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Papillon (1973 film)

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Papillon
Theatrical release poster by Tom Jung
Directed byFranklin J. Schaffner
Screenplay byDalton Trumbo
Lorenzo Semple Jr.
Based onPapillon
1969 novel
by Henri Charrière
Produced byRobert Dorfmann
Franklin J. Schaffner
StarringSteve McQueen
Dustin Hoffman
Victor Jory
Don Gordon
Anthony Zerbe
CinematographyFred J. Koenekamp
Edited byRobert Swink
Music byJerry Goldsmith
Production
companies		Les Films Corona
General Production Company
Distributed byAllied Artists (United States and Canada)
Columbia Pictures (International)[1][2][3]
Release dateDecember 16, 1973
Running time150 minutes
CountriesUnited States
France[4]
LanguagesEnglish
French
Spanish
Budget$13.5 million[5]
Box office$53.2 million[6]

Papillon is a 1973 historical adventure drama[7] prison film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. The screenplay by Dalton Trumbo and Lorenzo Semple Jr. was based on the 1969 autobiography by the French convict Henri Charrière. The film stars Steve McQueen as Charrière (“Papillon”) and Dustin Hoffman as Louis Dega. Because it was filmed at remote locations, the film was expensive for the time ($12 million), but it earned more than twice that in its first year of release.[8] The film’s title is French for “Butterfly”, referring to Charrière’s tattoo and nickname.

Plot

Henri Charrière is a safecracker nicknamed “Papillon” because of the butterfly tattoo on his chest. In France, he is wrongly convicted of murdering a pimp in 1933 and is sentenced to life imprisonment in French Guiana. On the way, he meets a fellow convict, Louis Dega, an infamous forger and embezzler. Papillon offers to protect Dega if he will fund the former’s escape once they reach Guiana. Enduring the horrors of life in a jungle labour camp, the two become friends.

One day, Papillon defends Dega from a sadistic guard and escapes into the jungle but is captured and sentenced to two years in solitary confinement. In gratitude, Dega has extra food smuggled to Papillon. When the smuggling is discovered, the warden screens Papillon’s cell in darkness for six months and halves his rations, but Papillon refuses to give up Dega’s name. He is eventually released and sent to the infirmary in St-Laurent-du-Maroni to recover.

Papillon sees Dega again and asks him to arrange for another escape attempt. Dega helps him meet an inmate doctor who offers to secure a boat on the outside with the help of a man named Pascal. Fellow prisoner Clusiot and a gay orderly named André Maturette join the escape plot. During the escape, Clusiot is knocked unconscious by a guard. Dega subdues the guard and reluctantly joins Papillon and Maturette, climbing the walls to the outside. The trio meet Pascal, and they escape into the night. In the jungle the next day, Pascal delivers the prisoners to their boat, but after he leaves, the convicts discover it is fake. They encounter a local trapper who has killed the bounty hunters waiting for them. He guides the three to a leper colony, where they obtain supplies and a seaworthy boat.

The trio lands in Colombia and are accosted by a group of soldiers, who wound Maturette. He is captured along with Dega, while Papillon evades the soldiers and lives for a long period with a native tribe. He awakens one morning to find them gone, leaving him with a small sack of pearls. Papillon pays a nun to take him to her convent, where he asks the Mother Superior for refuge, but instead, she turns him over to the authorities.

Papillon is returned to French Guiana and sentenced to another five years of solitary confinement. He emerges a graying old man, along with Maturette, whom he sees just before the latter dies. Papillon is moved to the remote Devil’s Island, where he reunites with Dega, now a farmer who has long given up hope of being released.

From a high cliff, Papillon observes a cove where he realizes the waves are powerful enough to carry a man out to sea and to the nearby mainland. Papillon persuades Dega to join him in another escape, and the men make two floats from bagged-up coconuts. Dega then decides not to escape and begs Papillon not to either. Papillon embraces Dega, then leaps from the cliff and is carried out to sea.

A narrator states that Papillon lived the rest of his life a free man, while the prison was closed some time before he died and ultimately reclaimed by nature.

Cast

Production

The prison as it appeared in 1954, not long before it was closed and abandoned

After the publication of Papillon in 1969, a bidding war started between Avco-Embassy Pictures, Continental Distributing, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and numerous French film companies for the film rights. Continental Distributing won the rights for $500,000, with the intent to hire Roman Polanski as director and Warren Beatty as lead actor, but the studio’s funding fell through. It sold the rights to producer Robert Dorfmann, who initially intended to hire Terence Young as director and Charles Bronson as star, before turning to Franklin J. Schaffner and Steve McQueen. The film’s first screenplay by William Goldman, which was more faithful to the book than the final film, was rewritten by Lorenzo Semple Jr. to expand the role of Louis Dega, in an attempt to convince Dustin Hoffman to join the cast and eliminate depictions of homosexuality among prisoners. After Hoffman’s casting, Dalton Trumbo further rewrote the screenplay.[9] Ratna Assan made her film debut in Papillon by portraying an indigenous woman named Zoraima, which resulted in extreme censorship when the film was screened in Indonesia.[10]

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. The town scenes near the beginning of the film were shot in Hondarribia, Spain.[11] The St-Laurent-du-Maroni penal colony scenes were filmed in Falmouth, Jamaica, and the swamp scenes were shot near Ferris Cross. Interior scenes were shot in Montego Bay, while other scenes were filmed in Kingston, Ocho Rios and Savanna-la-Mar.[9]

Most of the French prisoners on the island were portrayed by German-Jamaican extras. Steve McQueen‘s famous cliff-jumping scene near the film’s climax took place from the cliffs in Maui, Hawaii.[12] McQueen insisted on performing the cliff-jumping stunt himself.[a] He later said it was “one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life”.

McQueen was paid $2 million, along with the contractual stipulation that he receive first billing over Dustin Hoffman.[13] In addition, author Henri Charrière acted as consultant on location, apprising the filmmakers of the things he encountered during his years of imprisonment.

The Prison of St-Laurent-du-Maroni, where Henri Charrière was held, and where most of the action takes place, was faithfully recreated using the original blueprints.[14] Footage of the historic prison in French Guiana plays under the end credits, which is shown to be abandoned and covered in jungle growth.

Soundtrack

The score to Papillon was composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith. It was recorded in Rome, Italy, at the Ortophonic Recording Studio by the “Unione Musicisti Roma Orchestra”.[15] The film marked Goldsmith’s fourth (of seven) collaboration with director Franklin J. Schaffner, following his Academy Award-nominated scores to Planet of the Apes and Patton.[16] Both the director and composer shared the belief that film music should be used economically. They wanted the music as commentary only, in sequences in which it can emphasize the psychological aspects of the film. In Papillon, the film is two and a half hours long, but has 40 minutes with music.[citation needed]

Goldsmith’s compositions, characterized by a late romantic symphonic and impressionistic style suffused with a metered, exotic timbre (using instruments from Caribbean folk music), are distributed mainly in the second half of the film.[17] They generally accompany scenes outside the prison, during the various escape attempts by the protagonist. He used a delicate melodic approach, dominated by a very catchy theme expressed as a waltz, which was often played using an accordion. The instrument was associated with the French origin of the protagonists. The theme song became famous with the popularity of the film, and it was released in many variations by different record companies.[citation needed]

The score was partially released on vinyl in 1973 and reissued over the years. In the 21st century, an edition was released on CD by Universal Records in France. For the first time, it was the complete version of music from the film (including about five minutes of previously unreleased tracks). The DVD of the English-language version of the film includes an option to listen to Goldsmith’s music as an isolated audio track.[citation needed]

Goldsmith earned his sixth Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score for this soundtrack. It was one of the American Film Institute‘s 250 nominated soundtracks for the top 25 American film scores.[18]

Box office

The film was a commercial success and grossed $3,126,574 in its opening week.[19] It earned theatrical rentals in the United States and Canada of $21.3 million.[20]

Critical reception

Roger Ebert‘s review at the film’s original release was two stars out of four. He said that the main flaw was a failure to gain audience interest in McQueen’s and Hoffman’s characters: “You know something has gone wrong when you want the hero to escape simply so that the movie can be over.”[21]

Vincent Canby of The New York Times called the film “a big, brave, stouthearted, sometimes romantic, sometimes silly melodrama with the kind of visual sweep you don’t often find in movies anymore.”[22]

Arthur D. Murphy of Variety wrote, “For 150 uninterrupted minutes, the mood is one of despair, brutality, and little hope.”[23]

Gene Siskel gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four, and called it “just plain boring”.[24]

Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote, “Papillon is an eloquent tribute to the indomitability of the human spirit and a powerful indictment of those institutions dedicated only to breaking it. As such, it’s lots easier to admire than to enjoy.”[25]

Gary Arnold of The Washington Post called it “a keen disappointment … this lumbering vehicle directed by Franklin J. Schaffner leaves Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman stranded on the screen while opportunities for vivid filmmaking and sympathetic characterizations are bungled at every turn.”[26]

Richard Combs of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that “what is missing is any of the book’s anger at the outrageous hypocrisy, injustice and inhumanity of the system; any of the passion which feeds Papillon’s compulsion to escape.”[27]

In a retrospective review, Quentin Tarantino called it “a pretty iconic film for boys my age who saw it when it came out… The film is very involving. It contains maybe McQueen’s finest serious acting moment on film, when he sticks his head out of the solitary confinement door and is not only unrecognizable but completely deranged. And the film contains one of the most powerful time cuts I’ve ever seen in a motion picture. The film’s also not a little pretentious, self consciously arty, unrelentingly grim, extremely grueling and except for Dustin Hoffman keeping a bankroll and an extra pair of spectacles up his ass, completely devoid of any entertainment value.”[28]

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 74% rating based on 34 reviews.[29] On Metacritic it has a score of 58% based on reviews from 10.[30]

In 2025, The Hollywood Reporter listed Papillon as having the best stunts of 1973.[31]

Accolades

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).[citation needed]

Remake

Main article: Papillon (2017 film)

Another film based on the autobiographies of Charrière and the 1973 film, also called Papillon, was released in 2017, directed by Danish director Michael Noer.[32] Charlie Hunnam played the lead role of Henri Charrière, and Rami Malek played Louis Dega.[33] The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017.[34]

See also

Notes

  1.  As with his motorcycle jump in The Great Escape, there is ambiguity about how much and which scene he performed; another is the slow-motion headlong fall, equally risky owing to a shallower river landing.

References

  1.  “Papillon (1973)”. Danish Film Institute. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  2.  “Papillon (1973)”. BBFC. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  3.  “Papillon (35mm)”. Australian Classification Board. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  4.  “Papillon (1973)”. Lumiere. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  5.  Gardner, Paul (September 4, 1973). “Crime In, Sex Out, in New Film Season”. New York Times. p. 30. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  6.  “Papillon, Box Office Information”. Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 30, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  7.  “Papillon”. Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  8.  “Movie location and cost information” Archived 2014-11-08 at the Wayback Machine, TV Guide
  9.  “Papillon”. catalog.afi.com. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  10.  Bhawono, Aryo. “Ratna Assan, Perempuan Indonesia Pertama di Majalah Playboy”. detiknews (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  11.  “Hondarribia”. casa.co.uk. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  12.  Franklin J. Schaffner (Scarecrow Filmmakers Series) (1985), Scarecrow Publishing, p. 381. ISBN 978-0-8108-1799-9
  13.  Sandford, Christopher. Steve McQueen: The Biography. (2002), Taylor Trade Publishing, p. 247. ISBN 978-0-87833-307-3
  14.  The Magnificent Rebel, “Making of” documentary film included in the DVD released in 1999. The documentary includes footage of Charrière examining the set.
  15.  “Papillon soundtrack review | Jerry Goldsmith | movie-wave.net”. July 30, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  16.  “How To Score a Best Picture Winner | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences”. www.oscars.org. October 7, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  17.  “FSM Board: Jerry Goldsmith – “Papillon””. www.filmscoremonthly.com. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  18.  “AFI’s 100 Years Of Film Scores“ (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
  19.  “Papillon 1st Week $3,126,574”. Variety. January 2, 1974. p. 8.
  20.  “All-time Film Rental Champs”, Variety, 7 January 1976 p 20
  21.  “Papillon Movie Review & Film Summary (1973)”. Chicago Sun-Times. December 16, 1973. Archived from the original on October 12, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  22.  Canby, Vincent (December 17, 1973). “The Screen: ‘Papillon”. The New York Times. p. 59.
  23.  Murphy, Arthur D. (December 12, 1973). “Film Reviews: Papillon”. Variety.
  24.  Siskel, Gene (December 24, 1973). “Papillon”. Chicago Tribune. Section 2, p. 15.
  25.  Thomas, Kevin (December 19, 1973). “‘Papillon’ and ‘Alfredo Alfredo'”. Los Angeles Times. Part IV, p. 26. [better source needed]
  26.  Arnold, Gary (December 20, 1973). “Poor Butterfly”. The Washington Post. B1. [better source needed]
  27.  Combs, Richard (March 1974). “Papillon”. The Monthly Film Bulletin. 41 (482): 51.
  28.  Tarantino, Quentin (April 6, 2020). “I Escaped from Devil’s Island”. The New Beverly Cinema. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  29.  “Papillon (1973)”. Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  30.  “Papillon Reviews”. Metacritic.
  31.  Doherty, Thomas (June 7, 2025). “The Best Stunts of All Time, Over Nearly 100 Years of the Oscars”. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 20, 2025.
  32.  “Steve McQueen’s ‘Papillon’ Gets Remake”. Variety. October 7, 2015. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  33.  Fleming, Mike Jr (August 4, 2016). “‘Mr. Robot’s Rami Malek To Play Dustin Hoffman Role In ‘Papillon’ Remake”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  34.  Harvey, Dennis (September 8, 2017). “Toronto Film Review: ‘Papillon'”. Variety. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.

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