Papillon: Franklin J. Schaffner

I noticed something about 10 minutes into Franklin J. Schaffner's Papillon, a fictionalized account of the life of Henri Charrière, a Frenchman who had been convicted of murdering a pimp and sentenced to a long term at the hellish Devil's Island prison. I noticed that the film was unafraid of silence and long periods of inaction. That might not sound very interesting, but keep in mind that Papillon was a big Hollywood production that starred two of the biggest stars in the world: Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen. I know it's cliche to bemoan modern Hollywood fare as shallow, hyperactive, and derivative. But after watching Papillon the differences between the Hollywood of the 70s and the Hollywood of the 21st century were too grating to ignore. The film clocks in at about 2 1/2 hours, roughly one minute longer than the more recent Hollywood film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009). And yet, despite its slower pace and stronger emphasis on silence, I found Papillon to be infinitely more engaging and enjoyable. In fact, it was so engrossing that the two and a half hours flew by before I knew it. The point I'm trying to make is that Papillon is proof that great writing, phenomenal acting, and an emphasis on character development is all a Hollywood production needs to be in order for it to capture and enthrall its audience. There are action sequences, of course, usually in the form of Charrière's repeated attempts to escape the island. But despite their quality, the scenes that I remember most fondly had nothing to do with cliff-diving, shooting, and thrilling escapes. Instead, I think of the scene when Charrière is forced into solitary confinement for several months and slowly begins to lose his mind. I think of the scenes where Charrière and his best friend Louis Dega, the infamous French counterfeiter played by Dustin Hoffman, concoct new escape plans. I remember a late and shocking betrayal by the last person you would expect when Charrière DOES eventually escape. These are the scenes that captured my attention. These are the moments that made Papillon more captivating than anything Michael Bay or Brett Ratner have ever made.

7/10