Amazon.com: Papillon: Steve Mcqueen, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Jory, Don Gordon: Amazon Instant Video

Product Details

Watch the Theatrical Trailer

Synopsis: Unable to fly, Henri Charriere virtually willed himself free. He persisted until he did the impossible: escape Devil's Island.

Starring: Steve Mcqueen, Dustin Hoffman

Supporting actors: Victor Jory, Don Gordon, Anthony Zerbe

Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner

Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama

Runtime: 2 hours 31 minutes

Release year: 1973

Studio: Warner Bros.

ASIN: B000OV85AW

Rights & Requirements

Rental rights: 24 hour viewing period Details

Compatible with: Mac and Windows PC online viewing, compatible instant streaming devices, TiVo DVRs. System requirements

Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

Also available on DVD

Papillon DVD ~ Steve McQueen

4.6 out of 5 stars (116) $5.98

Theatrical Release Information

US Theatrical Release Date: November 01, 1973
Production Company: Allied Artists Pictures, Corona-General, Solar Productions
USA Box Office: $ 53 Million
Filming Locations: Jamaica | Maui, Hawaii, USA | Spain | St Laurent du Maroni, Guyane, Départements d'Outre-Mer, France

Video Format Details

Online Viewing	PC Download	TiVo box
View instantly from any PC or Mac with a broadband connection	Ready to watch in about 1 hour *	Ready to watch in about 1 hour 10 minutes*

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Customer Reviews

116 Reviews

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (116 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of McQueen's finest, August 22, 2003

By

T O'Brien (Chicago, Il United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Papillon (DVD)

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!

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42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fredom, August 25, 2001

By

Juan (Puerto Rico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Papillon (DVD)

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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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MCQUEEN AT HIS FINEST!, May 17, 2000

By

KELLY PERKINS (Tyler, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Papillon (DVD)

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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