The Girl and the Legend

The boys of London toil in a cotton mill and are enthralled by Daniel Defoe’s just published story “Robinson”. Although the book was banned by King George II, it circulates underground; and scores of boys flock at night to Defoe’s modest lodgings to hear him reveal more details and embellishments. The work in the “mill” (which is still a hand-operated factory) is boring, and the boys mull over nothing more than to go to sea and find Robinson’s island for themselves. Yet they understand perfectly well that they need to work to make a living; and Defoe’s remark that children should play instead of work is met with their hearty laughter. —IMDb