From 1990 CD sleeve notes.....

The BBC lost the prints of this classic series. (They were literally dumped in a skip!!) How many other great programmes of the past have suffered the same fate? Luckily the last remaining English prints turned up in a French film archive some years after the last showing on UK TV, and so, no thanks to old Auntie Beeb!

This cosmopolitan production was made in 1964. Shot in B&W in the Canary Islands and orginally in French starring handsome Austrian actor Robert Hoffman as Robinson. The series was ultimately dubbed into English, with the narrative spoken by a North American, as the voice of Robinson. "The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" was purchased by the BBC and received its first screening in around 1965. Every year onwards until the mid-Seventies, the series was part of a staple TV diet for millions of British schoolkids, throughout the summer holidays. It was still shown sporadically at odd times of the day by the BBC up to about 1982, when they finally dumped it, literally I'm afraid!

The haunting musical score by Robert Mellin and Gian-Pero Reverberi is one of the best ever heard. Particularly, bearing in mind the production was not high budget. Many modern performers including The Art of Noise, have re-created the main theme in their own styles. The original music is still available to buy in its own right on CD, (check Silva Screen Records: See the index below). I recommend it strongly.

As for seeing series again on video, it brings back many happy memories of my childhood. The series actually stands the test of time pretty well, of course, helped by the music! OK, the lip movements of the actors don't exactly fit the new English/American voices, but what the hell, this was 1964, no multi-millions of budget here. So ignore those little faults, and lose yourself in nostalgia, and a genuinely excellent dramatization of Defoe's great story of beating adversity. (2006) Check with Amazon, or eBay, but I do know that the video is out of print now. (See the index below)
2007....CD's are available now at www.amazon.co.uk

By the way, did the end of the final episode make you cry? I bet!!