Benedito Dias Rodrigues
Saturday afternoon at Arte Palacio Theatre in 1980,l and my old brother Pedro which is already like myself a movie fan,actually invited me since if l had to pay the tickets to see "Papillon" he had heard wonders about this picture,so we had a good time together which we never forget...now l've finally get my brand new Blu-ray from this remarkable movie...see all those wonderful images in high definition is beyond that l'd never imagined,the stunning performance for two leading roles Macqueen and Hoffman whose deserves an Oscar for both...Papillon and Dega...the arrival...the escape...the cell...the new escape...meeting the lepers....the easy life on shore...the betray on convent...meeting Dega again....the final escape...this timeless picture thriller me when start on Blu-ray...an experience of felling just a couple times in Ben Hur and Planet of the Apes...fantastic really!! Resume: First watch: 1980 / How many: 7 / Source: Theatre-TV-DVD-Blu-ray / Rating: 10
sharky_55
This is a film that I think had all the potential to be a classic. Based on the memoir of the same name that I'm sure had an embellishment or two, about a tale of survival and escape and perseverance, and headed by a genuine movie star in McQueen. In spots, it can be great. There is a moment right after the trio escape the prison, that Dega falls down in agony while Papillon discovers that the boat they had been promised is rotten and no good. McQueen bursts into an uncharacteristic rage at the man he has just spent 2 years in solitary confinement for, and it could have been a visceral moment of pure emotion, having been foiled after the escape they had planned for so long, but it loses its power because McQueen chooses to put on this overwhelming sneer, which feels petty rather than being born of desperation and fear of once again being a prisoner. Both of them are convincing enough. Hoffman's Dega wears a pair of spectacles that balloon his pupils and give him this distinctly endearing geekiness. He frequently slips into his past persona as if he was once more selling counterfeit war bonds, and appealing to men and their patriotic pride and generosity. These sort of conniving salesmen are easy to befriend and to gain trust, but does it ever go beyond that? Papillon may be a better man than I, because it was hard to identify anything in their friendship that was worth those two torturous years in a dark cell. He tears up upon the end of that sacrifice, and as he makes his final leap to freedom, but is there really any substance to warrant it? It has trouble deciding what sort of film it should be. There's humour when Dega's intentions of luxury are foiled and we cut suddenly to the backbreaking Kilo 40, and when they encounter a crocodile and banter over who removes it. When Papillon is abused by the prison guards, the soundtrack balloons and exaggerates the hit and zooms in eagerly just to make sure we understand the impact. And there are several hallucination/dream sequences, which seem to belong to another film altogether, but speak so plainly and vaguely of themes that could apply to almost anything. These are much less effective than McQueen himself. In the most haunting scene, he mutters a wish to confess, but painstakingly resists the urge. He holds back tears, his lips tremble, and we can see every ounce of pain and sheer will in the bloodshot eyes of a man who so diligently values and chases his freedom, and chooses to forgo it for a friend. Later, as he leaves his second spell of confinement, this one 5 years, we see its effects via makeup that have made his body weak, his hair white, and his speech haggard, but it does not seem as bad as before. This is an issue of pacing; we spend entirely too much time in the first prison, and little after it. It seems to be a 2 hour film that has somehow conjured an extra half an hour in excess. There is an wordless sequence where Papillon stumbles upon a native colony, and somehow manages to befriend them and even find romance, and it is the most clichéd, insufferable and unnecessary segment of them all. Similarly, they also stumble upon a leper colony, and Papillon is once again a hit, treating them with empathy as if they were human beings too and gaining their assistance, but at least this is done with sincerity. Schaffner's biggest triumph is that it feels epic in scale. The focus stretches into infinity and shows just how isolated the prisoners are from the modern and civilised world, but also how beautiful and crazy the wild is. As they talk of escape with desire in their eyes, the endless sea's horizon bobbles in the background. Silvers of light in the cramped boat hold reveal the shiny sheen of the prisoner's sweaty bodies. They work in the forests, rain, hail or sun. As Papillon is dragged to confinement, they pass a idyllic beach-front, which is swapped for the grimy grey walls that he loses sanity in. Koenekamp silhouettes characters at golden hour paddling upstream, on pure white Hawaiian-style beaches drinking coconut juice, and atop the cliffs of Devil's Island, which contrary to its name, is covered in palm trees, piglets and streams full of crayfish. It seems like paradise, at least according to Dega, but is is not freedom. And in the final shot, we glide over and reveal the triumphant Papillon, who shouts jubilantly even as he has miles and miles of deep blue ocean still to traverse. This could have felt magnificent, but it is merely satisfying.
hudsonmichelle
Steve McQueen as Papillon is sent to the French Guyana prison camp on Devil's Island for murder. On the road he makes friends Louis Dega, a counterfeiter, and their friendship lasts quite a long time, this proves that this is the only thing that makes 2 men to hang on to as the long years of captivity.McQueen and Hoffman are excellent, director Franklin J. Schaffner creates an great atmosphere in the prison as well as in the jungle. The movie has a different climax. This probably has something to do with sense of justice the director seems to be suffering from. This is one of the contrasting features from the the known classics.
jimbo-53-186511
Henri 'Papillion' Charriere (Steve McQueen) is given a life sentence for killing a pimp and is to serve his sentence at a penal colony in French Guyana. Whilst he's serving his time, he befriends master forger Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman). At first, the two men merely share a friendship of 'convenience' - Papillon offers to protect Dega from other prisoners who are trying to get his money and in return Dega promises to finance Papillon's escape once he gets to the penal colony. However, as time passes a much stronger bond begins to develop between the two men and they both decide to try to escape together.The first thing I'd like to address with this film is its running time and at close to 150 minutes it's a very long film and the problem is that it actually feels like a long film. The first half of the film is particularly long and drawn out and I couldn't help but feel that the film was badly in need of being edited a bit.Despite the above gripe the film is still engaging and at times it's very moving. As mentioned, Dega and Papillon's friendship was one of convenience at the start, but as the years pass by a strong bond began to exits between the men and each respective stage of this friendship is brought to life beautifully between Hoffman and McQueen.For me, the best part of the film was McQueen's first stint in solitary confinement. Here screenwriters Trumbo & Semple Jr really highlight how 2 years in solitary confinement can cause a gradual deterioration of the mind - the dream sequences and hallucinations really help to get into Papillon's mind-set and see what he's thinking. McQueen's performance really helps as well and when watching him here I really cared for his character and felt his pain... In truth at times I forgot that I was actually watching Steve McQueen as I've always felt that he's a bit of a mediocre actor (he was particularly wooden in Bullitt), but I was genuinely surprised how good he was here. The only slight downside with this aspect of the film is that I got no feeling that Papillon had been on half rations for 6 months; it probably would have been more convincing if McQueen had gone 'method' and lost some weight during production, but I realise that this is an actor's choice and it's possible that they may have had a tight scheduling limit. It's only a minor criticism and as I said McQueen was excellent here and throughout the film. Hoffman was good as well, but I already knew that he was a good actor, but McQueen was the real revelation here.Although this is a serious portrayal of man's desire to escape from prison the film does have some light hearted moments such as the scene where Papillon and Dega are trying to capture the crocodile - that bit was very funny. The film is also emotionally involving particularly towards the end - I got the impression that Dega didn't go with Papillon because he'd become somewhat institutionalised and perhaps saw Devil's island as his home. The fact that his wife left him as well may have also made him feel that he had no real reason to leave. That's just my assumption.Papillon is a good film, but it does drag at times and is far too long. As far as Prison escape films go then this is inferior to the likes of Shawshank Redemption, Escape from Alcatraz & The Great Escape. However, if you're a fan of those films then you should find plenty to enjoy here too.
