The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe was a French
children's television drama
series made by Franco London Films (a.k.a. FLF Television Paris). The show was first aired in Germany in October 1964 under the title Robinson Crusoe as four 90 minute episodes by co-producers ZDF television, and syndicated in the USA the same year. It was first aired in the UK in 1965 as a 13 part serial, this English dubbed version produced by Henry Deutschmeister also had a new musical soundtrack composed by Robert Mellin and P. Reverberi which gave the serial a more strident and appealing theme tune than the music composed by George Van Parys for the French/German original. The production concentrated not only on events on the island but included Crusoe's other adventures, told in flashback.
The series was based on the first of Daniel Defoe
's Robinson Crusoe
novels, but is perhaps best remembered for the haunting theme music composed for the English language version - recreated since by bands such as The Art of Noise
. "The theme tune, with its rumbling introductory notes suggesting the rolling waves of the on-screen title sequence remains distinctive, as does the full incidental score, comprising numerous cues that in each case represent some part of Crusoe's existence. The score combines the maritime idiom of the late 17th and early 18th centuries with some very 1960s influences - (later, composer Gian Piero Reverberi
's Rondò Veneziano
re-imagined Vivaldi
for the 20th century, a recognisably similar project.")
The serial was filmed on Gran Canaria, the 3rd largest of the Canary Islands
, off the coasts of Portugal and Morocco. Robinson's Island locations were shot at Playa del Ingles on the southern tip of Gran Canaria; the Moroccan scenes were filmed further along the coast at Playa de Maspalomas and the Dunes of Maspalomas; the small village of Tejeda located inland at the notional centre of Gran Canaria was used as the location for Robinson's Plantation in Brazil. Most of this footage was shot mute because of the lack of dialogue and the time it saved on location, the sound being dubbed on later. The English locations (York
/Hull
) were shot in Normandy
, France. The filming took 4 months to complete. For the Gran Canaria footage a small 11 man film crew was used, all of whom also played small parts in the serial, such as assistant director Luc Andrieux who took the part of Kasir the fishmonger. This was Austrian, Salzburg
-born , actor Robert Hoffmann
's first professional acting job after leaving the French actors school in Paris in 1964. (In Defoe's novel Crusoe is only 27, and his father a German emigré from Bremen
, surnamed Kreutznaer, Crusoe, an anglicization of this name.)
Franco London Film made 3 different cuts of the show available - a 4 part version, a 6 part version and a 13 part version - to accommodate the broadcasting requirements of countries buying the serial. The success of this production led to a series of 16 French/German co-production adaptations of classic adventure and children's novels between 1964 and 1983, for ZDF and ORTF in France.(these serials are known by German fans as the ZDF four parters). The man behind these mini epics was German producer/writer Walter Ulbrich
. Franco London Film, in association with Deropa Films (Germany), were involved in the next 4 serials - Don Quixote the Man of La Mancha, produced by Walter Ulbrich and Henry Deutschmeister in 1965; (the last to be made in monochrome) 'Die Schatzinsel'/L'ile au Tresor' in 1966, an adaptation of Treasure Island
that starred English actor Ivor Dean
as Long John Silver; Les Aventures De Tom Sawyer in 1968 (broadcast in 13 parts on BBC1 from 1970 to 1974); and finally Die Lederstrumpf Erzahlungen an adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper
's novels featuring Natty Bumppo
, collectively known as The Leatherstocking Tales, (including The Last of the Mohicans) in 1969.
The serial is known to have been dubbed into German, English, French and Italian. Currently no official copies of the Italian dub are known to exist.
Lee Payant ...................Voice of Robinson Crusoe (English dub)
Fabian Cevallos ..............Friday
Jacques Berthier .............Robinson's Father
Phillipe Ogouz ............... Rodney
Jacques Gougin, Francis Chares and Phillipe Bruneau ..............Robinson's Friends in York
Guy Mairesse .................Captain of the Guard
Alain Nobis .................... J.B.Wooseley, the lawyer (part 2)
Robert Dalban ................ Captain Darrick (parts 4/5)
Jacques Dynam .............. Bush, second mate on Darrick's ship (part 5)
Peter Miles .....................sailor on Darrick's ship (part 5)
Jean Paul Bernard ........... Aga Asan, the Emir (part 5)
Jaqueline Chotard ........... the Emir's Woman (part 5)
Luc Andrieux .................. Kasir, the fishmonger (part 6)
Roland Rodier ................. Portuguese Captain (part 7)
Robert Luchaire .............. Aitkins, Leader of the Mutineers/Pirates (parts 12/13)
Gilbert Robin .................. Captain (part 13)
Additional Cast of German Cut:
Erich Bludau .......................Robinson's Father
Jane Marken .......................Jenny, the Crusoe's Housekeeper
Oskar von Schab ................Jeremias B. Wooseley, the lawyer
Claudia Berg ......................Wooseley's Niece
Paul Chevalier ....................Blind Man
Michael Chevalier
................Voice of Robinson Crusoe
Note: Certain scenes were shot with different actors for the German cut of Robinson Crusoe, and some extra scenes were filmed, as an example Wooseley's Niece, the Blind man and Jenny do not appear in the French/English version. Stills from the German scenes can be seen in the photo gallery on the Network DVD of the series.
Also, Lee Payant although born in the USA had been living in Paris since the late 1940s.
Apart from Payant as Robinson Crusoe, the voice artists used for the English dub for other characters, such as Robinsons Father or Captain Darrick etc., remain uncredited and unknown.
Renzo Palmer
was the Italian voice of Robinson Crusoe. The Italian dub also used the Robert Mellin/P.Reverberi musical score.(according to the Italian Wikipedia entry.) It was first transmitted in Italy by RAI
in 1965, and the last Italian repeat was in the summer of 1978.
Whilst travelling on a ship form Brazil to Africa, a violent storm casts Robinson onto a desert island off the coast of South America. He spends his solitude in remembering his youthful escapades in York.
Part 2. Shown 19 October 1965.
Alone on his island, Robinson solves the problem of food and meets his first companion.
Part 3. Shown 26 October 1965.
Robinson recalls leaving home and travelling to Hull to seek a ship. The remains of the 'Esmeralda' are washed near the shore and he busies himself salvaging as much as possible before it sinks.
Part 4. Shown 2 November 1965.
Robinson recalls his first sea voyages and finds a cave which becomes his new home.
Part 5. Shown 9 November 1965.
In the intervals of building a shelter and making furniture, Robinson recalls how he was assumed to be dead by his friends and was sold into slavery.
Part 6. Shown 16 November 1965.
A fire in his cave destroys all he has created. While rebuilding his home he recalls how he escaped from slavery and the events that led him to become owner of a Brazilian banana plantation.
Part 7. Shown 23 November 1965.
Robinson relates how he came to be involved in the wreck of the "Esmerelda".
Part 8. Shown 30 November 1965.
Robinson discovers an abandoned ship and pirate's treasure hoard.
Part 9. Shown 7 December 1965.
Having drifted with the pirate ship Robinson lands on another part of the island.
Part 10. Shown 14 December 1965.
Robinson encounters the cannibals and rescues Friday.
Part 11. Shown 21 December 1965.
Robinson tries to teach Friday how to become civilised but Friday runs away.
Part 12. Shown 28 December 1965.
Friday returns and other unwelcome visitors arrive on the island.
Part 13. Shown 30 December 1965.
Friday and Robinson defeat the mutineers and escape from the island.
and repeated: (27/11/66-18/12/66), (16/04/73-19/04/73) and (09/09/79-30/09/79), East German channel DDR1 screened the 6 part version twice in 1973, the last German broadcast was on Tele 5
(05/06/92-08/06/92). The first French broadcast started on 10 September 1965. The first BBC
repeats began at 5.20 pm from 13 February 1967, then, beginning between BBC coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing, 21 June – 15 September 1969 at 5.20 pm and in the Summer of 1972 at 9.30 am before coverage of the Olympics, and one last evening repeat (03/05/73-26/07/73) at 5.15 pm. The BBC also stripped the serial during school summer holiday morning schedules during 1974 and 1975. The next run was on Saturdays (05/03/77- 28/05/77) at 9.35 am. The last BBC repeats began on Saturday April 3, 1982 on BBC1 at 10.00 am, (from part 3 the serial was incorporated into the programme 'Get Set for Summer' hosted by Mark Curry.) concluding on Saturday June 26, 1982.
German digital channel ZDF Neo repeated all 4 episodes in a marathon screening from 12.55pm to 6.40pm on Monday 5 April 2010, and again on Thursday 30th December 2010 from 3.00pm to 8.15pm.
Assistant Director ...........Luc Andrieux
Director of Photography ......Quinto Albicocco
Cameraman ....................Jean Malaussena
Camera Assistant .............Oliver Benoist
Art Director .................Robert Luchaire
Film Editors .................Helene Plemiannikov and Borys Lewin
Sound Engineer ...............George Mardiguian
Make-up ......................Roger Chanteau
Adaptation ...................Jean Paul Carriere and Pierre Reynal
Dialogue .....................Jacques Sommet
Narration ....................Jean Marsan
Script Editor ................Denise Gaillard
Producer .....................Henry Deutschmeister
Executive Producer ...........Claire Monis
Music composed by George Van Parys (original French/German version)
Music composed by Robert Mellin and P.Reverberi (English version)
The Franco London Orchestra conducted by P.Reverberi
Production Manager/Script Editor ..........Walter Ulbrich (under the pseudonym Eugen von Metz) (German version)
German dub by Berliner Synchron GmbH-Wenzel Ludecke
Italian print co-production credit: F.L.F. - Ultra Film.
Notes: Jean-Paul Carriere is the credit on the English/French film prints but other sources state his name as Jean-Claude Carrière
.
It should be noted that the BBC requested the change of music before they would buy the serial, as they had done the previous year with The Magic Roundabout
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
children's television drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
series made by Franco London Films (a.k.a. FLF Television Paris). The show was first aired in Germany in October 1964 under the title Robinson Crusoe as four 90 minute episodes by co-producers ZDF television, and syndicated in the USA the same year. It was first aired in the UK in 1965 as a 13 part serial, this English dubbed version produced by Henry Deutschmeister also had a new musical soundtrack composed by Robert Mellin and P. Reverberi which gave the serial a more strident and appealing theme tune than the music composed by George Van Parys for the French/German original. The production concentrated not only on events on the island but included Crusoe's other adventures, told in flashback.
The series was based on the first of Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
's Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe that was first published in 1719. Epistolary, confessional, and didactic in form, the book is a fictional autobiography of the title character—a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and...
novels, but is perhaps best remembered for the haunting theme music composed for the English language version - recreated since by bands such as The Art of Noise
The Art of Noise
Art of Noise was an avant-garde synthpop group formed in 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan, programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn and music journalist Paul Morley. The group's mostly instrumental compositions were novel melodic sound collages based on...
. "The theme tune, with its rumbling introductory notes suggesting the rolling waves of the on-screen title sequence remains distinctive, as does the full incidental score, comprising numerous cues that in each case represent some part of Crusoe's existence. The score combines the maritime idiom of the late 17th and early 18th centuries with some very 1960s influences - (later, composer Gian Piero Reverberi
Gian Piero Reverberi
Gian Piero Reverberi is an Italian pianist, composer, arranger, conductor, and entrepreneur.After obtaining Diplomas in piano and composition from the Paganini Conservatory in Genoa, Reverberi worked in a wide range of media, including TV themes, spaghetti Western soundtracks to pop and rock...
's Rondò Veneziano
Rondò Veneziano
Rondò Veneziano is an Italian chamber orchestra, specializing in Baroque music, playing original instruments, but incorporating a rock-style rhythm section of synthesizer, bass guitar and drums, led by Maestro Gian Piero Reverberi, who is also the principal composer of all of the original Rondo...
re-imagined Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
for the 20th century, a recognisably similar project.")
Description
For at least three generations of UK children this was the definitive TV version of Daniel Defoe's classic novel. After its debut in 1965 it soon became a staple part of the BBC's school summer holiday schedules. Often stripped daily, Mondays to Fridays, in the mid '70s, it was last screened in the early 1980s, after which the BBC's contract for repeat screenings expired. It is the story of a young Englishman's struggle for survival on an unknown desert island, and his recollections of his adventures prior to the shipwreck that brought him there, in particular his involvement with slave traders. He has his pet dog Dick, a parrot and a goat for company. In the latter half of the story a group of cannibals arrive on his island; he repels them by means of explosives, and in the process rescues a native from becoming their next meal; he names him Friday. In the end he comes to terms with his less than exemplary past, and becomes a better man thanks to his experiences on the island, befriending Friday and putting his life in order.The serial was filmed on Gran Canaria, the 3rd largest of the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, off the coasts of Portugal and Morocco. Robinson's Island locations were shot at Playa del Ingles on the southern tip of Gran Canaria; the Moroccan scenes were filmed further along the coast at Playa de Maspalomas and the Dunes of Maspalomas; the small village of Tejeda located inland at the notional centre of Gran Canaria was used as the location for Robinson's Plantation in Brazil. Most of this footage was shot mute because of the lack of dialogue and the time it saved on location, the sound being dubbed on later. The English locations (York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
/Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
) were shot in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, France. The filming took 4 months to complete. For the Gran Canaria footage a small 11 man film crew was used, all of whom also played small parts in the serial, such as assistant director Luc Andrieux who took the part of Kasir the fishmonger. This was Austrian, Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
-born , actor Robert Hoffmann
Robert Hoffmann
Robert Hoffmann is an Austrian actor best known for his title role performance in The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe , his debut....
's first professional acting job after leaving the French actors school in Paris in 1964. (In Defoe's novel Crusoe is only 27, and his father a German emigré from Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, surnamed Kreutznaer, Crusoe, an anglicization of this name.)
Franco London Film made 3 different cuts of the show available - a 4 part version, a 6 part version and a 13 part version - to accommodate the broadcasting requirements of countries buying the serial. The success of this production led to a series of 16 French/German co-production adaptations of classic adventure and children's novels between 1964 and 1983, for ZDF and ORTF in France.(these serials are known by German fans as the ZDF four parters). The man behind these mini epics was German producer/writer Walter Ulbrich
Walter Ulbrich
Walter Ulbrich was a German film producer primarily known for writing and/or producing 10 of 16 four-part adventure mini-series made for West German TV in the 1960s and 1970s...
. Franco London Film, in association with Deropa Films (Germany), were involved in the next 4 serials - Don Quixote the Man of La Mancha, produced by Walter Ulbrich and Henry Deutschmeister in 1965; (the last to be made in monochrome) 'Die Schatzinsel'/L'ile au Tresor' in 1966, an adaptation of Treasure Island
Treasure Island
Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "pirates and buried gold". First published as a book on May 23, 1883, it was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881–82 under the title Treasure Island; or, the...
that starred English actor Ivor Dean
Ivor Dean
Ivor Donald Dean was a British stage and television actor.With his lugubrious demeanour he was often cast as world-weary police officers or butlers, and indeed it is for the role of Chief Inspector Claud Eustace Teal in the 1960s series The Saint, opposite Roger Moore, that he is best remembered...
as Long John Silver; Les Aventures De Tom Sawyer in 1968 (broadcast in 13 parts on BBC1 from 1970 to 1974); and finally Die Lederstrumpf Erzahlungen an adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. He is best remembered as a novelist who wrote numerous sea-stories and the historical novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales, featuring frontiersman Natty Bumppo...
's novels featuring Natty Bumppo
Natty Bumppo
Nathaniel "Natty" Bumppo is the protagonist of James Fenimore Cooper's pentalogy of novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales.- Fictional biography :...
, collectively known as The Leatherstocking Tales, (including The Last of the Mohicans) in 1969.
The serial is known to have been dubbed into German, English, French and Italian. Currently no official copies of the Italian dub are known to exist.
Cast
Robert Hoffmann ...............Robinson CrusoeLee Payant ...................Voice of Robinson Crusoe (English dub)
Fabian Cevallos ..............Friday
Jacques Berthier .............Robinson's Father
Phillipe Ogouz ............... Rodney
Jacques Gougin, Francis Chares and Phillipe Bruneau ..............Robinson's Friends in York
Guy Mairesse .................Captain of the Guard
Alain Nobis .................... J.B.Wooseley, the lawyer (part 2)
Robert Dalban ................ Captain Darrick (parts 4/5)
Jacques Dynam .............. Bush, second mate on Darrick's ship (part 5)
Peter Miles .....................sailor on Darrick's ship (part 5)
Jean Paul Bernard ........... Aga Asan, the Emir (part 5)
Jaqueline Chotard ........... the Emir's Woman (part 5)
Luc Andrieux .................. Kasir, the fishmonger (part 6)
Roland Rodier ................. Portuguese Captain (part 7)
Robert Luchaire .............. Aitkins, Leader of the Mutineers/Pirates (parts 12/13)
Gilbert Robin .................. Captain (part 13)
Additional Cast of German Cut:
Erich Bludau .......................Robinson's Father
Jane Marken .......................Jenny, the Crusoe's Housekeeper
Oskar von Schab ................Jeremias B. Wooseley, the lawyer
Claudia Berg ......................Wooseley's Niece
Paul Chevalier ....................Blind Man
Michael Chevalier
Michael Chevalier
Michael Chevalier is a German synchronis speaker and actor born in Berlin. He has provided the German dub voices for Charles Bronson , Richard Harris , Omar Sharif , Oliver Reed , Steve McQueen , Dan Blocker and William Conrad Michael Chevalier (born May 14, 1933) is a German synchronis speaker...
................Voice of Robinson Crusoe
Note: Certain scenes were shot with different actors for the German cut of Robinson Crusoe, and some extra scenes were filmed, as an example Wooseley's Niece, the Blind man and Jenny do not appear in the French/English version. Stills from the German scenes can be seen in the photo gallery on the Network DVD of the series.
Also, Lee Payant although born in the USA had been living in Paris since the late 1940s.
Apart from Payant as Robinson Crusoe, the voice artists used for the English dub for other characters, such as Robinsons Father or Captain Darrick etc., remain uncredited and unknown.
Renzo Palmer
Renzo Palmer
Renzo Palmer was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 65 films between 1957 and 1988.He was born and died in Milan, Italy.-Selected filmography:* Shivers in Summer * Obiettivo ragazze...
was the Italian voice of Robinson Crusoe. The Italian dub also used the Robert Mellin/P.Reverberi musical score.(according to the Italian Wikipedia entry.) It was first transmitted in Italy by RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
in 1965, and the last Italian repeat was in the summer of 1978.
Episode list
Part 1. First shown Tuesday, 12 October 1965 on BBC 1 at 5 pm.Whilst travelling on a ship form Brazil to Africa, a violent storm casts Robinson onto a desert island off the coast of South America. He spends his solitude in remembering his youthful escapades in York.
Part 2. Shown 19 October 1965.
Alone on his island, Robinson solves the problem of food and meets his first companion.
Part 3. Shown 26 October 1965.
Robinson recalls leaving home and travelling to Hull to seek a ship. The remains of the 'Esmeralda' are washed near the shore and he busies himself salvaging as much as possible before it sinks.
Part 4. Shown 2 November 1965.
Robinson recalls his first sea voyages and finds a cave which becomes his new home.
Part 5. Shown 9 November 1965.
In the intervals of building a shelter and making furniture, Robinson recalls how he was assumed to be dead by his friends and was sold into slavery.
Part 6. Shown 16 November 1965.
A fire in his cave destroys all he has created. While rebuilding his home he recalls how he escaped from slavery and the events that led him to become owner of a Brazilian banana plantation.
Part 7. Shown 23 November 1965.
Robinson relates how he came to be involved in the wreck of the "Esmerelda".
Part 8. Shown 30 November 1965.
Robinson discovers an abandoned ship and pirate's treasure hoard.
Part 9. Shown 7 December 1965.
Having drifted with the pirate ship Robinson lands on another part of the island.
Part 10. Shown 14 December 1965.
Robinson encounters the cannibals and rescues Friday.
Part 11. Shown 21 December 1965.
Robinson tries to teach Friday how to become civilised but Friday runs away.
Part 12. Shown 28 December 1965.
Friday returns and other unwelcome visitors arrive on the island.
Part 13. Shown 30 December 1965.
Friday and Robinson defeat the mutineers and escape from the island.
Broadcast
The first German broadcast was over the period 3 October 1964 – 24 October 1964, at 8.00 pm on ZDFZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
and repeated: (27/11/66-18/12/66), (16/04/73-19/04/73) and (09/09/79-30/09/79), East German channel DDR1 screened the 6 part version twice in 1973, the last German broadcast was on Tele 5
Tele 5
Tele 5 is a commercial television channel in Germany. The channel is largely known for showing classic American films and series, Japanese Anime and Shows.Tele 5 broadcasts from the Astra 1H, 1M, and 3A satellites and is uplinked by ASTRA Platform Services....
(05/06/92-08/06/92). The first French broadcast started on 10 September 1965. The first BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
repeats began at 5.20 pm from 13 February 1967, then, beginning between BBC coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing, 21 June – 15 September 1969 at 5.20 pm and in the Summer of 1972 at 9.30 am before coverage of the Olympics, and one last evening repeat (03/05/73-26/07/73) at 5.15 pm. The BBC also stripped the serial during school summer holiday morning schedules during 1974 and 1975. The next run was on Saturdays (05/03/77- 28/05/77) at 9.35 am. The last BBC repeats began on Saturday April 3, 1982 on BBC1 at 10.00 am, (from part 3 the serial was incorporated into the programme 'Get Set for Summer' hosted by Mark Curry.) concluding on Saturday June 26, 1982.
German digital channel ZDF Neo repeated all 4 episodes in a marathon screening from 12.55pm to 6.40pm on Monday 5 April 2010, and again on Thursday 30th December 2010 from 3.00pm to 8.15pm.
Crew
Director .....................Jean SachaAssistant Director ...........Luc Andrieux
Director of Photography ......Quinto Albicocco
Cameraman ....................Jean Malaussena
Camera Assistant .............Oliver Benoist
Art Director .................Robert Luchaire
Film Editors .................Helene Plemiannikov and Borys Lewin
Sound Engineer ...............George Mardiguian
Make-up ......................Roger Chanteau
Adaptation ...................Jean Paul Carriere and Pierre Reynal
Dialogue .....................Jacques Sommet
Narration ....................Jean Marsan
Script Editor ................Denise Gaillard
Producer .....................Henry Deutschmeister
Executive Producer ...........Claire Monis
Music composed by George Van Parys (original French/German version)
Music composed by Robert Mellin and P.Reverberi (English version)
The Franco London Orchestra conducted by P.Reverberi
Production Manager/Script Editor ..........Walter Ulbrich (under the pseudonym Eugen von Metz) (German version)
German dub by Berliner Synchron GmbH-Wenzel Ludecke
Italian print co-production credit: F.L.F. - Ultra Film.
Notes: Jean-Paul Carriere is the credit on the English/French film prints but other sources state his name as Jean-Claude Carrière
Jean-Claude Carrière
Jean-Claude Carrière is a screenwriter and actor. Alumnus of the École normale supérieure de Saint-Cloud, he was a frequent collaborator with Luis Buñuel...
.
It should be noted that the BBC requested the change of music before they would buy the serial, as they had done the previous year with The Magic Roundabout
The Magic Roundabout
The Magic Roundabout was a children's television programme created in France in 1963 by Serge Danot...
.
VHS and DVD release
- In 1997 the complete series was released on VHS video by Network in 4 volumes. Thanks to the stirling work of Tim Beddows who tracked down the only known English language prints in a French film vault, However these were 16mm prints, the original 35mm prints used by the BBC between 1965 and 1982 had been junked and no other 35mm prints could be found.
- In 2006 The 4 part German version was released on DVD by Concorde Home Entertainment, this used restored 35mm prints.
- In 2007 Network released the series on DVD, once again these were the recovered 16mm prints. also included was a French print of part one with burnt in Portuguese subtitles and an interview with Robert Hoffman from tv show V.I.P. (1997).
Audio
- In February 1966 a 7 inch single of the Theme tune by the Franco London Orchestra was released by Philips records (BF 1470) in the UK, there were two further re-releases in March 1967 (BF1562) and August 1969 (BF1806). In 1965 a record of the music of George van Parys original score was released in France by Petit Menestrel Records (ALB 405). A 7 inch single was released in Germany by Polydor Records (KN 55041).
- In 1990 Silver Screen released the music from the English dub of the series by Robert Mellin and P,Reverberi on CD, the tracks were taken from tapes kept by Robert Mellin in Italy, an extended version was released in 1997, as more tapes had been found at Franco London Film in France.