Papillon (1973)

The remarkable story of Henri Charriere, aka Papillon, was just dying for the Hollywood treatment. A French convict sent to a prison colony in French Guiana, Papillon adamantly sought to escape again and again, despite the near impossibility of doing so. In the process he spent a total of seven years in solitary confinement, slowly losing strength and sanity, as well as befriending and helping various other prisoners.

Steve McQueen gave one of his best performances as Papillon, the tough and confident man slowly destroyed by a system determined to crush his spirit and resolve, whilst Dustin Hoffman plays Louis Dega, the mild mannered counterfeiter who hires Papillon to protect him against the fellow prisoners determined to get their hands on the money lodged inside him for safekeeping. It's a sign of how Papillon's singlemindedness made him both heroic and desperate that he doesn't realise how his constant escapes take their toll on Dega, who funds his escape attempts or tries to protect him with bribes when he is caught.

Although the film was made in the Seventies it comes from an older tradition of epic stories, and director Franklin Schaffner was best known for 'Planet of the Apes' and 'Patton' - grand heroic tales rather than intimate portraits of its flawed characters. The casting of McQueen and Hoffman also presents the conflict between the two styles. Although the actors were only 7 years apart in age, McQueen represented the classic heroic leading man, whilst Hoffman imbued his character with an improvisational humanity and a more interesting weakness. Nevertheless, as the unstoppable Papillon, McQueen is perfect for the role and gives a sensitive portrayal of a man trying to ignore the plight of his fellow prisoners and fight against those who try to crush him. By the end of the film, looking incredibly aged and weakened, escape has almost become an instinct for him - even when he has a perfectly pleasant existence with an allotment on a Carribean island.

Given the subject, it's nice that some moments of comedy can be found, such as in the butterfly-catching scene, and the film also doesn't shy away from presenting the horrors of a highly classed society where the prisoners are powerless against the guards and forced into slave labour to help colonise the country. But the film is also fairly light throughout. Papillon is supposedly innocent (of killing a pimp) but then none of the favourable characters are really shown to have evil tendencies, only the prison guards who keep them in check, or those who take advantage of their desire to escape and betray them. Papillon is never explicitly portrayed as a hero but we're definitely on his side and its suggested we should marvel at his physical and mental strength, as well as sympathise with his misfortunes. Ultimately, Degas is the easiest character to sympathise with as he is entirely defeated by the end, whilst we know that Papillon will always be ok.

Given the style of the film there's no real cinematic flair but rather a focus on the story, which is handled well, with the lengthy story condensed efficiently, particularly in the extended sequence showing the time Papillon spent with an indigenous tribe, when not a word is spoken. The film is still rather long though, and is an engrossing story to be taken in by. It's a timeless classic really, cementing the reputation of McQueen and firmly establishing Hoffman as a great character actor and master of transformation. I saw this when I was a lot younger and enjoyed it now just as much as I did then, and am sure I will again.