Papillon (2011)

Papillon is a great movie based on fact that contains many scenes that will stick with you for a long time. Henri Charierre is a safecracker framed for the murder of a pimp and sent to French Guiana, the prison system in South and Central America. Along the way, Papillon meets counterfeiter Louis Dega played to perfection by Dustin Hoffman. The two men struggle to survive amidst the horrible conditions in the prisons. However, the only thing that keeps Papillon alive is the thought of escape and freedom. This is a very bleak movie, at times you might not even recognize McQueen with all the makeup, but the ending does offer hope. The scenes of Papi's solitary confinement and the hallucinations he has while there are very effective and not easily forgotten. Also, the film decides to show prison life as it is. This is not a whitewashed version of it, but instead a fairly graphic depiction of the horrors of the French prison system. Nonetheless, this is still an excellent movie that will keep you interested throughout.

Papillon is up there with The Sand Pebbles as Steve McQueen's finest performances. His role as Henri "Papillon" Charierre is fully believable as he attempts over and over again to escape to freedom. Dustin Hoffman is just as good as Louis Dega, the prisoner who hires McQueen to protect him. The two become friends as they try to adjust to their new lives. The friendship between the two men is very good and some of the better parts of the movie involve their relationship. Don Gordon plays Julot, a veteran prisoner who tries to help them adjust. Robert Deman and Woodrow Parfrey are also very good as Maturette and Clusiot, two fellow prisoners who attempt escape with Papillon. I have to add about Jerry Goldsmith's very good score that perfectly fits the film. The DVD offers a widescreen presentation that looks great, a documentary made during filming that contains interviews with cast, crew, and even Henri Charierre, and also the theatrical trailer. This is a very dark movie, but it is still a great character study that never really slows down. McQueen fans will love this classic!

I am from Cuba and I read this book (it was illegal for the goverment) someone let me read it and spire on me to figth for my fredoom. For a period of TWO years I tried to leave Cuba, 10 times took me to get to Miami USA, reading this book gime the corage to take a raft and risk my live in the water...... Now, I live in Puerto Rico, I still read this book and ones every other year I see the movie over and over It is great and I recomend it for every body that love fredoom or dream to be free one day even if you have to die to get IT !

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This movie is the best example of Steve McQueen's acting skills, bar none. Everyone who thought he was a one note player should look close and hard at this magnificent film. The chemistry between McQueen and Dustin Hoffman is a real tear-jearker. This should have been McQueen's Oscar, but he was not one to kiss anybody's butt for the statue. For me, this is a true tale of the survival spirit, really better than the GREAT ESACPE as far as serious pathos is concerned. Let's not forget Dustin Hoffman's character Dega. This was a composite of several people in the book. The final scene on the cliff should go down as a classic moment in cinema. Steve, we miss you!

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I am a Steve McQueen fan and I think this movie is one of his very best performances if not THE best. The fact this film was not nominated for Best Picture and Steve McQueen for Best Actor of 1973 escapes me. He was known not to 'play ball' with the Hollywood system and was very much his own man, that may have had a hand in this film being so grossly overlooked in that respect. With that said, this review is going to deal with the actual Blu Ray transfer , both video and audio , and not the plot or performances contained in it.

Papillon comes to Blu Ray on a BD-50 disc with plenty of room for the 2 and 1/2 hour film, uncompressed 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack and a few small extras. It is currently being offered in the Blu Ray book format, with some nice glossy production photos and stills, but not much written content. It is a pleasing presentation but I would have been just as happy with the disc itself in an Eco case for the same price. Still, it is a nice classy way to store and display this wonderful film.

I had read many online reviews before purchasing this title and it had been pointed out to me that for perhaps the first 10 to 20 minutes the picture quality may not be all that it should with the remainder of the film blossoming into a beautiful 1080p HD presentation that belies the films age (38 years now) and lets you get lost in the stark harshness of the prison, the lush beauty of the jungle , the leper colony at night, the exhilaration of the ocean and the paradise of the West Indies where Papillon finds temporary respite. Skin tones throughout the film are natural, and besides the overabundance of grain in the first 20 minutes Papillon has a very pleasing look to it. There is a good amount of fine detail to see in this transfer , beautiful colors when applicable and a stable dirt free image. For an older catalog title this one is a real treat and the best it has ever looked on home video period!

The soundtrack with music by the late great Jerry Goldsmith fares just as well as the picture quality. (IMHO) The music has been presented in crystal clear uncompressed DTS HD Master Audio format and it takes full advantage of it. The timpani and bass drums and very low notes on the Cello's and String Bass resonate with authority and clarity from my subwoofer. Ambient effects are spread through the surrounds at certain points during the film, especially the jungle scenes and ocean sounds and are few and far between but never obtrusive or gimmicky. My only complaint would be that sometimes the dialogue may be a bit 'tinny' and a few times it gets just slightly clipped or distorted, but always intelligible (other than perhaps a few short words on the prison ship) and easy to understand. The majority of the dialogue sounds just fine and is much better than I had hoped for a film of this age and era. The original recordings were obviously made with care for this much quality to shine through in a lossless audio presentation. The separation and expanse of the music mix is very very good and on my Denon/Klipsch system it had me feeling I was at the Cinerama! Cool! It really is a good soundtrack and the fact it is from 1973 makes it all the better.

There are only two small extras included on the disc, one is a pretty nice 12 minute documentary about the making of the film and then a trailer which might not be what you expect to see, give it a play and be amused! Both special features are in SD by the way but their inclusion is nice and I enjoyed both of them.

No doubt about it, Papillon is a film classic and this Blu Ray release is THE way to see it at home. A 5.1 surround system that decodes DTS-HD Master Audio will reveal a beautiful and engaging soundtrack to complement the gorgeous 1080p visuals. Also, this disc is NOT Java encumbered and as such the disc resume feature will WORK which is good if you can't sit for the entire 2 and 1/2 hours without a break.

For McQueen fans and classic film fans in general this is a great purchase and a fine addition to anyone's personal video library! It's is great to see the potential of Blu Ray being used to this films advantage. Highly recommended and my absolute favorite McQueen film bar none!

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I've been a fan of this film since it came out in theaters, and PAPILLON continues to impress and inspire with each subsequent viewing. In my opinion, this is Steve McQueen's absolute best role as Henri Charriere, a man wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to spend the rest of his life at Devil's Island in brutal French Guiana, South America. Henri, also known as "Papillon" (due to the tattoo of a butterfly on his chest), is determined to escape--even though the consequences of getting caught entail solitary confinement under the harshest conditions. Papillon escapes, and is caught and punished, escapes again, is caught and punished even more severely, and once he is banished to Devil's Island--an impenetrable rock amidst a fierce sea--his yearning for freedom is still not diminished.

McQueen shows some impressive range; stoic and rather one-dimensional in most of his other roles, the actor delivers a considerable variety of emotions. Dustin Hoffman is equally exceptional as Dega, Papillon's humble and unassuming friend. Based on a true story, director Franklin J. Schaffner has made a masterpiece about the indomitable will of the human spirit.

--D. Mikels, Author, WALK-ON

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