Cultural References
See also: Films set on Devil's IslandThe bestselling memoir by Henri Charrière, Papillon (1969), described the extreme brutality and inhumane treatment of the penal colony. The book was adapted as an American movie of the same name; released in 1973, it starred Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. Over the years, several other books, films and plays have made additional references to this infamous penal colony.
The Danish novel Helvede Hinsides Havet (1933) ( @#!*% beyond the Sea), by Aage Krarup Nielsen, describes the life in the camp.
Devil's Island is featured in the plot of The Dain Curse (1928), a novel by Dashiell Hammett, the American mystery writer.
It is mentioned in a greeting to Enterprise psychologist Dr. Helen Noel by the director of Penal Colony Tantalus V, Dr. Adams, in the original Star Trek episode "Dagger of the Mind" (1966): "Welcome to Devil's Island, Doctor."
In the 2003 episode "Bend Her" of the animated comedy Futurama, Devil's Island is seen to have gained sufficient autonomy to enter the 3004 Olympics; the athletes appear to be wearing striped prison uniforms.
"Devil's Island" is the title of a 1986 song by Megadeth on the LP Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?. The song expresses the thoughts of a prisoner on Devil's Island about to be executed. In the song, the prisoner's life is spared by God just as he is about to be killed, but he is condemned to spend the rest of his life on Devil's Island.
"Devil's Island" is the title of an episode of The Time Tunnel, a 1966–1967 U.S. color science fiction TV series.
Read more about this topic: Devil's Island
Famous quotes containing the word cultural:
“The beginning of Canadian cultural nationalism was not “Am I really that oppressed?” but “Am I really that boring?””
—Margaret Atwood (b. 1939)