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Friday, December 4, 2015

Papillon

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Based on convicted murderer Henri Charrier's book, "Papillon" (1973) 
Dustin Hoffman as Papillon, so named for the butterfly tattooed on his chest, and Steve McQueen as convicted forger Louis Dega, give flawless performances as prisoners in French Guiana. Under stark and harsh conditions their lives beset by severe loneliness and ill health, escape by Charrier's only route to survival with the help of Dega.
The film is as good as the book and the book was superb. Questions about Charrier's veracity were raised at the time but if any of it were untrue, the story makes for a great cinematic experience.

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