Papillon

Franklin J Schaffner's Papillon is quite possibly the definitive prison escape drama. Not as thrilling as The Great Escape, nor as emotionally cathartic as The Shawshank Redemption, its unflinching emphasis on the barbarism of "civilised" societies is nevertheless unparalleled. Significantly, the only characters to display any real kindness in this film are the social outcasts: the lepers and native Indians; everyone else has been corrupted and debased by the true villain, the penal system itself.

Based on Henri Charrière' s heavily fictionalised "autobiography", the film's timeless themes of man's insatiable desire for freedom and the indomitable human spirit are thankfully not dependent for their impact on the source material's veracity. Dalton Trumbo's liberal-minded screenplay echoes the themes of his earlier script for Spartacus, and Schaffner's innate gift for epic cinema (this was made just two years after his great war biography Patton) is fully equal to the task of realising it on screen.

The director's painterly eye for widescreen composition and his careful pacing impart a gravitas to proceed...
30 years of Dustin Hoffman, 2008-07-19
These 6 films are at first glance odd choices, as you would normally have expected classics such as Rainman and Marathon Man on a Dustin film collection.

Very impressed with the quality and diversity of work here on these 6 films, only 1 (Hero) of which i already owned.

Joan of Arc is probably the strangest inclusion here, but is still visually stunning and worth a look.
Some of the others, like Tootsie, i hadn't seen for years and enjoyed watching them again.

The dvds are packaged in individual space saving folding card cases, all featuring the same artwork and extra features as the original single releases, within an outer cardboard cover.

Works out at around £2.00 to £3.00 per film, so this represents excellent value, and a way to see some great Dustin films you may never have seen.

Billy Bob Thornton is a death row officer whose redneck father has taught him that emotions make you weak, leading to an inability to love his son (Heath Ledger) and feel any compassion for the convicts in his care. When he loses a "loved one", he embarks on a relationship with the widow (Halle Berry) of a man whom he strapped in the electric chair, and the two of them search for comfort in sex, alcohol and chocolate ice-cream. The movie features fine turns from all actors involved, with Berry deservedly winning an Oscar for best actress and Ledger proving he is more than eye candy. Far from concluding the suffering, the ending leaves the viewer in an emotional void in which you will find yourself analysi...
Touches some of the most polarizing issues without preaching, 2009-02-21
This is a compelling movie that just kind of lingers with you well after the credits have rolled.
The acting is awesome. Although Halle Berry looked a little too young and a little too beautiful for the role, she made up for it in performance. The music by Asche and Spencer threaded everything together seamlessly.
The theme of racism is not condoned or condemned, but we are surreptitiously shown that not one good thing comes out of it, on top of that we also get an insight into the blind ignorance of those who are brought up in such an environment.