (2002). Taylor Trade Publishing. P. 247 ISBN 9780878333073
- ^ AFI's 100 Years Of Film Scores at AFI.com
[edit] External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Papillon (film) |
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- English-language films
- 1973 films
- 1970s drama films
- Adventure drama films
- Films set in the 1930s
- Films set in the 1940s
- American films
- Films based on actual events
- Prison films
- Films directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
- Films based on non-fiction books
- Allied Artists films
- Films set on Devil's Island
- Films shot in Jamaica
