Papillon ( 1973 ) starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman is an epic. It runs for almost 150 minutes with some excellent performances by both the protagonists. It is the tale of 'Papillon' and 'Louis Dega', french convicts shipped to the french penal colony of 'French Guiana' , and their quest from freedom, over a span of . The movie is based on a book of the same name by Henry Charriere.
Papillon is convicted of murdering a 'pimp' ( thats what i could gather from the movie ) , though he pleads not guilty quite a few times in the movie. Louis Dega ( Dustin Hoffman ) is convicted of swindling , involved in the National Defense Bonds. They meet while being shipped to the French Penal Colony. Most of the movie is filmed in the French Guiana Prison and revolves around Papillon's attempts at escaping , the torture meted out to him, the harsh conditions at the prison and the unlimited perseverance with which the protagonist plans is escape each time. To know more about the story of Papillon , the film, click here and to know more about the story on which the movie is based, click here.
That was all about the story.
This movie is not exactly a 'must-see'. Some of the scenes are way too long and laboured. The plot takes quite some time to develop. And most importantly, it becomes quite depressing at times. Thats also one of the reason why someone should watch it. It is one of the most realistic portrayal of the life of a convict prisoner, who struggles against infinite desperation, against infinite physical and mental torture , keeping himself alive even in the most harshest conditions. It is a story of hope and indomitable will to survive. Steve McQueen as Papillon has given a performance of a lifetime. The part where he is put in solitary confinement is gripping, makes you gasp along with him for the tiny ray of light that seeps in through the crack in the roof. Dustin Hoffman also gives a credible performance. The amount of effort put in by the actors and the director in making the whole setup look real is astounding. Its one of those movies where at the end you have nothing but respect for the actors to have worked in such harsh conditions. To give an idea, papillon is so used to catching insects and eating them during his solitary confinement , that when he's brought back to the normal prison, he cant stop himself from catching a grasshopper , staring at it for some time and then letting it go free. The acting is simply superb.
The movie's major weakness is the slow and laboured pace. Some scenes are plain superflous, and some characters just serve no purpose. For example
Papillon is convicted of murdering a 'pimp' ( thats what i could gather from the movie ) , though he pleads not guilty quite a few times in the movie. Louis Dega ( Dustin Hoffman ) is convicted of swindling , involved in the National Defense Bonds. They meet while being shipped to the French Penal Colony. Most of the movie is filmed in the French Guiana Prison and revolves around Papillon's attempts at escaping , the torture meted out to him, the harsh conditions at the prison and the unlimited perseverance with which the protagonist plans is escape each time. To know more about the story of Papillon , the film, click here and to know more about the story on which the movie is based, click here.
That was all about the story.
This movie is not exactly a 'must-see'. Some of the scenes are way too long and laboured. The plot takes quite some time to develop. And most importantly, it becomes quite depressing at times. Thats also one of the reason why someone should watch it. It is one of the most realistic portrayal of the life of a convict prisoner, who struggles against infinite desperation, against infinite physical and mental torture , keeping himself alive even in the most harshest conditions. It is a story of hope and indomitable will to survive. Steve McQueen as Papillon has given a performance of a lifetime. The part where he is put in solitary confinement is gripping, makes you gasp along with him for the tiny ray of light that seeps in through the crack in the roof. Dustin Hoffman also gives a credible performance. The amount of effort put in by the actors and the director in making the whole setup look real is astounding. Its one of those movies where at the end you have nothing but respect for the actors to have worked in such harsh conditions. To give an idea, papillon is so used to catching insects and eating them during his solitary confinement , that when he's brought back to the normal prison, he cant stop himself from catching a grasshopper , staring at it for some time and then letting it go free. The acting is simply superb.
The movie's major weakness is the slow and laboured pace. Some scenes are plain superflous, and some characters just serve no purpose. For example
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