Papillon

1973
15
2h 31m

IMDb RATING

8.0/10

142K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer4:09

Prison Drama Biography Crime Drama

A French convict in the 1930s befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence in the South American penal colony on Devil's Island, which inspires the man to plot... Read allA French convict in the 1930s befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence in the South American penal colony on Devil's Island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.A French convict in the 1930s befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence in the South American penal colony on Devil's Island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.0/10

142K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

2,286

984

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 2 wins & 2 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 4:09

Theatrical Trailer

Photos206

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Steve McQueen insisted on performing the stunt where he jumps off a cliff into the water. McQueen once said that it was "one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life".

Goofs
It is highly implausible (and never explained) why the escaped trio would need to sail their boat all the way to Honduras, a country in Central America and several thousand miles away from French-Guiana. Why not sail along the coast due south to Brazil or north-west to Venezuela? In fact, in the autobiographic novel on which the movie is loosely based, Papillon (Henri Charriere) eventually escapes to Venezuela.

Quotes
Papillon: Hey you bastards, I'm still here.

Alternate versions
Some American prints of this film run 132 minutes, instead of 150.

Connections
Featured in The Ultimate Stuntman: A Tribute to Dar Robinson (1987)

Soundtracks
Ballet Music from Faust
(uncredited)
Music by Charles Gounod

User reviews256

Featured review

10/10

Unforgettable, fantastic film, one of my top personal favorites

Papillon is one of my all-time favorites films. Steve McQueen is fantastic in the lead role. Dustin Hoffman is at his finest as Louie Dega. Very memorable, unforgettable performances, shocking action scenes and psychological thrills and twists. I cannot write enough good things about this film. After years of looking, I recently found this film on DVD and added it to my collection. This is the kind of movie that you can watch again and again and continue to see things you've never noticed before. This film never gets old and you never grow tired of watching Papillon. Some of the cast includes Vic Tayback also known as Mel from the hit TV series "Alice." He is convincing as a mean, surly prison guard. Also, Billy Tumy known for his role in "Lost in Space" as Will Robinson, plays a young, doomed inmate. There are other character actors included in the cast that you will more than likely recognize throughout the film. I give this film the strongest and highest of recommendations.