Prison Break, McQueen Style

There are certain actors that have the ‘cool’ factor. Not the easiest thing to define, there is just something about their larger than life personas that attract us to them. One such actor is Steve McQueen. It seems that each role he chose further expanded his reign as a cool cat, with films like The Great Escape and Bullitt helping fuse together his characters with the real person – creating an image of a man’s man whose tall lean frame drove muscle cars through San Francisco during the week while escaping from Nazi concentration camps on the weekend. Another motion picture that epitomizes his persona is the 1973 prison drama Papillon.

Based on the autobiography by French convict Henri Charrière, director Franklin J. Schaffner (Patton/Planet of the Apes) takes us on an epic ride as Charrière, whose moniker is Papillon (McQueen), as he has a vivid tattoo of a butterfly that can be found on the middle of his chest, is placed on a ship departing from France. The group of prisoners are being sent to a supposedly unescapable penal colony in French Guiana that makes Alcatraz look like a walk in the park.

On the confined boat ride, Papillon meets a clever and nerdy counterfeiter by the name of Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman) – who has been able to smuggle a fair bit of money with him on the journey. Papillon offers his services to Dega, as he claims the forger will need protection to survive the trip (as each and every prisoner will be gunning, or more accurately shivving, for the man’s hidden cash). The deal outlines that Papillon will be given the money to obtain a boat for his escape once they reach the prison.

After Papillon saves Dega’s life on the ship, the two become fast friends. It does not take long for us to hear that Papillon claims to have been falsely imprisoned for a murder (of a pimp) that he did not commit (though he does admit to being a safecracker).

Upon landing in Guiana, they see the horrors of the secluded locale. A man immediately makes a dash for a small boat resting just off shore, but is shot in the head. When they are brought to the main prison, they are given a speech that outlines the strict parameters Warden Barrot (William Smithers) and his officers have put in place. The first escape attempt places you in solitary for two years, while the second adds five years to your sentence (in solitary). There is also an ominous guillotine placed in the centre of the prison yard.

Papillon and Dega, hoping to use his money to stay in the main prison (where they would perform mundane jobs), are foiled by a disgruntled officer who was screwed out of money by one of Dega’s counterfeit bond jobs.

They are promptly placed in a work camp, where they must move giant logs in a muddy marsh that holds dangerous alligators and giant snakes. When one of their former friends (who attempted to flee) is placed in front of them with his throat slit (and they are told that they must deal with the body), Dega immediately begins to retch. A sadistic guard promptly beats the man, stepping on his much needed glasses when they fly from his head. Papillon jumps in to aid his meek friend, but after wounding the guard, realizes he should probably make a break for it.

He is quickly captured by bounty hunters and placed in solitary confinement. The harsh conditions are fully realized, as the filthy room (that is five steps wide) as well as the minimal food are both filled with cockroaches and other assorted insects. Dega, eternally grateful for his friend’s aid, starts to smuggle in half coconuts to give the man some much needed nourishment. The Warden soon discovers the hidden food, demanding that Papillon divulge the source of the deception. We see the strong ethic of the weak man, as he never rats on his friend, even when his food rations are cut in half and he is placed in complete darkness for what seems like an eternity.

Papillon is finally released from solitary. At this point, it is prudent to discuss the two very different characters. Perhaps you can already envision Papillon (that is, if you have not seen the film). He is a planner, a risk taker, a man who is not willing to bide his time until his sentence is over. He is a human being with moral fortitude, always sticking to his guns, no matter how dire the situation. Dega is a very different person. The counterfeiter is actually quite conservative, believing that he should wait until his wife and lawyer figure out how to make the judicial system work in his favour. He is in no rush to leave the prison, rather, using his brilliant mind and his skill with money to better his life in the establishment until he is freed. Some might call him a coward.

Around each new turn there is treachery, untrustworthy people, and ultimately, peril. During Papillon’s second intricately planned escape, Dega is forced to join his friend after he attacks a guard who has Papillon in his gun’s sight. Will they break loose, making it to the mainland where they will finally find freedom, or will they be recaptured, facing the wrath of the harsh penal colony and its equally venomous guards – transforming them into entirely broken men? Re-capture would mean a return to solitary and then placement on the secluded and supposedly unescapable Devil’s Island – an ominous prospect that looms large in their minds.

Papillon is a movie that revolves around the themes of friendship, enduring hardship and continued perseverance despite unimaginable odds. Brought to life with realistic intensity by Schaffner, he recreated the prison from its original blueprints, placing it in the unfrequented locales (of Jamaica, Spain . . .) that resemble the original penal colony. To anchor the piece, McQueen and Hoffman, two legends of film, each develop a very different character that somehow meshes their friendship, making it feel utterly realistic. They are put through their paces in this one, with legs being broken, bugs being eaten, and darkness being endured. And that is not even mentioning the dust, dirt and mud they had to manouevre through during its filming. McQueen even jumped off of a gargantuan cliff himself, doing his own dangerous stunt work.

Funnily enough, when the film was released in France it was not titled Papillon, but instead, by its English translation Butterfly. Though it runs approximately two and a half hours in length, the film flows quite well, capturing the hardships and endurance of these two men. Though it is now closing in on forty five years old, it does not feel dated and in some ways, feels a bit like a precursor to Shawshank Redemption. So, take a leap of faith and try this 1970s classic, it is just as current and arresting today as it was back when it was released.