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Charlie Hunnum

GIVEAWAY! ROE Passes to THE GENTLEMEN! (Canada Only)

January 15, 2020 by Steve Norton 1 Comment

ScreenFish is thrilled to be giving away 5 double Run Of Engagement passes to The Gentlemen, out in theatres on Friday, January 24th, 2020! (Passes are only applicable in Canada.)

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Henry Golding, Hugh Grant and Michelle Dockery, The Gentlemen tells the story of Mickey Pearson (McConaughey), an American expatriate who became rich by building a marijuana empire in London. When word gets out that he’s looking to cash out of the business, it soon triggers an array of plots and schemes from those who want his fortune.

The Gentlemen begins its adventure on Friday, January 24th, 2020. Check out the trailer here.

To enter, simply like or share our post on Facebook! For a bonus entry, like or share the post on Twitter and Instagram.

All entries must be completed by 11:59pm on Thursday, January 23rd, 2020.

A special thanks to VVS!

Filed Under: Film, Giveaways Tagged With: Charlie Hunnum, Colin Farrell, Eddie Marsan, Guy Ritchie, Henry Golding, Hugh Grant, Jeremy Strong, Matthew McConaughey, Michelle Dockery, The Gentlemen, VVS

Papillon – We Know It’s Not Rehabilitation

August 24, 2018 by Julie Levac Leave a Comment

In 1931 Paris, Henri Charrière (nicknamed ‘Papillon’, or ‘Pappy’ because of the butterfly tattoo on his chest), makes his living as a criminal, stealing jewelry and the like. During an evening of debauchery, Pappy (Charlie Hunnum) witnesses some of the criminals he works under beating a man.  The next morning, police arrive at his door, but not for what you may think.  He’s being charged with the murder of the man he saw being beaten the night prior.

Quickly, we see Pappy sentenced to life in prison for murder. Framed. He tells his girlfriend, who wanted to settled down with him, to forget about him all together.

This begins one man’s autobiographical nightmare.  Charrière published his autobiography entitled Papillon in 1969.  In 1973, the year of his death, a movie was created based on his autobiography.  Nearly forty-five years later, we’re given this raw and dark remake.

Papillon and his fellow inmates became property of a penal colony in French Gyana.  They were told that France had disowned them.  It was for the greater good.  For French expansion.

The living conditions they forced these men to endure were inhumane and disgusting.  They slept on concrete slabs with their feet shackled.  They relieved themselves in buckets.  They were bitten by bats during the night.

Image result for papillon 2018

It took no time for Pappy to meet his sidekick, of sorts, Louis Dega (Rami Malek), a rich counterfeit who was in the middle of an appeal and didn’t think he’d be there for very long.

Dega’s case attracted attention from the media, and it was obvious that numerous inmates would be out to get him.  It was assumed that he kept money in his gut (which was correct) and everyone wanted to steal from him.

Pappy saw Dega’s situation as an opportunity.  Immediately plotting an escape from the penal colony, he offered to physically protect Dega in exchange for money to use in his escape plan.  Dega declined, until a man was murdered directly beside him.  He quickly reconsidered Pappy’s offer for safety.

Due to Dega’s infamy, he and Pappy were forced to endure one of the toughest work assignments available, essentially moving large boulders in the sweltering heat all day. Although this provided Pappy an opportunity to make a deal with a local sailor for an escape attempt.

Over the next few days, Dega is subjected to numerous threats and attacks that Pappy protects him from. Dega realizes that he’ll be dead before his appeal and has no choice but to escape with Pappy to save his life.

Image result for papillon 2018

The men are forced to witness an execution via guillotine of a fellow inmate, and are told, “Keeping you is no benefit. Destroying you is no loss.” Pappy and Dega are forced to remove the body but Dega shuts down and the guards whip him. Pappy intervenes, and attempts to escape alone, only to be recaptured.

As punishment for the attempt, Papillon is placed in solitary confinement and told, “We know it’s not rehabilitation.  We do our best to break you.”  If you hadn’t grasped the nature of the type of facility they were in by this point in the film, this quote would give a pretty accurate depiction.  The guards had absolutely no respect for the prisoners as human beings, and took pleasure in torturing them.  They tortured them and worked them literally to death. Sure, these men were criminals. Some of them the lowest of the low.  But where should the line be drawn in terms of punishment?  Where do human rights come into play?

Image result for papillon 2018

Many men were carried out of solitary confinement, dead from the conditions. Not many could survive the torture. Throughout this film, Papillon is a constant reminder of how you can will yourself to continue to endure despite the conditions that are force upon you. It’s incredible what we can do with the right mindset.

Pappy and Dega continue their venture to escape the penal colony. It’s clear that Pappy and Dega’s relationship goes beyond a business deal. They are now comrades who are loyal to each other until the end. Their shared experiences bring them closer than ever. They seem to be the only source of trust and reliability for one another.

Image result for papillon 2018

Fast forward to 1969 where Papillon is on a plane as an old man.  His home is Venezuala now and he has a wife, who convinced him to write about his experience.  He was returning to France as he felt it was important for his memoir to be published there.

In 1970, it was decreed that Henri Charrière could return to France.

As a whole, although slightly long and drawn out, this was a fascinating story.  It was a disturbing look at the underbelly of certain correctional systems over the years and in different parts of the world.  I can completely appreciate the need to expose all detail.  This film raises a question that is still relevant in today’s society, that is, is prison an appropriate form of rehabilitation for wrongdoers?  In many facilities, people who are imprisoned get released worse off then when they went in.  They are often not provided with appropriate education or rehabilitation to truly assist them in change and reintegration into the general population. Out of fear for their lives, some engage in further criminal activity simply to survive threats from fellow inmates. Although we have come a long way from facilities like we see in this film, I think we still have a long way to go in fully and effectively assisting our fellow people who have committed wrong-doings.

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: Charlie Hunnum, Escape, France, French Gyana, Henri Charriere, Papillon, Penal Colony, Prison, Rami Malek

Papillon – From Savagery to Resurrection

August 22, 2018 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

“It’s not rehabilitation—we know that’s worthless—so we do our best to break you.”

Papillon is inspired by semi-autobiographical bestselling books (Papillon and Banco) and the 1973 film with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman (with a screenplay by Dalton Trumbo).  Returning to such a classic film is challenging, but director Michael Noer has brought new life and a gritty vision to this new version.

Henri “Papillon” Charrière (Charlie Hunnam) is a small-time crook in 1931 Paris. When he runs afoul of a crime boss, he is framed for a murder and sentenced to life in the French penal colony in French Guyana. But Charrière is determined to escape and return for vengeance. On the transport to the penal colony he befriends Louis Dega (Rami Malek) a meek counterfeiter rumored to have a stash of money. Charrière makes a deal with Dega to provide him with protection in exchange for Dega funding his eventual escape.

Life in the penal system is difficult and violent. On arriving in French Guyana, the prisoners hear the rules. If you try to escape, we’ll shoot you. If we miss, the jungle or the sharks will get you. If you get caught, you will spend two years in solitary the first time, five years the second, then transferred to the notorious Devil’s Island. If you commit murder, you go to the guillotine. The prisoners are assigned hard labor and failure will result in severe punishment.

The partnership between Charrière and Dega creates a bond between them that becomes not just about business, but about friendship. After Charrière’s first escape attempt (and his two years in solitary), Dega has now moved into a position of trust—keeping the books for the warden. This provides a chance for another try at escape, this time with Dega going with him and two others.

Charrière refuses to be broken, even by failure, even by years of solitary, even by beatings, even when taken to Devil’s Island. Dega, on the other hand, abandoned hope early on and hardened himself for the life in the prison system. He continues though to think that perhaps Charrière will be able to make things better.

Contrary to the warden’s words at the top of this review, there is a kind of rehabilitation for Charrière. He continues to have a hope of escape and a new life. That gives new meaning to his nickname, Papillon (butterfly). The butterfly is often seen as a symbol of resurrection and new life. As the years pass, it is a new life that Charrière seems intent on finding—not the revenge that he sought at first. He tells Dega at one point after years in the prison colony, “If I ever get out of here I’m going to lead a different life.”

Perhaps that is why when he finally found that new life and wrote his autobiographical books, they became bestsellers and prompted film adaptations. The riveting story of the absolute savagery and inhumanity within that prison setting eventually shifts to a story to hope and fulfillment. It is surely not an easy transformation. But the very fact that Charrière not only maintained his humanity, but even grew in positive ways makes this a story worth celebrating.

Photo credit Jose Haro / Bleecker Street

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: based on a book, based on a true story, Charlie Hunnum, Devil's Island, Escape, Michael Noer, Prison, Rami Malek, remake

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