French Guiana4 Movies Set in or About French GuianaStop 1 of 4

Papillon

Name: Papillon
Released: 1973

1973

Wrongly convicted of murder, a defiant French safecracker is shipped to the brutal penal colony of French Guiana, where he forms a bond with a frail forger and becomes obsessed with a single goal: escape, no matter the cost. A gripping prison epic based on a true memoir.

Why it’s here

A prison-escape drama about Henri Charriere's sentence in the French Guiana penal colony.

Return to the complete list Film notes Watch options

Part of 4 Movies Set in or About French Guiana

This film is stop 1 of 4 in the hand-ranked outside-view route set in or about French Guiana. See the complete ranking or read the selection methodology.

This outside view can stamp French Guiana in the 196 country film challenge.