Infamous as Papillon, so named after the intricate butterfly tattoo emblazoned upon his chest, petty criminal Henri Charriere (Steve McQueen) is framed for murder and transported to the penal colony of French Guiana to serve a life sentence. Imprisoned on Devil’s Island, Papillon is obsessed with the idea of freedom. He ceaselessly works on a means of escape with fellow prisoner, Dega (Dustin Hoffman), his spirit refusing to be broken by savage and humiliating treatment from his captors. This epic film lives up to the reputation of the best seller written by Henri Charriere on which it is based, aided by memorable performances by Hoffman and McQueen. Co-starring Victor Jory, Don Gordon and Anthony Zerbe.
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Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
316899
Languages
Danish
English
English
English
Finnish
German
German
Norwegian
Swedish
Audience classification
M (15+)
Subject categories
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Motion picture trailers
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → Escapes
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Escapes
Feature films → Feature films - United States
Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Escapes
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
DVD; Access Print (Section 1)