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 Papillon (DVD)
 Papillon (DVD) ... DVD released 04 December, 2000 at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / Features of the DVD: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen / Franklin J Schaffner's Papillon is quite possibly the definitive prison escape drama. Not as thrilling as The Great Escape, nor as emotionally cathartic as The Shawshank Redemption, its unflinching emphasis on the barbarism of "civilised" societies is nevertheless unparalleled. Significantly, the only characters to display any real kindness in this film are the social outcasts: the lepers and native Indians; everyone else has been corrupted and debased by the true villain, the penal system itself. Based on Henri Charrière' s heavily fictionalised "autobiography", the film's timeless themes of man's insatiable desire for freedom and the indomitability of the human spirit are thankfully not dependent for their impact on the source material's veracity. Dalton Trumbo's liberal-minded screenplay echoes the themes of his earlier script for Spartacus, and Schaffner's innate gift for epic cinema (this was made just two years after his great war biography Patton) is fully equal to the task of realising it on screen. The director's painterly eye for widescreen composition and his careful pacing impart a gravitas to proceedings even during the film's most squalid depictions of brutality, of which there are many emphasising the cheapness of human life among the convicts and their equally criminal prison guards in the penal colony of French Guiana. Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman form a remarkable screen pairing, with Hoffman outstanding as the pusillanimous Dega. McQueen magnificently overcomes his tough-guy persona in the extraordinary solitary confinement sequences as he is gradually reduced to a shambling, cockroach-eating wreck. Longtime collaborator Jerry Goldsmith, who had previously scored Schaffner's Planet of the Apes and Patton, attained yet another career high with his music. On the DVD: The anamorphic widescreen print of the original Panavision 2. 35:1 ratio looks fine without being as stunning as some more modern prints; the Dolby 5.1 audio does however do great service to Jerry Goldsmith's score, which can also be selected separately from the Audio Setup menu as an isolated track (note that there's no music at all in the first 20 minutes of the film). The 12-minute "Magnificent Rebel" featurette was made at the time of the film's release , and includes some fascinating footage of Henri Charrière touring the prison se t, reminiscing about his experiences and pontificating ("Society does not want free men, society wants conditioned men"). --Mark WalkerNewest Review: ... the film. The premise of the film surrounds Papillon (Steve McQueen) and his imprisonment on the infamous Devil's Island. ... more ... He makes friends with Dega (Dustin Hoffman) as he ceaselessly plots means of escape. Despite several failed escape attempts, Papillon refuses to have his spirit broken by his ruthless and humiliating captors.
If you are after a film with sparkling dialogue, you will want to give this a miss as there are long periods where not a word is spoken. However, the outstanding acting performances of McQueen and Hoffman more than make up for it.
Usually after reading a book, the film adaptation is extremely disappointing, bu...more |
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Price Comparison for Papillon (DVD)
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Papillon [DVD] [1974]
Franklin J Schaffner's Papillon is quite possibly the definitive ... Last Update 23.11.2009 05:46
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£ 3.98 |
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Papillon (DVD): Up There With The Green Mile And The Shawshank Redemption (692 words)
by - written on 15/07/01 (Very useful, 95 readings)
Rating:
Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman star in this gritty prison drama based on the true story of the only man to escape from the notoriously harsh and 'inescapable' Devil's Island prison - the crowning glory of the French penal system. Directed by Franklin Schaffner it pulls no punches in showing the French penal system in all its grim brutality, an uncompromising stance with earned the movie an adult rating for violent content when it was submitted for classification. This was later lowered to PG on appeal for much of the violence is implied and mental torture, but even so, it is still quite intense in parts. The movie starts in 1930s Marseille with a ... Read the complete review
McQueen at his best (614 words)
by - written on 01/11/08 (Very useful, 123 readings)
Rating:
This is a true story of Henri Charriere ( known as "Papillon" or "the butterfly", because of a butterfly tattoo he had on his chest), an innocent man ,falsely accused of murder and imprisoned for life.He is determined to escape the notorious Devil's Island , a notorious french prison, he attempts it several times .. Papillon is a great movie , that has been extremely well directed by Franklin J. Schaffner , who had earlier directed a classic like 'Patton' has many scenes that will stick with you for a long time The Story in brief Henri Charierre is a small time safe cracker framed for the murder of a pimp ,and sent to ... Read the complete review
Papillon (DVD): The Greatest Story Ever Told...... (608 words)
by - written on 30/01/05 (Very useful, 1637 readings)
Rating:
"The greatest adventure of escape ever filmed!" Two words: Steve McQueen. Has anybody cooler ever graced this earth, I think not. And not only that he was one of the greatest actors of all time and turns in films like this and The Great Escape show what amazing talent he had, and sadly died at only 50 with many more potentially great films still to come. (Copied from my top 10 film review, but I deem it good enough to use twice!) The film however is not all about McQueen, what then you may ask, well as the tagline suggests it is a film about escape, but this time for McQueen its not from Nazi Germany but from Guiana a French ... Read the complete review
Papillon (197 words)
by - written on 04/02/09 (Very useful, 48 readings)
Rating:
When I read this book as a young man, I was instantly captivated by the lead character's obsession with escaping whatevre the cost. Therefore, it was with quite a lot of trepidation that I first ventured to watch the film. The premise of the film surrounds Papillon (Steve McQueen) and his imprisonment on the infamous Devil's Island. He makes friends with Dega (Dustin Hoffman) as he ceaselessly plots means of escape. Despite several failed escape attempts, Papillon refuses to have his spirit broken by his ruthless and humiliating captors. If you are after a film with sparkling dialogue, you will want to give this a miss as there are long periods ... Read the complete review
Papillon (DVD): Solitude. (361 words)
by - written on 14/02/01 (Very useful, 130 readings)
Rating:
Papillon It boldly states "The Greatest Adventure of Escape ever filmed" on the front, and "A must-see classic" on the back of the video cassette box, so with this rather dramatic marketing blurb in mind I sat down to see if the film lived up to its claims. Well as I have not seen every adventure film ever made, I cant really say its the greatest ,but it certainly is a excellent film and yes I would call it a must see classic. Starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman this really is an epic film, weighing in at not far off two and a half hours long, this was a value for money film (especially when purchased for only ... Read the complete review
Papillon (DVD) : Papillonfrom kipper52
04/02/2009
Papillon (DVD) : Solitude.from kensplace
14/02/2001
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