MovieChat Forums > Papillon (1973) Discussion > Few Points/Questions

Few Points/Questions

posted 20 years ago by fatrb38
3 replies | jump to latest

First of all I would just like to comment that near the beginning of the movie, when Dega and Papillon are trying to strike a deal with another inmate and Papillon says "Don't you need to go to the bathroom?" or something to that effect to Dega... was that supposed to be a joke? I wanted to laugh at that comment but I'm not sure if it was supposed to be funny or a dead serious commentary on the primitive ways that inmates hid their money.

Another thing, when Dega gets his ankle saudered by the hot knife, afterwards he asks if he fooled Papillon. I'm not quite positive but I think Dega was saying this in an attempt to salvage his dignity. Just wondering about that scene.

*A bit of a Spoiler*

And last, when Dega and Papillon are supposedly "free" men on the island toward the end of the movie, has Dega gone a bit insane? He definitely seems a bit out of it and I suppose this could be a representation of the effects of imprisonment, and probably solitary confinement, on Dega but I'm not sure. Just making sure that other people here agree that Dega's personality had changed in a weird way.

[–] djcosyo 20 years ago

I have just watched the film recently.

Papillon says "Don't you need to go to the bathroom?" Yes Dega has sneaked a hell of a lot of money into prison in the only manner possible - swallowed it.

Dega has definately lost the plot to a certain degree towards the end of the film. It is likely that he would have also spent some time in solitary confinement after being captured and he would not have coped with that in the way that Papillon did.

[–] martinbonnie 20 years ago

According to the book, every prisoner had a "plan". It was usually a small cylinder that screwed together. Money and other stuff were stored in it and to avoid being confiscated, the prisoners kept it in their rectum.

When Dega refers to fooling Papi, Dega broke his leg jumping over the wall and Papi was going to leave him if it was broken, but Dega tells him "he's alright"

I guess the director or producer wanted to expand the Dega/Dustin Hoffman role, because in the book, when Papi escapes on the coconuts. He doesn't go alone, but with two other prisoners. Dega is not on the island but on the mainland and Papi hasn't seen him in years.

[–] snr_alejandro_sosa 15 years ago

They do NOT EVER swallow the chargers, they insert them.