A fantastic movie for those in search of true-life Classic. A French convict in the 1930s befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence in the South American penal colony on Devils Island, which inspires the man to plot his escape. The infamous 'Devil's Island ' today has become synonymous with a hellish place of unspeakable conditions. With Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Jory, Don Gordon. The entire film is one remarkable story and becomes an incredible journey, one which transcends the screen and offers audiences, the raw reality of life under the most severe and brutal penal systems in the world. Anthony Zerbe is hideously interesting as Toussaint, a ravaged leper, who aids escaping prisoners. Don Gordon (a real life friend of McQueen) plays Julot, an experienced prisoner with his own intentions of escape. During his imprisonment, he becomes lifelong friends with an equally famous treasury forger named Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman). Nevertheless, the infamous thief was given a twenty year sentence, which was extended due to his numerous escapes. His claim he was innocent of murder, may be true enough, due to an unreliable source accusing him in court, yet producing little supporting evidence. But the fact that he was an inmate is true enough and fits in with the actual site which came to be known as 'Devil's Island.' Court records indicate that Henri Charriere (Steve McQueen) later called " Papillon " which is french for Butterfly, was indeed a minor burglar and safe cracker. ![]() Weather or not he was the actual character of his own book, is disputed to this day. ![]() In his declining years he wrote his memoirs describing his years of incarceration, his cruel mistreatment and daring, multiple escapes. Henri 'Papillon' Charriere, was a lifetime inmate under the French government's harsh penal system in French Guiana.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |