Papillon

1973 was a great summer for cinema blockbusters and big stars.  For most of us, the best movie was a choice between The Sting and Papillon.

The latter brought Steve McQueen together with Dustin Hoffman, as Papillon and Dega respectively, in the first (but not the last) cinema version of the blockbuster by Henri “Papillon” Charriere.  It’s since been established that most of the autobiography was fiction (or based on real events that happened to other people), but that doesn’t detract from the power of either the book or this movie version.

Despite the subject matter (prisoners in harsh prison/penal colonies), original adverting posters and Lobby Cards are still very popular, because of the star leads and success of the film in creating a memorable experience.

This is the original US One Sheet, with the memorable Tom Jung design, concentrating on McQueen and Hoffman in profile.