Original title: Papillon
Year: 1973
Length: 150 min
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Biography
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
Cast and characters
Steve McQueen: Henry "Papillon" Charriere Dustin Hoffman
: Louis Dega
Anthony Zerbe: Toussaint
Woodrow Parfrey: Clusiot
Don Gordon Julot
Robert Deman: Maturette
George Couloris: Dr. Chatal
Don Hanmer: Merchant of butterflies
Richard Angarola: Commander
Barbara Morrison: Mother Superior
Ron Soble: Santini
Victor Jory: Indian Chief
The film tells the true story of Henri Charriere, called "Papillon" by way of a butterfly tattooed on his chest door, twenty-five French life sentence for a murder he never committed (as claimed in his autobiographical book Papillon, 1969, which was inspired by the script).
The film (in a less comprehensive than the book) traces the difficult and exciting events experienced by Papillon (Steve McQueen) in what at the time was probably the worst prison system in the world: Guyana French Devil's Island and the work forced.
Among its many escape attempts, years of isolation, friends (all Louis Dega), betrayal, There comes a thrilling adventure filled by the only hope that keeps alive the protagonist: an immense desire for freedom, able to overcome any barrier or prison.