An evocative and entertaining adventure series aired originally on British television in 1965, produced by Paris-based Franco London Films, ORTF of France and Teledis and filmed in monochrome in the Canary Islands and Normandy - the abundant sun, light and tropical conditions of the former are fascinating . Young blond Salzburg-born actor Robert Hoffman gives a very adventurous flair performance as the idealistic Crusoe. The music features an early electronic-keyboard fugue strangely reminiscent of '70s new wave bands Television and Joy Division. The fine Yorkshire towns of York and Hull are mentioned in the dialogue and the feel for 17th/18th-Century European old world charm - the time of those classical figures of the Enlightenment - Bach, Beethoven, Cook and Darwin - when England was closer to France and Europe is evident. This series stands for naturalistic and flairful children's television.
