Papillon | Guillotine | Warner Archive

Papillon (1973) #WarnerClassics #Papillon #dustinhoffman About Papillon (1973): The autobiography of Henri Charriere, one of the few people to successfully escape from the notorious French penal colony of Devil’s Island, served as the basis for Papillon. Steve McQueen plays the pugnacious Charriere (known as “Papillon,“ or “butterfly,“ because of a prominent tattoo), incarcerated--wrongly, he claims--for murdering a pimp. He saves the life of fellow convict Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman), a counterfeiter who will later show his gratitude by helping Charriere in his many escape attempts. Directed By Franklin J. Schaffner Starring Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Jory Subscribe to Warner Classic: