Papillon (film) Totally Explained

Everything about Papillon Film totally explained

Papillon is a 1973 film based on the autobiography of Henri Charrière. The film was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starred Steve McQueen as Henri Charrière (Papillon) and Dustin Hoffman as Louis Dega. The film was geared towards an American audience.

Deviations from book

The script made several deviations from the book:

The ages of Papillon and Dega are radically changed from book to film: in the book, Papillon is "25 years-old, looking 20" and Dega is 42. Dega is a bit younger in the film, and Papillon appears much older.
It dramatizes the role of men hired to hunt down escaped prisoners.
Papillon's imprisonment before sailing to French Guiana is non-existent in the film, as is his trial.
Papillon knew Dega well before boarding the transport to South America. They had agreed to protect each other while waiting in prison.
Dega wasn't included in the first escape attempt.
Dega is portrayed as also being imprisoned on Devil's Island. In the book, he's imprisoned on another of the Îles du Salut, but never Devil's Island.
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 to eventual freedom in Venezuela.

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	Clousiot
Bill Mumy	Lariot
George Coulouris	Dr. Chatal
Ratna Assan	Zoraima
William Smithers	Warden Barrot
Val Avery	Pascal

Trivia

In the film, Dustin Hoffman, who played Dega, had to wear special contacts to see through the thick glasses that his character wore.

The rock band Rilo Kiley included a song titled "Papillion" on their "Initial Friend EP". The song references a couple watching the film.

The band Leif Karate released a track titled "Steve McQueen Was Great in Papillon". The lyrics act as a summary of the movie.

Awards

In 1974, the film was nominated for Oscar and Golden Globe awards in the Best Music, Original Dramatic Score (Jerry Goldsmith) and Best Motion Picture Actor, Drama (Steve McQueen) categories, respectively.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Papillon Film'.

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