Steve McQueen plays the eponymous character in the movie ‘Papillon’, while Dustin Hoffman is his perfect foil as Dega. Based on the bestselling novel and with inputs from the author and the real life Papillon (Henri Charrière), the movie is authentic to the core with a fantastic production design.
Several scenes in the movie served as an inspiration to many good films that followed including the all time classic—The Shawshank redemption.
The film captures the ‘institutional’ feeling well and how inmates come to believe that the world they live in is the end of all and stay bereft of any hope. In the end, Papillon proves his feathers are too bright and he cannot be contained in any prison. No matter, how impossible the escape might seem to be.
Papillon’s spirit is captured in the following dialogue.
(Dega) “It seems so desperate. You think it will work?”
(Papillon) “Does it matter?”
Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman bring a unique texture to the film and make sure this film is worth a revisit anytime.
Related links