| Native Name: | Die Schatzinsel |
| Alt Name: | L'Île au trésor |
| Director: | Wolfgang Liebeneiner |
| Producer: | Henry Deutschmeister Walter Ulbrich |
| Screenplay: | Walter Ulbrich |
| Starring: | Michael Ande Jacques Dacqmine Georges Riquier |
| Camera: | Guy Suzuki Roger Fellous |
| Num Episodes: | 4 at 90 Min (Germany) 13 at 30 Min (France) (complete length 360 minutes) |
| Runtime: | 105 minutes |
| Music: | Jan Hanuš |
| Cinematography: | Roger Fellous Guy Suzuki |
Treasure Island, original title Die Schatzinsel, is a German-French mini-series, produced for German television station ZDF in 1966. The screenplay by Walter Ulbrich, who also co-produced the film, remains largely close to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic 1883 novel Treasure Island.
After successful adaptions of Robinson Crusoe and Don Quijote, Treasure Island was the third in a row of sixteen television adventures mini-series by ZDF between 1964 and 1983.[1] It was filmed at the Lake Garda with an international cast and crew. Michael Ande, who portrayed Jim, suffered a serious accident during filming and had to be doubled in some scenes.[2] It was produced on 35 mm film with many small details and even in colour, although colour television was introduced on German television only in 1967 (so the first screening had to be in black and white).
After the success of the mini-series, Ivor Dean (who portrayed John Silver) worked on a follow-up film with producer Robert S. Baker, but it never materialised before Dean's death in 1974. Baker continued to develop the project and it was finally made as the 10 part serial Return to Treasure Island in 1986.[3]
The mini-series remains well-regarded and popular in the German-language area, it is even considered a "mythos of German television history".[4] Despite being over 50 years old, it is still screened at least about once a year on television.[5] It is little-known in other countries.