On this day in movie history – Papillon (1973 movie & books):

Papillon

directed by Franklin J. Schaffner,

written by Dalton Trumbo and Lorenzo Semple Jr.,

based on the book by Henri Charrière,

released in the United States on December 16, 1973.

Music by Jerry Goldsmith.

Cast:

Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Jory, Don Gordon, Anthony Zerbe, Robert Deman, Woodrow Parfrey, Bill Mumy, George Coulouris, Ratna Assan, William Smithers, Val Avery, Gregory Sierra, Ron Soble.

Recommended reading:

Papillon

By Henri Charriere.

ASIN: B01N8YET21

Published by William Morrow.

First published 1969.

Henri Charrière, called "Papillon," for the butterfly tattoo on his chest, was convicted in Paris in 1931 of a murder he did not commit. Sentenced to life imprisonment in the penal colony of French Guiana, he became obsessed with one goal: escape. After planning and executing a series of treacherous yet failed attempts over many years, he was eventually sent to the notorious prison, Devil's Island, a place from which no one had ever escaped . . . until Papillon. His flight to freedom remains one of the most incredible feats of human cunning, will, and endurance ever undertaken. Charrière's astonishing autobiography, Papillon, was published in France to instant acclaim in 1968, more than twenty years after his final escape. Since then, it has become a treasured classic -- the gripping, shocking, ultimately uplifting odyssey of an innocent man who would not be defeated.

Banco:

The Further Adventures of Papillon

By Henri Charrière.

Published by Granada Publishing Limited.

First published 1972.

ISBN 13: 9780586040102

ISBN 10: 0586040102

ASIN: 0586040102

The sensational sequel to Papillon. Banco continues the adventures of Henri Charriere – nicknamed Papillon – in Venezuela, where he has finally won his freedom after thirteen years of escape and imprisonment. Despite his resolve to become an honest man, Charriere is soon involved in hair-raiding exploits with goldminers, gamblers, bank-robbers and revolutionaries – robbing and being robbed, his lust for life as strong as ever. He also runs night clubs in Caracas until an earthquake ruins him in 1967 – when he decides to write the book that brings his international fame.