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Papillon: Limited Edition [Blu-ray Book]

Steve McQueen , Dustin Hoffman , Franklin J. Schaffner    PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)   Blu-ray
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 37.99
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Franklin J. Schaffner (Patton) directs this true story of Henri Charriere (better known as "Papillon" or "the butterfly"), a prisoner so determined to escape the notorious Devil's Island, he attempted it multiple times until he reached old age. Steve McQueen plays Charriere, and Dustin Hoffman is very good as the hero's anxious, defenseless friend. Based on Charriere's own memoir and uncompromisingly adapted by screenwriters Dalton Trumbo (Johnny Got His Gun) and Lorenzo Semple Jr. (Three Days of the Condor), the film is tough going (it is set, after all, on Devil's Island) but not gratuitously violent. There are sequences that stay with one for a long time, such as Papillon's brief stay at a leper colony and the long periods of starvation and solitary confinement he endures after each attempted flight. --Tom Keogh

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A true story of a man's struggle for freedom May 24 2011
By Steven Aldersley TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Blu-ray
Papillon (drama, biography, crime)
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
Starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman

Warner Bros. | 1973 | 151 min | Rated PG | Released May 24, 2011

Video:
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1

Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Subtitles:
English SDH, French, Spanish

Disc:
Single 50GB Blu-ray Disc

The Film 4/5

Papillon is a film I hadn't seen for approximately 30 years, so I was eagerly awaiting this Blu-ray release. I was a different person back then and my tastes have evolved a great deal since first seeing the film. What was a masterpiece in my memory is now simply a good film.

The story is set in a prison in French Guiana and is based on the true story of Henri Charriere. He was known as Papillon because of the butterfly tattooed on his chest. Steve McQueen plays the role and does an excellent job.

The other key character is Louis Dega (Hoffman), who is a forger and not well-equipped to fend for himself in prison. He hires Papillon for protection and promises to finance Papillon's escape attempt. It proves to be a wise decision.

On reaching the prison, the new inmates are given a welcome speech. They are told that their first escape attempt would result in two years of solitary confinement being added to their sentence. A second attempt would mean five more years in solitary. Extreme cases would result in death by guillotine.

Nearby islands contain prison work camps and Dega and Papillon are sent there. The swampy conditions are full of natural dangers such as crocodiles and snakes. Any escapees are hunted by former prisoners for a reward. Papillon makes an early attempt and is quickly recaptured, resulting in the promised two years in solitary confinement.

The rations in solitary are barely enough to support human life and Dega bribes guards to smuggle Papillon extra food. When this is discovered, the warden wants the name of the person sending him food. Papillon refuses and is put on half rations. This is equivalent to a death sentence, but Papillon eats whatever creatures stray into his cell and manages to survive the two-year ordeal.

When he recovers his strength, Papillon makes another escape attempt. Dega and another prisoner join him and they arrange to leave the swamp by boat. The three set sail for Honduras. On reaching land they eventually become separated and Papillon is forced to fend for himself. This leads to an extended sequence, largely without dialogue, where Papillon lives with some of the indigenous population. It's a happy time for him and is a stark contrast to his life in prison.

I won't reveal any more of the story, but there are a few more twists and turns before it ends.

The story is essentially about the strength of the human spirit and the desire to be free. Papillon has to endure harsh conditions, but something inside him makes him go on. It also shows that some criminals are not all bad. The friendship between Papillon and Dega is powerful and lasting. The final sequence shows both the friendship and Papillon's determination to live as a free man.

Video Quality 3.5/5
The opening scene contains heavy grain and looks terrible, but isn't representative of the remainder of the film. It soon settles down and delivers a fairly pleasing transfer. The film is nearly 40 years old and doesn't look like a recent release, but the Blu-ray offers a big upgrade over previous releases. Just take a look at the trailer to see how the original film must have looked. Although the detail isn't as strong as I would have liked, it's adequate. Brighter outdoor scenes benefit the most. Colors are strong and accurate and the print looks fairly clean.

Audio Quality 4/5
An early conversation between Papillon and Dega aboard the prison ship is problematic. The dialogue appears rather distant and there are minor synchronization issues. This is an isolated incident and the quality quickly improves. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix does a good job of adding to the brooding atmosphere of the film. Heavy rain sounds like it's supposed to and jungle sounds come across in the rear speakers. The Oscar-nominated score sounds impressive and it's a good presentation overall.

Special Features 2/5

Aside from a trailer, there's only one additional feature:

The Magnificent Rebel (12:19) is brief and shot in SD, but explains some of the problems involved in shooting the film. Some of the locations were hard to reach and had never been seen on camera before. There's also a sequence showing the reaction of the real Papillon, Henri Charriere, visiting the set and talking about how authentic it was.

34-page digibook

Papillon is a long film at 151 minutes, and some of it isn't pleasant to watch. It's not supposed to be. If you have seen Midnight Express, you'll have some idea of what to expect. The story takes its time to develop, but the payoff is worth it. McQueen may have been chosen because of his character in The Great Escape, but he has to show more range here and pulls it off well. Hoffman is familiar as the nervous Dega and the friendship is believable. While imperfect, the Blu-ray presentation offers a considerable upgrade and the digibook looks great. Fans of the film shouldn't hesitate to pick it up.

Overall score 4/5
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4.0 out of 5 stars Papillon Feb 27 2013
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Just rec'd today, February 26th, 2013. Haven't seen it yet but remember it was based on a true story. Acting by Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman is excellent. Make-up fantastic.
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5.0 out of 5 stars papillon Jan 23 2012
By owen
Format:DVD
Got my movie within the time period given, ordered 2 copies of it 4 days before christmas and still got them without issue. They came 1 day after the other. Still in the wrapper so it was brand new and both copies worked. Thanks had a hell of a time finding that movie in stores.
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Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Papillon
Well when I first started buying stuff online I was skeptical at the least, however, buying from amazon is the only way to do it I think. Read more
Published on Jan 18 2010 by Joshua Winfield
5.0 out of 5 stars BEST MOVIE EVER
Papillon is one of the best movies ever.
I had been looking for it for years , sure enough
AMAZON had it.
THANK YOU AMAZON LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT
Published on Mar 10 2009 by D. Amyotte
5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest Story Ever - Meilleure histoire à jamais!!!!
Quite easily one of the greatest stories ever!! I came about this movie since my dad had a big dusty book on the shelves downstairs called: Papillon. Read more
Published on April 18 2004 by Joel Charriere
5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling in every respect
Steve McQueen stars as "Papillion" a French safe-cracker whose butterfly tattoo earned him the title nickname. Read more
Published on Mar 7 2004 by John Lease
5.0 out of 5 stars tristesse
Je suis Québécoise et j'ai lu et relu le livre de Papillon en français. Ce livre me fascine par la vie de cet homme (Henri Charrières) et tout ce qu'il a... Read more
Published on Mar 4 2004 by Nicole St-Yves
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Prison Escape Film
Franklin J. Schaffner felt that the obligation of motion pictures is to entertain, it's as basic as that, and that is exactly what Papillon does. Read more
Published on Feb 16 2004 by K. Mollahan
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greats!!
I dont normally take the time to write these reviews... but this is one of the best movies I have ever seen. The struggle these guys have to go through is monumental. Read more
Published on Feb 6 2004 by Ben Mccameron
5.0 out of 5 stars One of McQueen's finest
Papillon is a great movie based on fact that contains many scenes that will stick with you for a long time. Read more
Published on Aug 22 2003 by T O'Brien
4.0 out of 5 stars A great escape
A movie that made a big impression on me in my early teens, "Papillon" holds up surprisingly well on DVD. Read more
Published on July 4 2003 by Paul Bubny
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Incredible!!
This is one of the best movies that I have ever seen. Dustin Hoffman's Best, in my opinion. An absolute classic, which should be part of any collection.
Published on May 23 2003 by Jason.Kelleher
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