I Escaped from Devil's Island

I Escaped from Devil's Island is a 1973 exploitation film about an escape attempt from Devil's Island.[1] Roger Corman and Gene Corman produced this grim adventure saga which was made to cash in on the release of Papillon.[2]

I Escaped from Devil's Island
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWilliam Witney
Produced byGene Corman
Written byRichard DeLong Adams
StarringJim Brown
Christopher George
Richard Ely
Music byLes Baxter
CinematographyRosalío Solano
Edited byBarbara Pokras
Tom Walls
Production
company
The Corman Company
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • September 1973 (1973-09) (U.S.)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot summary

Prison life on Devil's Island is no picnic so fellow prisoners Le Bras (Jim Brown) and Davert (Christopher George) go AWOL. Along their escape route, they encounter submissive native women and a colony of lepers.[3]

Cast
  • Jim Brown as Le Bras
  • Christopher George as Davert (as Chris George)
  • Richard Ely as Jo-Jo (as Rick Ely)
  • James Luisi as Dazzas
  • Paul Richards as Maj. Marteau
  • Richard Rust as Sgt. Zamorra
  • Bob Harris as The Barber (as Roland 'Bob' Harris)
  • Jan Merlin as Rosenquist
  • Robert Phillips as Blassier
  • Stephen Whittaker as Leper Count
  • Eduardo Rosas López as Sergeant Brescano
  • Jonathan Dodge as Lieutenant Duplis
  • Quintín Bulnes as Sgt. Grizzoni
  • Gabriella Rios as Indian Girl
  • Ana De Sade as Bedalia

Production

Jim Brown was signed to make the film in December 1972.[4]

Martin Scorsese says that Roger Corman offered him the chance to direct the film following Boxcar Bertha.[5] "The idea was if you shoot it fast enough, you could release the film before Papillon," he said. "I was still very keen on genre films." However Scorsese decided to make Mean Streets instead.[6] He says he had been talked out of doing exploitation films by his friend and colleague John Cassavetes who urged Scorcese to make something more personal. (Corman also offered Scorcese The Arena and the director turned that down as well.[7])

William Witney directed instead. Filming started in April 1973 in Acapulco.[8] During filing, Witney's wife died of throat cancer.[9]

The producers of the similar film Papillon (1973) sued for copyright infringement but were unsuccessful.[1]

Reception

Quentin Tarantino was an admirer of the film with a script that is "both entertaining and rather complex" and lead characters that "are refreshingly complicated and three dimensional" and a fresh "exploration of the societal dynamics of the community that the island prisoners exist in" in particular The Fancy Boys who "aren’t presented the way the queer population is usually depicted in novels about Alcatraz or other prison-set seventies adventures... [they] hold their own respected status inside of the island convict community without degradation. They’re respected both as individuals and as the group they represent. And are coveted objects of desire among the convict population." [10]

Video Release

Shout Factory is releasing I Escaped from Devil's Island on DVD and Blu-ray on July 15, 2014.

See also

References
  1. Christopher T Koetting, Mind Warp!: The Fantastic True Story of Roger Corman's New World Pictures, Hemlock Books. 2009 p 58
  2. http://www.allmovie.com/movie/i-escaped-from-devils-island-v96019
  3. http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17169/I-Escaped-From-Devil-s-Island/
  4. Marginalia: Peak For Exhibitions New York Times 12 Dec 1972: 62
  5. Rosen, M. (1975). MARTIN SCORSESE INTERVIEW. Film Comment, 11(2), 42-46. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1647261079
  6. Scorcese on Scorcese Ed Ian Christie, David Thomson, 2003 p 39
  7. Scorsese, Martin; Brunette, Peter (1999). Martin Scorsese : interviews. University Press of Mississippi. p. 22.
  8. MOVIE CALL SHEET: Robert Ryan Set in 'Outfit' Murphy, Mary. Los Angeles Times 31 Mar 1973: b9
  9. Close up : the contract director. Scarecrow Press. 1976. p. 218.
  10. Tarantino, Quentin (6 April 2020). "I Escaped from Devil's Island". The New Beverly Cinema.
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