1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,875 [dramatic music] 2 00:00:05,042 --> 00:00:07,333 ♪ 3 00:00:07,500 --> 00:00:10,708 - A rebellious thief sent halfway across the world... 4 00:00:10,875 --> 00:00:12,958 ♪ 5 00:00:13,083 --> 00:00:16,000 To serve a life sentence 6 00:00:16,083 --> 00:00:18,792 in a horror-filled prison colony. 7 00:00:18,958 --> 00:00:20,375 - It was about punishment. 8 00:00:20,542 --> 00:00:22,625 Prisoners were treated horribly. 9 00:00:22,708 --> 00:00:24,375 It was a hell on Earth. 10 00:00:24,500 --> 00:00:26,208 - Will this criminal's street smarts 11 00:00:26,375 --> 00:00:27,542 be enough to conquer nature? 12 00:00:27,708 --> 00:00:29,167 - They are starving. 13 00:00:29,333 --> 00:00:31,833 They have not eaten anything for several days. 14 00:00:31,958 --> 00:00:35,500 - Huge waves are crashing down on the boat. 15 00:00:35,625 --> 00:00:38,292 - Can he outlast his fellow prisoners... 16 00:00:38,458 --> 00:00:41,000 - He was afraid he may be the next victim. 17 00:00:41,167 --> 00:00:42,708 - And escape his living hell? 18 00:00:42,875 --> 00:00:49,792 ♪ 19 00:00:51,250 --> 00:00:54,167 Some of the greatest stories ever told 20 00:00:54,292 --> 00:00:56,333 start behind bars. 21 00:00:56,458 --> 00:00:57,833 ♪ 22 00:00:57,958 --> 00:00:59,875 Locked up in the most notorious prisons 23 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:01,458 in the world, 24 00:01:01,625 --> 00:01:06,208 spied on by guards and fellow prisoners, 25 00:01:06,333 --> 00:01:09,708 it takes a devious mind to find a way out. 26 00:01:09,875 --> 00:01:11,542 ♪ 27 00:01:11,625 --> 00:01:14,458 It could lead you to freedom, 28 00:01:14,542 --> 00:01:16,625 or it could cost you your life. 29 00:01:16,708 --> 00:01:18,583 ♪ 30 00:01:18,708 --> 00:01:20,875 But wouldn't you try 31 00:01:21,083 --> 00:01:22,583 when you have nothing left to lose? 32 00:01:22,708 --> 00:01:24,333 [siren wailing] 33 00:01:24,458 --> 00:01:29,625 ♪ 34 00:01:29,750 --> 00:01:32,667 [tense music] 35 00:01:32,875 --> 00:01:39,667 ♪ 36 00:01:40,792 --> 00:01:44,417 - Don't let the ocean view outside this window fool you. 37 00:01:44,542 --> 00:01:47,667 This is a cell in one of the most frightening 38 00:01:47,792 --> 00:01:50,000 prison camps in history. 39 00:01:50,208 --> 00:01:54,292 Located in French Guiana on the South American coast, 40 00:01:54,417 --> 00:01:59,708 it's the notorious penal colony known as Ile du Diable, 41 00:01:59,875 --> 00:02:01,917 Devil's Island. 42 00:02:02,125 --> 00:02:04,500 And it's as hellish as it sounds. 43 00:02:04,625 --> 00:02:08,250 ♪ 44 00:02:08,417 --> 00:02:11,375 - Devil's Island was a living hell. 45 00:02:11,542 --> 00:02:14,792 First of all, you have the almost impenetrable jungle 46 00:02:14,875 --> 00:02:17,167 that surrounds the colony, 47 00:02:17,250 --> 00:02:21,625 filled with insects, snakes, venomous toads, 48 00:02:21,750 --> 00:02:24,667 and even larger, more dangerous animals. 49 00:02:24,792 --> 00:02:26,542 ♪ 50 00:02:26,708 --> 00:02:28,500 Beyond that, you have the colony itself, 51 00:02:28,625 --> 00:02:32,000 where prisoners were treated horribly. 52 00:02:32,167 --> 00:02:34,083 It was a hell on Earth. 53 00:02:34,250 --> 00:02:38,000 - Prisoners eat scraps of bread and rotten meat. 54 00:02:38,125 --> 00:02:40,417 They regularly die from starvation, 55 00:02:40,542 --> 00:02:43,417 exhaustion, and disease. 56 00:02:43,542 --> 00:02:47,375 80% don't live to the end of their sentence. 57 00:02:47,542 --> 00:02:49,792 Some call it the dry guillotine, 58 00:02:49,917 --> 00:02:53,708 because the execution is bloodless and slow. 59 00:02:53,875 --> 00:02:57,583 You simply waste away and pray for death. 60 00:02:57,792 --> 00:02:59,167 ♪ 61 00:02:59,250 --> 00:03:02,500 From 1852, France uses the colony 62 00:03:02,708 --> 00:03:04,833 to dispose of a range of criminals 63 00:03:04,958 --> 00:03:06,958 from murderers and rapists 64 00:03:07,083 --> 00:03:09,917 to political prisoners and petty thieves. 65 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:10,875 [whip cracks, prisoner groans] 66 00:03:11,042 --> 00:03:12,833 The message is clear: 67 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:14,417 if you're sent to Devil's Island, 68 00:03:14,542 --> 00:03:17,167 you're not supposed to come back. 69 00:03:17,375 --> 00:03:21,167 - This was not a place with any designs on rehabilitation. 70 00:03:21,292 --> 00:03:22,708 It was about punishment. 71 00:03:22,875 --> 00:03:24,125 ♪ 72 00:03:24,292 --> 00:03:25,833 - The penal colony lives up 73 00:03:25,958 --> 00:03:29,083 to the "devil" part of the name. 74 00:03:29,208 --> 00:03:32,167 It's the island part that's a little misleading. 75 00:03:32,375 --> 00:03:36,667 What most call Devil's Island is a multipart complex. 76 00:03:36,875 --> 00:03:38,083 On the mainland, 77 00:03:38,208 --> 00:03:40,667 there are iron-shackled blockhouse prisons, 78 00:03:40,750 --> 00:03:44,583 as well as low-security timber camps. 79 00:03:44,708 --> 00:03:47,375 Off the coast are three island prisons. 80 00:03:47,542 --> 00:03:49,833 One of them, Devil's Island, 81 00:03:49,958 --> 00:03:53,708 lends its name to the whole godforsaken colony. 82 00:03:53,875 --> 00:03:56,458 Basically, it's the worst of Sing Sing, 83 00:03:56,583 --> 00:03:59,625 Alcatraz, and a Southern chain gang 84 00:03:59,750 --> 00:04:01,917 all rolled into one. 85 00:04:02,042 --> 00:04:04,667 And as a consequence, it has more 86 00:04:04,750 --> 00:04:08,500 unsuccessful escape attempts than any other prison. 87 00:04:08,625 --> 00:04:10,125 ♪ 88 00:04:10,250 --> 00:04:13,083 - By the time the penal colony closed, 89 00:04:13,250 --> 00:04:15,333 at least half of serving convicts 90 00:04:15,458 --> 00:04:17,167 had attempted to escape, 91 00:04:17,292 --> 00:04:19,292 which is really remarkable. 92 00:04:19,417 --> 00:04:22,667 - What makes Devil's Island so uniquely inescapable 93 00:04:22,792 --> 00:04:25,042 isn't being locked up. 94 00:04:25,167 --> 00:04:27,750 It's the geography. 95 00:04:27,875 --> 00:04:30,833 On one side is a dark and deadly jungle, 96 00:04:30,958 --> 00:04:34,500 on the other a rocky coast 97 00:04:34,667 --> 00:04:39,000 and the shark-infested Atlantic Ocean. 98 00:04:39,083 --> 00:04:40,500 Whichever route you choose, 99 00:04:40,583 --> 00:04:43,917 it's hundreds of miles past Dutch Guiana 100 00:04:44,042 --> 00:04:45,458 to friendly territory 101 00:04:45,583 --> 00:04:48,750 where police won't turn you over to the French. 102 00:04:48,875 --> 00:04:52,167 Of the thousands who try to escape Devil's Island, 103 00:04:52,292 --> 00:04:55,083 only a handful succeed. 104 00:04:55,250 --> 00:04:57,417 They've become the stuff of legend 105 00:04:57,542 --> 00:05:00,583 and, of course, Hollywood movies. 106 00:05:00,750 --> 00:05:04,625 The most famous is the story of Henri Charrière, 107 00:05:04,833 --> 00:05:07,667 aka Papillon. 108 00:05:07,833 --> 00:05:11,750 But many believe "Papillon" is based on someone else's story: 109 00:05:11,875 --> 00:05:15,625 a rebellious young thief named René Belbenoît. 110 00:05:15,792 --> 00:05:20,042 ♪ 111 00:05:20,208 --> 00:05:23,958 His story stands alone among the greatest prison escapes. 112 00:05:24,125 --> 00:05:29,125 It spans 14 years and multiple harrowing escape attempts 113 00:05:29,292 --> 00:05:32,333 featuring murder, betrayal, 114 00:05:32,458 --> 00:05:33,833 and cannibalism. 115 00:05:34,042 --> 00:05:35,542 ♪ 116 00:05:35,708 --> 00:05:37,542 It's a quest that starts in the hell 117 00:05:37,667 --> 00:05:39,583 of the Devil's Island penal colony 118 00:05:39,792 --> 00:05:42,500 but eventually, thousands of miles away, 119 00:05:42,708 --> 00:05:45,333 gets its own Hollywood ending. 120 00:05:45,458 --> 00:05:47,833 [dramatic music] 121 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:52,708 In 1921, René Belbenoît is a 22-year-old war veteran 122 00:05:52,833 --> 00:05:55,792 turned petty thief on the run from the law. 123 00:05:55,875 --> 00:05:58,000 He's lying low, working as a servant 124 00:05:58,125 --> 00:05:59,500 in a countryside mansion. 125 00:05:59,625 --> 00:06:02,500 It's a good job and better cover, 126 00:06:02,667 --> 00:06:05,542 but the career thief can't help himself. 127 00:06:05,708 --> 00:06:09,167 - René Belbenoît was exposed at a very early age 128 00:06:09,292 --> 00:06:11,333 to the Parisian underworld. 129 00:06:11,500 --> 00:06:13,333 He's learned some street smarts 130 00:06:13,458 --> 00:06:16,375 but also contempt for authority. 131 00:06:16,500 --> 00:06:19,500 - Belbenoît grows tired of having a normal job, 132 00:06:19,708 --> 00:06:23,333 so he takes things into his own hands, literally. 133 00:06:23,500 --> 00:06:26,167 He steals a string of pearls and a package of money 134 00:06:26,292 --> 00:06:28,667 meant for other servants. 135 00:06:28,750 --> 00:06:31,667 But no thief is completely without honor. 136 00:06:31,833 --> 00:06:34,667 Belbenoît leaves a thank-you note. 137 00:06:34,792 --> 00:06:37,667 - He would go from town to town, 138 00:06:37,833 --> 00:06:41,250 commit his robberies, and then move on. 139 00:06:41,417 --> 00:06:43,542 - But Belbenoît's luck runs out. 140 00:06:43,667 --> 00:06:46,833 He's arrested in Paris 141 00:06:46,917 --> 00:06:49,292 and sentenced to eight years at Devil's Island. 142 00:06:49,417 --> 00:06:50,875 ♪ 143 00:06:51,042 --> 00:06:52,667 His imprisonment begins 144 00:06:52,792 --> 00:06:54,583 as soon as he's thrown on the ship 145 00:06:54,708 --> 00:06:56,333 bound for French Guiana. 146 00:06:56,458 --> 00:06:58,750 It's as good as a death sentence. 147 00:06:58,917 --> 00:07:05,875 ♪ 148 00:07:11,375 --> 00:07:13,542 - He arrives in French Guiana, 149 00:07:13,708 --> 00:07:17,667 where he is assigned his number, 46635, 150 00:07:17,875 --> 00:07:21,958 meaning that he was the 46,635th prisoner 151 00:07:22,042 --> 00:07:25,542 to arrive at Devil's Island since 1852. 152 00:07:25,708 --> 00:07:28,250 - All incoming inmates to Devil's Island 153 00:07:28,375 --> 00:07:30,208 are brought to Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni 154 00:07:30,375 --> 00:07:31,708 for processing. 155 00:07:31,833 --> 00:07:34,000 They're given striped canvas pajamas 156 00:07:34,167 --> 00:07:38,458 and are assigned their duties in the colony. 157 00:07:38,542 --> 00:07:41,375 Since Belbenoît is young and able-bodied, 158 00:07:41,542 --> 00:07:43,125 he's assigned to a labor camp 159 00:07:43,250 --> 00:07:45,583 a few miles inland from town 160 00:07:45,792 --> 00:07:47,375 known for killing almost half 161 00:07:47,500 --> 00:07:49,500 of the men assigned to it. 162 00:07:49,708 --> 00:07:52,167 - They were given hand axes and told 163 00:07:52,375 --> 00:07:54,125 to begin clearing trees. 164 00:07:54,208 --> 00:07:55,833 This was grueling work 165 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,667 in a climate none of the men were used to. 166 00:07:58,792 --> 00:08:00,833 Sometimes, if the men were especially bad, 167 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:04,167 they were made to do this work completely naked, 168 00:08:04,292 --> 00:08:06,792 nothing but a straw hat. 169 00:08:06,917 --> 00:08:10,708 - Belbenoît does find one stroke of luck, however. 170 00:08:10,875 --> 00:08:13,125 Because he served in World War I, 171 00:08:13,250 --> 00:08:15,625 the administration gives him a lighter assignment 172 00:08:15,750 --> 00:08:18,750 within the camp: making the straw hats. 173 00:08:18,875 --> 00:08:24,375 ♪ 174 00:08:24,500 --> 00:08:26,833 Even with the lighter work, after a month, 175 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:30,833 Belbenoît grows restless and decides he's had enough. 176 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,042 - He spends his morning plaiting the hats together, 177 00:08:34,208 --> 00:08:36,625 and he's actually free to wander about the jungle 178 00:08:36,750 --> 00:08:38,375 for the rest of the day. 179 00:08:38,542 --> 00:08:40,333 And it's while he's wandering around 180 00:08:40,500 --> 00:08:42,042 that he begins to put together 181 00:08:42,208 --> 00:08:44,250 his first plan for an escape. 182 00:08:44,375 --> 00:08:48,875 - Belbenoît decides to try a jungle escape route first. 183 00:08:49,042 --> 00:08:51,458 He'll float down the Maroni River, 184 00:08:51,583 --> 00:08:53,500 then cross over into Dutch Guiana, 185 00:08:53,625 --> 00:08:55,833 where he'll make his way through the jungle 186 00:08:55,958 --> 00:08:58,833 to the friendlier British Guiana. 187 00:08:58,958 --> 00:09:01,167 Besides the jungle, an added risk 188 00:09:01,292 --> 00:09:02,958 is that any Dutch authorities 189 00:09:03,083 --> 00:09:05,000 will turn him over to the French, 190 00:09:05,208 --> 00:09:06,667 but he has an idea. 191 00:09:06,750 --> 00:09:09,167 - He plans to do this on a Dutch holiday, 192 00:09:09,333 --> 00:09:12,208 'cause he assumes that all of the soldiers and other people 193 00:09:12,333 --> 00:09:14,000 will just be too busy celebrating 194 00:09:14,125 --> 00:09:16,250 to pay too much attention. 195 00:09:16,375 --> 00:09:18,083 - What he also has going for him 196 00:09:18,250 --> 00:09:21,417 is that the French guards in the penal colony 197 00:09:21,583 --> 00:09:24,000 don't really care if he tries to escape. 198 00:09:24,125 --> 00:09:27,542 - Penal colonies are very different in character 199 00:09:27,708 --> 00:09:31,250 to prisons, and they're much more open sites 200 00:09:31,375 --> 00:09:32,958 where prisoners are often 201 00:09:33,042 --> 00:09:35,708 less well guarded and surveyed. 202 00:09:35,875 --> 00:09:38,542 - The surrounding environment is so dangerous, 203 00:09:38,667 --> 00:09:40,833 the guards know that any escape attempt 204 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:45,750 will likely end in capture or death for the fugitive. 205 00:09:45,875 --> 00:09:47,625 - The guards were not necessarily gonna 206 00:09:47,750 --> 00:09:50,583 run after escaping prisoners in the middle of the night, 207 00:09:50,792 --> 00:09:52,542 but getting away from the prison 208 00:09:52,708 --> 00:09:54,417 and a successful escape 209 00:09:54,583 --> 00:09:56,083 were two different things. 210 00:09:56,208 --> 00:09:58,375 It was pretty much the preparation of escape 211 00:09:58,542 --> 00:09:59,917 that made all the difference. 212 00:10:00,042 --> 00:10:02,625 - The hardest part to prepare for 213 00:10:02,792 --> 00:10:04,875 is getting across the river, 214 00:10:05,042 --> 00:10:07,167 and for that, he's going to need help. 215 00:10:07,333 --> 00:10:09,792 Luckily, there's another prisoner in camp 216 00:10:09,875 --> 00:10:12,708 also eager to escape. 217 00:10:12,875 --> 00:10:16,333 - He strikes up an acquaintance with another prisoner, 218 00:10:16,500 --> 00:10:18,500 a young man named Leonce... 219 00:10:18,542 --> 00:10:20,833 ♪ 220 00:10:21,042 --> 00:10:25,333 Who is also eager to get out of the prison camp. 221 00:10:25,500 --> 00:10:27,125 - Their escape plan is simple: 222 00:10:27,250 --> 00:10:30,792 build a small raft and use it to float downriver 223 00:10:30,917 --> 00:10:33,167 and cross into Dutch Guiana. 224 00:10:33,292 --> 00:10:36,167 Thanks to the virtually nonexistent security 225 00:10:36,333 --> 00:10:38,375 at the timber camp, they can get to work. 226 00:10:38,542 --> 00:10:41,708 ♪ 227 00:10:41,833 --> 00:10:44,333 - The escape attempt was made by raft 228 00:10:44,458 --> 00:10:46,667 made of bamboo and liana vines. 229 00:10:46,833 --> 00:10:49,750 It's a very improvised vessel. 230 00:10:49,875 --> 00:10:52,000 - The best material would be bamboo 231 00:10:52,167 --> 00:10:54,500 because it would be light and it would float. 232 00:10:54,625 --> 00:10:56,750 And possibly, with some luck, 233 00:10:56,875 --> 00:11:00,792 it could get you across the Maroni River. 234 00:11:00,917 --> 00:11:05,958 ♪ 235 00:11:06,083 --> 00:11:08,667 - On the eve of the Dutch holiday, 236 00:11:08,750 --> 00:11:12,375 Belbenoît and Leonce slip out of the timber camp 237 00:11:12,500 --> 00:11:15,000 and set out down the tributary. 238 00:11:15,208 --> 00:11:16,167 ♪ 239 00:11:16,292 --> 00:11:18,625 They make it several miles before deciding 240 00:11:18,833 --> 00:11:21,208 to take cover on the riverbank for the night. 241 00:11:21,375 --> 00:11:27,083 ♪ 242 00:11:27,250 --> 00:11:29,250 It's a sleepless night. 243 00:11:29,417 --> 00:11:33,917 The duo is constantly attacked by mosquitoes, ants, 244 00:11:34,042 --> 00:11:37,083 and every insect imaginable. 245 00:11:37,208 --> 00:11:38,875 ♪ 246 00:11:39,042 --> 00:11:42,833 They wake the next morning having barely slept. 247 00:11:42,958 --> 00:11:44,750 As they set out across the rapids 248 00:11:44,875 --> 00:11:46,375 of the Maroni River, 249 00:11:46,500 --> 00:11:48,167 they immediately find themselves 250 00:11:48,333 --> 00:11:50,833 in extreme danger. 251 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:52,667 The currents could drag them under 252 00:11:52,833 --> 00:11:54,917 and dump them in the ocean. 253 00:11:55,083 --> 00:11:55,958 ♪ 254 00:11:56,083 --> 00:11:58,167 Belbenoît is about to find out 255 00:11:58,292 --> 00:12:01,500 you don't break the devil's grip so easily. 256 00:12:01,625 --> 00:12:03,917 ♪ 257 00:12:08,042 --> 00:12:11,000 - The raging rapids of the Maroni River 258 00:12:11,167 --> 00:12:13,625 thrash René Belbenoît and his fellow prisoner 259 00:12:13,708 --> 00:12:16,667 on a makeshift raft as they try to escape 260 00:12:16,792 --> 00:12:20,292 into Dutch Guiana from Devil's Island. 261 00:12:20,375 --> 00:12:23,333 But just when they're about to be swallowed up, 262 00:12:23,458 --> 00:12:26,542 a calming breeze rolls in, 263 00:12:26,667 --> 00:12:28,833 and somehow, someway, 264 00:12:28,958 --> 00:12:30,750 they make it to the other side. 265 00:12:30,958 --> 00:12:32,542 [dramatic music] 266 00:12:32,708 --> 00:12:36,000 But their success is short-lived. 267 00:12:36,167 --> 00:12:37,500 - They're able to make their way 268 00:12:37,625 --> 00:12:40,417 to the Dutch side of the river, 269 00:12:40,583 --> 00:12:43,167 only to be seen and apprehended 270 00:12:43,333 --> 00:12:45,875 by Dutch authorities to be extradited 271 00:12:46,042 --> 00:12:48,333 back across to French Guiana. 272 00:12:48,542 --> 00:12:50,458 ♪ 273 00:12:50,625 --> 00:12:53,333 - Petty thief René Belbenoît 274 00:12:53,542 --> 00:12:56,875 fails his first escape attempt from Devil's Island, 275 00:12:57,042 --> 00:13:00,375 an effort that lasts a mere 39 hours. 276 00:13:00,542 --> 00:13:06,167 As punishment, he's chained up in a barrack with 40 other men 277 00:13:06,333 --> 00:13:09,708 in the most unsanitary of conditions, 278 00:13:09,875 --> 00:13:13,417 where he will spend the next 60 days. 279 00:13:13,542 --> 00:13:15,542 ♪ 280 00:13:15,708 --> 00:13:20,667 Blockhouse prisoners are kept in cramped rows side by side. 281 00:13:20,875 --> 00:13:22,333 Lying on wooden boards, 282 00:13:22,500 --> 00:13:26,375 they are shackled into irons at their feet. 283 00:13:26,542 --> 00:13:30,500 The air is fetid and filled with the stench of men 284 00:13:30,667 --> 00:13:33,708 with no place to relieve themselves. 285 00:13:33,833 --> 00:13:35,167 There are rats 286 00:13:35,333 --> 00:13:37,542 and no protection from insects. 287 00:13:37,667 --> 00:13:39,375 - [screams] 288 00:13:39,500 --> 00:13:42,042 - Prisoners in the blockhouse typically were allowed 289 00:13:42,250 --> 00:13:44,875 an hour of exposure to the daylight, 290 00:13:45,042 --> 00:13:46,208 but the rest of the time, 291 00:13:46,375 --> 00:13:49,042 they would be in cellular confinement. 292 00:13:49,208 --> 00:13:50,583 Conditions were quite bleak. 293 00:13:50,708 --> 00:13:52,250 ♪ 294 00:13:52,375 --> 00:13:54,833 - Belbenoît's body becomes riddled with malaria 295 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:56,875 and black ant infestation. 296 00:13:57,083 --> 00:13:58,250 ♪ 297 00:13:58,375 --> 00:14:01,333 He often spends as much time in the infirmary 298 00:14:01,500 --> 00:14:05,042 as he does in the blockhouse 299 00:14:05,208 --> 00:14:09,167 and describes it as the lowest moment in his life. 300 00:14:09,250 --> 00:14:11,333 ♪ 301 00:14:11,500 --> 00:14:15,042 It's enough to kill many men 302 00:14:15,208 --> 00:14:17,333 but not the stubborn Belbenoît. 303 00:14:17,542 --> 00:14:19,625 ♪ 304 00:14:19,792 --> 00:14:22,917 He survives the hell of the blockhouse 305 00:14:23,042 --> 00:14:26,250 and begins planning his second escape. 306 00:14:26,375 --> 00:14:27,667 ♪ 307 00:14:27,708 --> 00:14:29,708 His first plan failed 308 00:14:29,875 --> 00:14:32,667 because it wasn't risky enough. 309 00:14:32,833 --> 00:14:34,292 Instead of crossing the Maroni, 310 00:14:34,458 --> 00:14:37,667 he decides the next attempt will ride the river 311 00:14:37,833 --> 00:14:41,292 all the way to the Atlantic Ocean 312 00:14:41,417 --> 00:14:45,333 and then sail northwest to freedom. 313 00:14:45,542 --> 00:14:46,792 ♪ 314 00:14:46,875 --> 00:14:49,708 Ironically, his bouts of ill health 315 00:14:49,875 --> 00:14:53,667 earn him a new job: cleaning the infirmary. 316 00:14:53,750 --> 00:14:55,833 It's not glamorous 317 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:57,708 but far better than slowly dying 318 00:14:57,875 --> 00:14:59,333 of heatstroke in the jungle. 319 00:14:59,542 --> 00:15:01,125 ♪ 320 00:15:01,208 --> 00:15:03,000 The cleaning job also allows him 321 00:15:03,208 --> 00:15:06,667 to put his next escape plan into action. 322 00:15:06,708 --> 00:15:13,625 ♪ 323 00:15:15,375 --> 00:15:18,167 He knows that he's going to need more men 324 00:15:18,333 --> 00:15:20,292 and, more importantly, money. 325 00:15:20,417 --> 00:15:22,667 ♪ 326 00:15:22,833 --> 00:15:25,333 Unlike most prisons, Devil's Island 327 00:15:25,500 --> 00:15:29,000 allows prisoners to carry a small amount of money. 328 00:15:29,125 --> 00:15:32,958 The guards take their cut, of course, perhaps 50%. 329 00:15:33,042 --> 00:15:35,333 But 50% of something 330 00:15:35,458 --> 00:15:37,958 is better than 100% of nothing. 331 00:15:38,042 --> 00:15:40,000 - Outside of solitary confinement, 332 00:15:40,125 --> 00:15:42,167 prisoners were kept together. 333 00:15:42,375 --> 00:15:46,958 Gambling and sex are really the only diversions. 334 00:15:47,083 --> 00:15:49,667 So prisoners do amass small things 335 00:15:49,875 --> 00:15:52,167 that they can use to either acquire goods 336 00:15:52,250 --> 00:15:55,292 or, particularly, bribe guards. 337 00:15:55,458 --> 00:15:56,708 ♪ 338 00:15:56,875 --> 00:15:59,000 - To keep their money safe, 339 00:15:59,083 --> 00:16:01,583 the prisoners develop an unusual means 340 00:16:01,708 --> 00:16:03,792 of keeping it hidden: 341 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:08,542 a small metal capsule called a plan. 342 00:16:08,708 --> 00:16:12,875 - Nearly every convict in French Guiana had a plan. 343 00:16:13,042 --> 00:16:15,500 It was seen as essential for your own survival. 344 00:16:15,708 --> 00:16:19,833 It's basically a cylindrical metal suppository 345 00:16:20,042 --> 00:16:22,625 that's obviously inserted into the rectum. 346 00:16:22,750 --> 00:16:27,875 The plan was the most common item used to store money, 347 00:16:28,042 --> 00:16:30,167 to store whatever valuables you can. 348 00:16:30,333 --> 00:16:31,750 - And that could make the difference 349 00:16:31,875 --> 00:16:32,917 between life and death. 350 00:16:33,042 --> 00:16:34,833 A prisoner who had money 351 00:16:35,042 --> 00:16:39,000 had the possibility of financing an escape. 352 00:16:39,125 --> 00:16:40,750 - Thanks to his new job, 353 00:16:40,875 --> 00:16:44,125 Belbenoît has a plan to earn money for an escape. 354 00:16:44,292 --> 00:16:46,333 He knows that all the prisoners, 355 00:16:46,500 --> 00:16:47,750 himself included, 356 00:16:47,875 --> 00:16:49,958 suffer from malnutrition 357 00:16:50,042 --> 00:16:52,500 and lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. 358 00:16:52,708 --> 00:16:56,208 - The entire hospital is suffering from scurvy. 359 00:16:56,375 --> 00:16:59,833 Belbenoît discovers an orange tree 360 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:02,167 and goes into the business 361 00:17:02,333 --> 00:17:06,000 of selling oranges to prisoners. 362 00:17:06,208 --> 00:17:09,333 - In addition, Belbenoît catches and sells 363 00:17:09,458 --> 00:17:12,708 blue morpho butterflies to the guards, 364 00:17:12,875 --> 00:17:15,500 who would then sell them in town. 365 00:17:15,625 --> 00:17:17,500 So, little by little, 366 00:17:17,583 --> 00:17:20,750 Belbenoît starts to accumulate money. 367 00:17:20,917 --> 00:17:25,792 ♪ 368 00:17:25,917 --> 00:17:28,000 A year and a half into his sentence, 369 00:17:28,125 --> 00:17:30,667 Belbenoît is ready to try another escape, 370 00:17:30,792 --> 00:17:33,500 this time not near the jungle 371 00:17:33,667 --> 00:17:35,500 but the ocean. 372 00:17:35,625 --> 00:17:38,958 - Belbenoît had enough experience hearing 373 00:17:39,083 --> 00:17:40,958 other prisoners talk about their escapes 374 00:17:41,042 --> 00:17:42,167 in the blockhouse 375 00:17:42,333 --> 00:17:45,625 to realize that the best chances to escape 376 00:17:45,792 --> 00:17:48,083 would be through the sea. 377 00:17:48,208 --> 00:17:49,833 - He and a few men will float a boat 378 00:17:49,958 --> 00:17:51,750 down the Maroni River 379 00:17:51,875 --> 00:17:54,833 13 miles to the Atlantic Ocean. 380 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,083 They will then raise a sail 381 00:17:57,250 --> 00:17:59,917 and head northwest along the coast 382 00:18:00,083 --> 00:18:03,708 all the way to Venezuela and freedom. 383 00:18:03,833 --> 00:18:05,333 It's much more ambitious, 384 00:18:05,500 --> 00:18:07,708 and that means he's going to need 385 00:18:07,875 --> 00:18:11,167 a whole team of accomplices. 386 00:18:11,292 --> 00:18:13,292 In the year he's spent at Devil's Island, 387 00:18:13,375 --> 00:18:16,292 Belbenoît has made friends with many of the prisoners, 388 00:18:16,375 --> 00:18:19,333 so he sets up clandestine interviews 389 00:18:19,458 --> 00:18:24,083 in bushes, empty barracks, anywhere he can find. 390 00:18:24,208 --> 00:18:27,292 At the top of the list is a navigator, 391 00:18:27,500 --> 00:18:29,250 because sailing down a raging coast 392 00:18:29,417 --> 00:18:32,708 is different than just crossing the river. 393 00:18:32,875 --> 00:18:36,750 He recruits a scrappy man known only as Basque, 394 00:18:36,875 --> 00:18:41,375 who assures Belbenoît he's an expert sailor. 395 00:18:41,500 --> 00:18:46,292 For muscle, to deal with any authorities along the way, 396 00:18:46,375 --> 00:18:48,500 he enlists Marseillais, 397 00:18:48,625 --> 00:18:50,958 an ex-mercenary who was too brutal 398 00:18:51,042 --> 00:18:53,125 and sadistic even for war, 399 00:18:53,208 --> 00:18:56,083 so, of course, he got sent to Devil's Island. 400 00:18:56,208 --> 00:18:57,833 ♪ 401 00:18:58,042 --> 00:19:02,167 Next is Gypsy, an older veteran. 402 00:19:02,208 --> 00:19:05,167 Gypsy's missing a leg, but he's brought on board 403 00:19:05,292 --> 00:19:08,375 because his friend Robert 404 00:19:08,542 --> 00:19:11,542 offers cash, lots of cash, 405 00:19:11,667 --> 00:19:15,167 essential to get an escape this size rolling. 406 00:19:15,333 --> 00:19:18,167 For everything they can't buy, they steal with the help 407 00:19:18,292 --> 00:19:22,042 of a master thief, Dede, 408 00:19:22,208 --> 00:19:26,500 a man Belbenoît calls a helpless degenerate. 409 00:19:26,625 --> 00:19:28,417 Belbenoît rounds out the crew 410 00:19:28,500 --> 00:19:32,167 with his gambling friend Poletti 411 00:19:32,292 --> 00:19:35,792 to help with the rowing and sailing. 412 00:19:35,958 --> 00:19:39,000 Belbenoît's team is now set. 413 00:19:39,083 --> 00:19:42,708 It's a risky, foolhardy plan. 414 00:19:42,833 --> 00:19:46,375 The question is, is it crazy enough to work? 415 00:19:46,542 --> 00:19:49,667 ♪ 416 00:19:54,375 --> 00:19:57,333 - To pull off his second escape attempt, 417 00:19:57,542 --> 00:20:01,708 Belbenoît assembles a team of six other prisoners. 418 00:20:01,875 --> 00:20:03,000 They hope to slip out 419 00:20:03,208 --> 00:20:05,708 through the poorly guarded timber camp. 420 00:20:05,833 --> 00:20:09,083 They target Christmas Eve for their escape, 421 00:20:09,250 --> 00:20:11,833 giving them three weeks to get ready. 422 00:20:12,042 --> 00:20:14,833 [dramatic music] 423 00:20:15,042 --> 00:20:17,458 ♪ 424 00:20:17,583 --> 00:20:21,333 Because it's a major holiday, Belbenoît figures the guards 425 00:20:21,458 --> 00:20:24,333 will be too drunk to notice them leaving. 426 00:20:24,458 --> 00:20:28,042 But in order to leave, Belbenoît and his team 427 00:20:28,208 --> 00:20:30,167 need a boat, something a lot bigger 428 00:20:30,250 --> 00:20:32,583 than the raft he made the first time. 429 00:20:32,750 --> 00:20:35,708 ♪ 430 00:20:35,875 --> 00:20:39,375 They first attempt to construct the boat themselves. 431 00:20:39,542 --> 00:20:41,333 Dede is put in charge of building 432 00:20:41,458 --> 00:20:44,500 along with Marseillais in the late afternoon 433 00:20:44,667 --> 00:20:47,500 when the guards are barely watching. 434 00:20:47,667 --> 00:20:50,333 Marseillais starts hacking down branches 435 00:20:50,417 --> 00:20:54,375 and hollowing out a large rubber tree. 436 00:20:54,458 --> 00:20:59,333 Meanwhile, Belbenoît and Robert, the money man, 437 00:20:59,458 --> 00:21:03,125 start bribing guards and prisoners for provisions. 438 00:21:03,250 --> 00:21:05,375 - The team, as it were, 439 00:21:05,542 --> 00:21:08,792 devotes about 100 francs to purchase food, 440 00:21:08,875 --> 00:21:11,333 and so they're able to provide a variety of things-- 441 00:21:11,458 --> 00:21:15,042 condensed milk, tapioca, a bunch of bananas-- 442 00:21:15,208 --> 00:21:17,000 bribing various guards 443 00:21:17,167 --> 00:21:19,292 and also bartering with other inmates 444 00:21:19,458 --> 00:21:20,958 to acquire the cash that they think 445 00:21:21,125 --> 00:21:22,208 they're going to need to sustain them 446 00:21:22,375 --> 00:21:23,917 on their escape. 447 00:21:24,042 --> 00:21:25,583 - In addition to food, 448 00:21:25,708 --> 00:21:28,250 the men have to secure a source of water. 449 00:21:28,375 --> 00:21:31,417 Their solution is not for the faint of heart. 450 00:21:31,583 --> 00:21:34,000 - Latrine buckets on Devil's Island 451 00:21:34,083 --> 00:21:37,333 were stolen to be used for fresh water during escapes. 452 00:21:37,458 --> 00:21:41,458 They had to be cleaned out, cured with fire and tar 453 00:21:41,583 --> 00:21:45,042 to make them leakproof and disinfect them. 454 00:21:45,208 --> 00:21:47,833 - It's not pretty, but it works. 455 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:51,208 However, the men need more than just a canoe, 456 00:21:51,375 --> 00:21:52,833 food, and water 457 00:21:52,917 --> 00:21:56,625 to power them through the rough Atlantic waters. 458 00:21:56,792 --> 00:22:00,792 Basque, the captain, arranges for a sail to be made 459 00:22:00,875 --> 00:22:04,375 that they will hoist once out in the open water. 460 00:22:04,542 --> 00:22:07,125 - One of the free men in the village 461 00:22:07,333 --> 00:22:10,000 sells Belbenoît some old pants, 462 00:22:10,208 --> 00:22:12,750 as well as a discarded hammock. 463 00:22:12,875 --> 00:22:15,500 With those materials, they're able to fashion 464 00:22:15,625 --> 00:22:19,292 a crude sail for their dugout canoe. 465 00:22:19,417 --> 00:22:22,125 - It all seems to be going to plan, 466 00:22:22,250 --> 00:22:24,958 but when Basque inspects the boat, 467 00:22:25,042 --> 00:22:27,292 he does not approve. 468 00:22:27,375 --> 00:22:29,625 It's so crude, there's no way it could survive 469 00:22:29,792 --> 00:22:32,042 the pounding of the open ocean. 470 00:22:32,208 --> 00:22:36,667 - Part of the challenge is finding a vessel large enough. 471 00:22:36,875 --> 00:22:39,750 That's gonna be difficult to construct on your own. 472 00:22:39,875 --> 00:22:45,333 ♪ 473 00:22:45,458 --> 00:22:48,167 - But Belbenoît is undeterred. 474 00:22:48,292 --> 00:22:51,333 Through his contacts, he gets word of a large canoe 475 00:22:51,417 --> 00:22:53,917 down in the Chinese quarter of Saint-Laurent. 476 00:22:54,042 --> 00:22:55,500 ♪ 477 00:22:55,625 --> 00:22:58,458 The merchants refuse to sell for the money they have, 478 00:22:58,583 --> 00:23:02,333 so they let Dede handle it. 479 00:23:02,458 --> 00:23:05,292 Why buy what you can steal? 480 00:23:05,375 --> 00:23:07,042 - What they end up doing 481 00:23:07,167 --> 00:23:09,875 is stealing a very long dugout canoe 482 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:11,417 that's going to be able to carry 483 00:23:11,542 --> 00:23:12,792 not only their weight, 484 00:23:12,875 --> 00:23:14,667 the weight of all of their supplies, 485 00:23:14,875 --> 00:23:18,333 but also endure the rigors of the choppy Atlantic waters. 486 00:23:18,458 --> 00:23:21,917 - Stealing a canoe is a risk they don't need. 487 00:23:22,083 --> 00:23:24,292 If they're caught lurking around at night 488 00:23:24,458 --> 00:23:25,750 committing a crime, 489 00:23:25,917 --> 00:23:28,292 they could be sent to solitary 490 00:23:28,375 --> 00:23:31,292 or, worse, executed. 491 00:23:31,417 --> 00:23:34,667 But they have no other option. 492 00:23:34,833 --> 00:23:37,833 Under the cover of darkness, Dede and Poletti 493 00:23:38,042 --> 00:23:41,333 creep around the edge of the Chinese quarter. 494 00:23:41,500 --> 00:23:44,375 The canoe is tied to a post. 495 00:23:44,542 --> 00:23:46,833 The two rush toward the canoe 496 00:23:46,917 --> 00:23:50,542 and they cut the ropes holding it down. 497 00:23:50,708 --> 00:23:54,542 But a nightwatchman catches them in the act 498 00:23:54,750 --> 00:23:57,583 and grabs Poletti and slits his throat. 499 00:23:57,708 --> 00:24:01,000 ♪ 500 00:24:01,125 --> 00:24:04,792 Dede thinks he's next, 501 00:24:04,917 --> 00:24:08,625 but Marseillais jumps out of the bushes 502 00:24:08,792 --> 00:24:11,208 and makes quick work of the man with his machete. 503 00:24:11,375 --> 00:24:15,125 ♪ 504 00:24:15,208 --> 00:24:20,000 When Belbenoît learns about Poletti, he's upset, 505 00:24:20,083 --> 00:24:22,375 but he also knows it means one less 506 00:24:22,542 --> 00:24:25,292 mouth to feed on the open ocean, 507 00:24:25,417 --> 00:24:27,083 and they've got their canoe. 508 00:24:27,250 --> 00:24:28,583 ♪ 509 00:24:28,708 --> 00:24:31,833 So, on the night before Christmas, 510 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:36,000 Belbenoît and his now five compatriots 511 00:24:36,208 --> 00:24:39,000 are set to make their escape. 512 00:24:39,167 --> 00:24:41,167 But what happens next 513 00:24:41,250 --> 00:24:44,833 is not exactly a Christmas miracle. 514 00:24:49,208 --> 00:24:52,042 [dramatic music] 515 00:24:52,250 --> 00:24:59,000 ♪ 516 00:24:59,125 --> 00:25:02,625 - On Christmas Eve, their supplies and boat set, 517 00:25:02,708 --> 00:25:05,417 Belbenoît and his fellow prisoners 518 00:25:05,542 --> 00:25:08,833 slip out under the cover of darkness. 519 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:13,000 They pile into the canoe and float down to the Maroni. 520 00:25:13,167 --> 00:25:15,208 At first, all is calm, 521 00:25:15,333 --> 00:25:17,292 and the men are in good spirits. 522 00:25:17,417 --> 00:25:18,833 ♪ 523 00:25:18,958 --> 00:25:20,500 This happiness is short-lived 524 00:25:20,667 --> 00:25:22,750 because the dangerous rapids 525 00:25:22,917 --> 00:25:26,167 rear their ugly heads once more. 526 00:25:26,333 --> 00:25:27,917 [thunderclap] 527 00:25:28,042 --> 00:25:29,833 ♪ 528 00:25:29,958 --> 00:25:31,917 Fighting brutal currents, the men wrestle their boat 529 00:25:32,042 --> 00:25:34,917 for three hours and over 13 miles 530 00:25:35,042 --> 00:25:36,667 to the ocean. 531 00:25:36,750 --> 00:25:39,208 When they arrive at the mouth of the river, 532 00:25:39,375 --> 00:25:42,125 their plan hits its first snag. 533 00:25:42,292 --> 00:25:43,375 ♪ 534 00:25:43,542 --> 00:25:45,292 Due to the tossing and turning, 535 00:25:45,375 --> 00:25:48,833 much of their food and water has been knocked overboard, 536 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:53,000 food and water that was supposed to last them weeks. 537 00:25:53,125 --> 00:25:56,500 And as their rickety canoe slips out into the ocean, 538 00:25:56,625 --> 00:25:59,583 things go from bad to worse. 539 00:25:59,708 --> 00:26:02,292 - French Guiana to Venezuela, 540 00:26:02,417 --> 00:26:04,708 you're talking about 1,000 miles. 541 00:26:04,875 --> 00:26:08,667 You always risk being pushed back onto the coast. 542 00:26:08,833 --> 00:26:11,333 It becomes extremely hazardous. 543 00:26:11,500 --> 00:26:12,958 - These are the conditions that call 544 00:26:13,083 --> 00:26:16,333 for a skillful and heroic captain. 545 00:26:16,458 --> 00:26:19,292 Unfortunately, they don't have one. 546 00:26:19,417 --> 00:26:22,625 Their captain, Basque, has taken ill. 547 00:26:22,750 --> 00:26:25,833 - Huge waves are crashing down on the boat, 548 00:26:26,042 --> 00:26:30,375 so the men are furiously bailing out the canoe. 549 00:26:30,542 --> 00:26:32,625 Basque, the supposed navigator, 550 00:26:32,833 --> 00:26:36,417 refuses to take the helm of the canoe, 551 00:26:36,583 --> 00:26:38,167 saying he was feeling ill. 552 00:26:38,333 --> 00:26:42,625 - They try to raise the sail, but it's no use. 553 00:26:42,750 --> 00:26:45,667 Again, they press Basque into serving. 554 00:26:45,833 --> 00:26:47,667 But it soon becomes clear 555 00:26:47,792 --> 00:26:51,333 that Basque is not the man he claimed to be. 556 00:26:51,542 --> 00:26:54,375 - He continues to refuse to take control. 557 00:26:54,542 --> 00:26:56,708 He is revealed to be a fraud. 558 00:26:56,833 --> 00:27:00,208 He knows nothing of sailing, navigation. 559 00:27:00,375 --> 00:27:01,458 It was all a lie. 560 00:27:01,542 --> 00:27:02,875 ♪ 561 00:27:03,042 --> 00:27:04,625 - They don't have time to confront him 562 00:27:04,750 --> 00:27:08,042 because, at the worst possible time, 563 00:27:08,208 --> 00:27:11,375 a squall hits, capsizing the boat, 564 00:27:11,500 --> 00:27:15,000 sending all of the men into the water. 565 00:27:15,167 --> 00:27:16,833 They frantically swim 566 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:19,125 and make it to the nearest shore. 567 00:27:19,208 --> 00:27:22,000 ♪ 568 00:27:22,167 --> 00:27:23,875 In the morning sun, 569 00:27:24,042 --> 00:27:27,792 the grim reality of their situation sets in. 570 00:27:27,917 --> 00:27:30,167 - Their vessel ceases to be seaworthy. 571 00:27:30,333 --> 00:27:32,667 They lose their rudder. They lose their sail. 572 00:27:32,833 --> 00:27:35,375 All of their food supplies and their fresh water 573 00:27:35,542 --> 00:27:37,375 is missing. 574 00:27:37,542 --> 00:27:41,292 - Belbenoît calls a meeting to get their bearings. 575 00:27:41,417 --> 00:27:46,167 It's then that he realizes exactly where they are. 576 00:27:46,375 --> 00:27:48,958 Despite a bigger team and a bigger boat, 577 00:27:49,083 --> 00:27:51,542 Belbenoît has ended up in the same place 578 00:27:51,708 --> 00:27:54,375 his first escape attempt ended: 579 00:27:54,542 --> 00:27:56,500 Dutch Guiana. 580 00:27:56,625 --> 00:27:57,625 - They hadn't gotten anywhere. 581 00:27:57,833 --> 00:27:59,125 They've gone next door, 582 00:27:59,250 --> 00:28:01,833 to the place where they would be turned in. 583 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:05,875 - All that struggle has been for nothing. 584 00:28:06,042 --> 00:28:07,042 ♪ 585 00:28:07,208 --> 00:28:10,792 This many criminals in such a dire situation 586 00:28:10,917 --> 00:28:13,958 is a recipe for disaster. 587 00:28:14,083 --> 00:28:16,500 Tempers quickly flare, and the group's anger 588 00:28:16,667 --> 00:28:20,083 is turned towards Basque. 589 00:28:20,250 --> 00:28:23,833 To Marseillais, there's only one solution. 590 00:28:23,958 --> 00:28:27,667 Basque must be punished for his betrayal. 591 00:28:27,792 --> 00:28:30,500 - Marseillais, knife in hand, 592 00:28:30,708 --> 00:28:32,208 walks up to Basque... 593 00:28:32,375 --> 00:28:34,833 ♪ 594 00:28:34,958 --> 00:28:38,167 Stabs him dead... 595 00:28:38,375 --> 00:28:42,667 ♪ 596 00:28:42,833 --> 00:28:46,667 Drags his body out to the shore, 597 00:28:46,833 --> 00:28:48,792 and tosses him out into the Atlantic. 598 00:28:48,917 --> 00:28:52,958 - Two dead men wasn't part of the plan at all. 599 00:28:53,083 --> 00:28:54,833 The more crew they lose, 600 00:28:54,917 --> 00:28:58,000 the closer their escape comes to doom. 601 00:28:58,125 --> 00:28:59,667 ♪ 602 00:28:59,792 --> 00:29:02,750 With no boat and no captain, 603 00:29:02,875 --> 00:29:04,708 their only choice is to try 604 00:29:04,792 --> 00:29:08,542 and forge their way through the jungle. 605 00:29:08,625 --> 00:29:10,750 With hardly any food or water, 606 00:29:10,875 --> 00:29:13,333 the men struggle to make progress. 607 00:29:13,417 --> 00:29:19,250 ♪ 608 00:29:19,375 --> 00:29:21,333 After days of trying, 609 00:29:21,542 --> 00:29:24,333 they're forced to admit defeat. 610 00:29:24,458 --> 00:29:27,958 Getting stuck in the jungle would mean certain death. 611 00:29:28,125 --> 00:29:29,792 ♪ 612 00:29:29,958 --> 00:29:34,417 The men must change the plan from escape to survival. 613 00:29:34,542 --> 00:29:39,042 If they turn themselves in, they might be given leniency. 614 00:29:39,167 --> 00:29:43,167 So they turn around and head back towards the river 615 00:29:43,292 --> 00:29:45,333 and French Guiana. 616 00:29:45,500 --> 00:29:48,917 - Robert and Gypsy lag behind the other men. 617 00:29:49,083 --> 00:29:51,542 Eventually, Gypsy will catch up to the group 618 00:29:51,708 --> 00:29:53,333 and will report that Robert 619 00:29:53,375 --> 00:29:55,625 had been ailing and lagging behind. 620 00:29:55,750 --> 00:29:58,208 Perhaps he's gotten slightly lost. 621 00:29:58,375 --> 00:30:02,000 - But after an hour, Robert has not arrived, 622 00:30:02,167 --> 00:30:05,500 and so Marseillais decides to retrace 623 00:30:05,625 --> 00:30:08,667 the group's steps back to the jungle. 624 00:30:08,792 --> 00:30:10,333 And what does he discover? 625 00:30:10,458 --> 00:30:13,333 Robert's still warm 626 00:30:13,500 --> 00:30:15,583 but very dead body. 627 00:30:15,708 --> 00:30:17,000 ♪ 628 00:30:17,125 --> 00:30:18,458 Inspecting the body, 629 00:30:18,583 --> 00:30:20,125 Marseillais sees 630 00:30:20,250 --> 00:30:23,958 a massive wound on the back of Robert's head. 631 00:30:24,083 --> 00:30:25,000 ♪ 632 00:30:25,208 --> 00:30:28,667 - Robert, the money man, is dead. 633 00:30:28,792 --> 00:30:32,208 The question is, at whose hand? 634 00:30:32,333 --> 00:30:35,250 Marseillais finds Gypsy's spare walking stick 635 00:30:35,375 --> 00:30:38,833 with blood on it next to Robert's body. 636 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:41,292 He's pretty sure he's got his answer. 637 00:30:41,417 --> 00:30:44,375 What's more, he searches Robert's sack, 638 00:30:44,542 --> 00:30:48,375 which was carrying the group's only salvaged can of rations. 639 00:30:48,500 --> 00:30:50,375 The sack is empty. 640 00:30:50,542 --> 00:30:53,625 ♪ 641 00:30:53,792 --> 00:30:55,792 Marseillais returns to camp 642 00:30:55,958 --> 00:30:59,208 and asks Gypsy for his food sack. 643 00:30:59,375 --> 00:31:04,000 When he opens it, out falls the smoking gun: 644 00:31:04,167 --> 00:31:06,833 a bloody can of condensed milk, 645 00:31:06,958 --> 00:31:10,042 the only food the group has left. 646 00:31:10,208 --> 00:31:12,500 Marseilles has seen enough. 647 00:31:12,583 --> 00:31:13,708 - Gypsy is wary. 648 00:31:13,875 --> 00:31:15,917 He has an idea of what's coming 649 00:31:16,125 --> 00:31:18,583 as revenge for the murder of Robert. 650 00:31:18,708 --> 00:31:20,833 ♪ 651 00:31:21,042 --> 00:31:23,583 - Plunging his knife straight into Gypsy's heart... 652 00:31:23,708 --> 00:31:25,792 ♪ 653 00:31:25,958 --> 00:31:29,167 Marseilles ends the wounded vet's life. 654 00:31:29,250 --> 00:31:32,833 ♪ 655 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:35,333 With three of his crew murdered, 656 00:31:35,417 --> 00:31:39,208 Belbenoît knows his plan has gone horribly wrong. 657 00:31:39,375 --> 00:31:42,958 Not only has his second escape attempt failed. 658 00:31:43,083 --> 00:31:45,208 He might not even survive it. 659 00:31:45,375 --> 00:31:46,958 ♪ 660 00:31:51,042 --> 00:31:52,125 - René Belbenoît's second attempt 661 00:31:52,250 --> 00:31:54,208 to escape French Guiana fails. 662 00:31:54,375 --> 00:31:58,833 Marooned in Dutch Guiana, hostile locals or soldiers 663 00:31:58,958 --> 00:32:01,375 could overtake them any a moment. 664 00:32:01,542 --> 00:32:05,167 But the real threat is his fellow prisoners. 665 00:32:05,250 --> 00:32:09,750 One of the crew has murdered two fellow fugitives. 666 00:32:09,875 --> 00:32:13,167 For Belbenoît, this escape 667 00:32:13,292 --> 00:32:15,333 is turning into a nightmare. 668 00:32:15,500 --> 00:32:18,333 [dramatic music] 669 00:32:18,458 --> 00:32:21,208 ♪ 670 00:32:21,417 --> 00:32:23,333 - They are, at this point, starving, 671 00:32:23,500 --> 00:32:26,333 have not had any fresh water for several days. 672 00:32:26,500 --> 00:32:29,083 They have not eaten anything for several days. 673 00:32:29,208 --> 00:32:32,000 - That night, the crew's quest for survival 674 00:32:32,125 --> 00:32:34,333 takes an even darker turn. 675 00:32:34,458 --> 00:32:37,208 - Suddenly, at the center of camp, 676 00:32:37,375 --> 00:32:38,250 is a dead body. 677 00:32:38,375 --> 00:32:42,667 ♪ 678 00:32:42,833 --> 00:32:44,458 Now, what to do with this dead body? 679 00:32:44,583 --> 00:32:46,792 Dede proposes, 680 00:32:46,958 --> 00:32:49,167 after all, he's no better than a beast, 681 00:32:49,250 --> 00:32:51,500 and what are beasts if not to be eaten? 682 00:32:51,625 --> 00:32:56,375 ♪ 683 00:32:56,542 --> 00:33:01,625 - Marseillais and Dede agree to eat their dead prison mate. 684 00:33:01,708 --> 00:33:05,917 Belbenoît has no choice but to go along with it. 685 00:33:06,042 --> 00:33:09,792 - He describes an orgy of sadism and cannibalism. 686 00:33:09,917 --> 00:33:14,292 ♪ 687 00:33:14,417 --> 00:33:17,667 He was afraid that if he did not comply, 688 00:33:17,708 --> 00:33:19,625 he may be the next victim. 689 00:33:19,708 --> 00:33:26,583 ♪ 690 00:33:27,250 --> 00:33:29,125 - After they eat his foot, 691 00:33:29,292 --> 00:33:31,833 the men completely butcher Gypsy's body. 692 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:34,042 - Very quickly, they are roasting 693 00:33:34,167 --> 00:33:36,208 Gypsy's liver over the fire, 694 00:33:36,375 --> 00:33:40,833 a fire kindled with Gypsy's own wooden leg. 695 00:33:40,917 --> 00:33:43,333 ♪ 696 00:33:43,542 --> 00:33:45,833 - Cannibalism has reduced the group's morale 697 00:33:45,917 --> 00:33:48,833 to a new low, 698 00:33:48,958 --> 00:33:51,417 at least Belbenoît's. 699 00:33:51,583 --> 00:33:55,833 But their nightmare soon comes to an end. 700 00:33:55,958 --> 00:34:02,833 ♪ 701 00:34:02,958 --> 00:34:05,625 The next day, they continue their march 702 00:34:05,750 --> 00:34:08,708 and find a welcoming Indigenous village. 703 00:34:08,917 --> 00:34:10,167 ♪ 704 00:34:10,333 --> 00:34:12,500 For the moment, they're safe. 705 00:34:12,625 --> 00:34:15,833 They're fed and given a place to sleep. 706 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:18,333 Belbenoît may survive after all. 707 00:34:18,458 --> 00:34:19,583 ♪ 708 00:34:19,750 --> 00:34:21,833 The only problem: 709 00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:23,500 it's a setup. 710 00:34:23,625 --> 00:34:26,750 - They're awakened the next morning by the police... 711 00:34:26,875 --> 00:34:30,000 ♪ 712 00:34:30,125 --> 00:34:32,708 And taken back to French Guiana and to prison. 713 00:34:32,875 --> 00:34:38,375 ♪ 714 00:34:38,542 --> 00:34:40,917 - Belbenoît, for his repeat offense, 715 00:34:41,042 --> 00:34:43,917 is banished to solitary confinement 716 00:34:44,042 --> 00:34:46,500 on the feared Saint-Joseph Island. 717 00:34:46,583 --> 00:34:51,875 ♪ 718 00:34:52,042 --> 00:34:53,875 Prisoners are kept in tiny cells 719 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:55,917 with little room to move. 720 00:34:56,042 --> 00:34:58,833 It is the worst of the prisons. 721 00:34:58,958 --> 00:35:01,167 - Solitary confinement on Saint-Joseph 722 00:35:01,292 --> 00:35:03,708 was punishment on top of punishment, 723 00:35:03,875 --> 00:35:08,708 to show the prisoner, we will go to this extreme 724 00:35:08,833 --> 00:35:10,083 if you get out of line. 725 00:35:10,250 --> 00:35:12,167 Don't think that we won't do it. 726 00:35:12,292 --> 00:35:14,542 [maniacal laughter] 727 00:35:14,708 --> 00:35:18,375 - He spends the next year in solitary, 728 00:35:18,542 --> 00:35:20,833 but this gives him time to think of a new way 729 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:22,500 to fight back, 730 00:35:22,583 --> 00:35:25,667 to record the horrors of Devil's Island. 731 00:35:25,792 --> 00:35:29,250 ♪ 732 00:35:29,417 --> 00:35:33,000 He's able to bribe a guard to give him a pen and paper, 733 00:35:33,167 --> 00:35:34,667 and he begins writing. 734 00:35:34,875 --> 00:35:37,750 ♪ 735 00:35:37,958 --> 00:35:39,875 Little does Belbenoît know, 736 00:35:40,042 --> 00:35:42,042 his talent for writing 737 00:35:42,208 --> 00:35:44,292 will be his best chance at freedom. 738 00:35:44,375 --> 00:35:49,167 ♪ 739 00:35:49,292 --> 00:35:52,792 After solitary, Belbenoît serves almost a decade 740 00:35:52,917 --> 00:35:56,000 in various parts of the colony. 741 00:35:56,167 --> 00:35:59,333 During this time, a reform-minded official 742 00:35:59,458 --> 00:36:01,417 takes interest in Belbenoît's writings, 743 00:36:01,542 --> 00:36:05,125 and he's able to get a few articles published. 744 00:36:05,250 --> 00:36:06,833 With this new sense of purpose, 745 00:36:07,042 --> 00:36:10,333 the time just flies by. 746 00:36:10,542 --> 00:36:13,167 ♪ 747 00:36:13,333 --> 00:36:16,000 After 11 years on Devil's Island 748 00:36:16,167 --> 00:36:19,167 and multiple failed attempts to escape, 749 00:36:19,333 --> 00:36:24,125 René Belbenoît is finally released from prison. 750 00:36:24,208 --> 00:36:27,000 But according to French law, 751 00:36:27,042 --> 00:36:30,292 he's merely a libéré 752 00:36:30,417 --> 00:36:34,208 and is forbidden from leaving the colony. 753 00:36:34,375 --> 00:36:36,833 Then something happens that you'd swear 754 00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:39,292 could only happen in a movie. 755 00:36:39,458 --> 00:36:40,458 ♪ 756 00:36:40,583 --> 00:36:42,958 Belbenoît is tracked down 757 00:36:43,125 --> 00:36:45,500 by an American movie producer 758 00:36:45,583 --> 00:36:47,167 who has seen his writings 759 00:36:47,333 --> 00:36:50,875 and wants to turn them into a movie. 760 00:36:51,083 --> 00:36:52,500 ♪ 761 00:36:52,625 --> 00:36:55,875 Belbenoît dishes as much detail as he can, 762 00:36:56,042 --> 00:36:57,500 and as a thank-you, 763 00:36:57,625 --> 00:37:01,750 the produce a gives Belbenoît 200 francs. 764 00:37:01,875 --> 00:37:05,917 This is enough money to put together one final mission. 765 00:37:06,042 --> 00:37:11,042 This time, he sets his sights on the United States. 766 00:37:11,167 --> 00:37:13,083 - He thought the United States 767 00:37:13,208 --> 00:37:16,167 was the right place to alert the world 768 00:37:16,292 --> 00:37:18,750 about Devil's Island. 769 00:37:18,875 --> 00:37:24,167 ♪ 770 00:37:24,292 --> 00:37:26,250 - In spring 1935, 771 00:37:26,375 --> 00:37:29,417 after 12 years confined to the penal colony, 772 00:37:29,542 --> 00:37:31,917 Belbenoît pushes off in a small boat 773 00:37:32,083 --> 00:37:33,542 with several prisoners, 774 00:37:33,708 --> 00:37:36,250 this time, thanks to his 200 francs, 775 00:37:36,375 --> 00:37:39,750 with a real sail and a real navigator. 776 00:37:39,875 --> 00:37:41,500 - Belbenoît's final escape 777 00:37:41,625 --> 00:37:44,375 showed the learning curve of escapes: 778 00:37:44,500 --> 00:37:48,000 don't repeat the same mistake twice. 779 00:37:48,125 --> 00:37:50,958 - The goal is to reach Trinidad, 780 00:37:51,042 --> 00:37:54,333 a British island colony friendly to fugitives. 781 00:37:54,500 --> 00:37:57,208 From there, they'll head north, 782 00:37:57,375 --> 00:38:00,667 all the way to Miami and freedom. 783 00:38:00,792 --> 00:38:02,167 ♪ 784 00:38:02,250 --> 00:38:04,833 The 14-day journey is harrowing, 785 00:38:05,042 --> 00:38:08,292 filled with blisters, hunger, and infighting. 786 00:38:08,458 --> 00:38:10,042 But, amazingly, 787 00:38:10,250 --> 00:38:15,000 they make it 700 miles to Trinidad. 788 00:38:15,208 --> 00:38:19,417 They continue on their way, but the ocean has other ideas. 789 00:38:19,542 --> 00:38:22,458 The strong currents push them far west, 790 00:38:22,583 --> 00:38:25,042 crashing them on the shores of Colombia... 791 00:38:25,208 --> 00:38:28,000 ♪ 792 00:38:28,125 --> 00:38:31,125 A country not friendly to convicts. 793 00:38:31,208 --> 00:38:33,458 ♪ 794 00:38:33,625 --> 00:38:36,167 Belbenoît is thrown into a cell 795 00:38:36,250 --> 00:38:38,792 to await the French consul, 796 00:38:38,917 --> 00:38:42,500 1,500 miles for nothing. 797 00:38:42,625 --> 00:38:45,708 Will Devil's Island finally get its way with him? 798 00:38:45,875 --> 00:38:47,833 ♪ 799 00:38:52,042 --> 00:38:53,500 [dramatic music] 800 00:38:53,625 --> 00:38:56,417 - René Belbenoît finds himself on the brink 801 00:38:56,542 --> 00:38:59,417 of going back to Devil's Island, 802 00:38:59,542 --> 00:39:02,333 but his lifeline is surprising. 803 00:39:02,417 --> 00:39:06,125 It's not his criminal skills. 804 00:39:06,250 --> 00:39:09,250 His words become his most important currency. 805 00:39:09,417 --> 00:39:11,875 He's stuck in a Colombian jail, 806 00:39:12,042 --> 00:39:16,667 and the locals get word that a famous prisoner is in town. 807 00:39:16,833 --> 00:39:20,250 - He had already published many, many things, 808 00:39:20,375 --> 00:39:22,042 and the local Colombian press 809 00:39:22,208 --> 00:39:24,667 actually took an interest in him. 810 00:39:24,750 --> 00:39:27,708 - In exchange for a few new articles, 811 00:39:27,875 --> 00:39:31,708 a local news editor arranges a little cash and a way out. 812 00:39:31,875 --> 00:39:33,208 ♪ 813 00:39:33,375 --> 00:39:36,042 - With the complicity of the guards, 814 00:39:36,208 --> 00:39:37,500 he was given the opportunity 815 00:39:37,667 --> 00:39:42,167 to walk out of the prison in a cell purposely not locked. 816 00:39:42,292 --> 00:39:44,000 ♪ 817 00:39:44,083 --> 00:39:46,917 - Belbenoît spends a few days furiously writing... 818 00:39:47,042 --> 00:39:48,542 ♪ 819 00:39:48,750 --> 00:39:52,750 And then is allowed to slip out into the night. 820 00:39:52,875 --> 00:39:55,417 He's free. 821 00:39:55,542 --> 00:40:00,250 - So begins another arduous journey for Belbenoît. 822 00:40:00,417 --> 00:40:01,833 - Belbenoît spends months 823 00:40:01,958 --> 00:40:04,167 working his way through Central America, 824 00:40:04,333 --> 00:40:06,833 through Panama to El Salvador. 825 00:40:06,958 --> 00:40:08,417 He's able to stow away 826 00:40:08,542 --> 00:40:10,667 on a freighter bound for Canada 827 00:40:10,750 --> 00:40:13,500 with stops along the U.S. coast. 828 00:40:13,625 --> 00:40:17,208 Finally, one boat that won't easily crash. 829 00:40:17,375 --> 00:40:22,583 ♪ 830 00:40:22,750 --> 00:40:27,583 After a week at sea, on June, 11, 1937, 831 00:40:27,708 --> 00:40:31,625 René Belbenoît finishes a two-year journey to freedom 832 00:40:31,750 --> 00:40:34,958 and arrives in Los Angeles. 833 00:40:35,042 --> 00:40:37,333 - Finally, after all of his attempts, 834 00:40:37,417 --> 00:40:38,500 all of the troubles, 835 00:40:38,583 --> 00:40:42,583 after 14 years, he is free. 836 00:40:42,708 --> 00:40:44,000 ♪ 837 00:40:44,208 --> 00:40:47,792 The man from Devil's Island arrives in the City of Angels. 838 00:40:47,958 --> 00:40:52,167 From there, his life takes a completely different turn. 839 00:40:52,375 --> 00:40:54,667 - In 1938, Belbenoît is able 840 00:40:54,792 --> 00:40:57,125 to get his manuscript published 841 00:40:57,250 --> 00:41:00,500 as the book "Dry Guillotine." 842 00:41:00,625 --> 00:41:03,333 The atrocities laid bare in his pages 843 00:41:03,458 --> 00:41:05,583 spread around the world. 844 00:41:05,708 --> 00:41:07,542 Stunned by Belbenoît's revelations, 845 00:41:07,750 --> 00:41:09,292 France begins the process 846 00:41:09,375 --> 00:41:12,625 of shutting down the notorious prison. 847 00:41:12,708 --> 00:41:15,417 - The French authorities were extremely embarrassed 848 00:41:15,625 --> 00:41:18,000 by books like "Dry Guillotine." 849 00:41:18,083 --> 00:41:20,333 It was one of the reasons that led to the French 850 00:41:20,542 --> 00:41:22,042 to close down 851 00:41:22,208 --> 00:41:24,125 the Devil's Island prison colonies. 852 00:41:24,292 --> 00:41:27,792 - In another plot twist, Belbenoît's writing success 853 00:41:27,958 --> 00:41:31,333 also leads to him working as a technical advisor 854 00:41:31,458 --> 00:41:34,458 on the 1944 Humphrey Bogart film 855 00:41:34,583 --> 00:41:36,750 "Passage to Marseille," 856 00:41:36,917 --> 00:41:39,458 a story centered on a harrowing escape 857 00:41:39,542 --> 00:41:41,083 from Devil's Island. 858 00:41:41,208 --> 00:41:45,333 The film helps further capture the public's imagination. 859 00:41:45,417 --> 00:41:48,292 ♪ 860 00:41:48,375 --> 00:41:51,500 Finally, in 1953, 861 00:41:51,583 --> 00:41:55,750 after decades of bad press and media portrayals, 862 00:41:55,875 --> 00:42:00,000 Devil's Island penal colony closes for good. 863 00:42:00,208 --> 00:42:04,583 ♪ 864 00:42:04,708 --> 00:42:06,833 Of the nearly 80,000 prisoners 865 00:42:06,875 --> 00:42:09,500 who went through that living hell, 866 00:42:09,625 --> 00:42:12,375 almost 3/4 died. 867 00:42:12,500 --> 00:42:17,583 René Belbenoît was one of the lucky ones. 868 00:42:17,708 --> 00:42:21,667 In Los Angeles, René Belbenoît, 869 00:42:21,875 --> 00:42:24,667 once a petty thief and fraudster, 870 00:42:24,750 --> 00:42:29,458 finds success, love, and work 871 00:42:29,542 --> 00:42:32,167 on Hollywood movie sets. 872 00:42:32,292 --> 00:42:36,583 It's an unbelievable journey from hell to Hollywood. 873 00:42:36,792 --> 00:42:40,333 In 1956, he's granted U.S. citizenship 874 00:42:40,500 --> 00:42:43,333 after his coworkers vouch for him. 875 00:42:43,500 --> 00:42:47,083 Three years later, at the age of 59, 876 00:42:47,250 --> 00:42:51,583 in the small store he owns in Lucerne Valley, California, 877 00:42:51,750 --> 00:42:55,958 he suffers a heart attack and dies. 878 00:42:56,042 --> 00:42:57,458 The social changes 879 00:42:57,583 --> 00:43:01,417 his writing and prison reform advocacy inspire 880 00:43:01,542 --> 00:43:05,625 cement his legacy and preserve the story 881 00:43:05,750 --> 00:43:09,792 of one of the world's greatest prison escapes.