Paddle to the Sea

I honestly did not quite know what to expect from this one – yet another Oscar-nominated Canadian short – despite being aware that it was released on DVD by none other than Criterion; however, I must confess that I was genuinely surprised by how compelling the simple plot line emerged here! In fact, what we have is a small boy living in a cabin up in the snowy woods who, unable to get to the open sea himself, carves a wooden boat – with a Native American for a 'navigator'! – and sets it on its way downstream. Optimistically, he leaves written – for whoever may come into contact with the 'vessel' – that it be allowed to keep the undertaken course! One would never have surmised the sheer amount of incident that could befall such an inconspicuous 'protagonist' – indeed, rarely has an inanimate object acquired so much personality by being made the centre of attention! – as various animals (squirrel, snake, frog, deer) are rendered curious by it, people covet it (a small boy, flanked by an amusingly recalcitrant dog, and a lonesome lighthouse attendant), while numerous other elements (fire, water currents, pollution, a real ship) endanger its very existence. All told, a very nice little film which I will now gladly add to my collection (albeit via an ulterior source)!

Of course, growing up in the early seventies, this movie was practically a rite of passage. I loved it as a child! Now it serms slightly dated and less magical. Yet, its watchable and thankfully short. I would reccomend at least one viewing as it is an important and classic NFB production.

Until this evening, I believe the last time I saw this film was in our Wolf Cub pack, around 1969 or '70. Tonight I was tickled right through all over again. The scene of the building of Paddle to the Sea was still familiar even after all this time. It's amazing how they were able to anthropomorphize that heroic little piece of carved wood.

This film should reinforce the spirit of adventure in any child. The selfless actions of the secondary characters shouldn't be discounted either.

(Kids aren't likely to notice the occasional geographical shortcut, such as Niagara Falls being adjacent to Detroit!)

This was a nice little half-hour movie, which reminded me a bit of another film of similar length that was popular 50 years ago: The Red Balloon. "Paddle To The Sea," made 42 years ago, never got the publicity or achieved the popularity of "The Red Balloon" but if you liked the latter, you'll like this. I enjoyed them equally.

This is a Canadian movie which begins by showing a boy whittling this amazing piece of work: an Indian - very stoic looking - sitting in his canoe. On the side of the boat, he asks that anyone who handles this piece of art, "please throw it back in the water." The boy decides to let this boat go as far as it can in the water. Although he lives on a mountain, he knows once the ice of winter melts, the boat will slide down the steep hill into a small creek and then into a river, into a bigger river and, hopefully, all the way to Atlantic Ocean.

We (the camera) follow the progress of this little toy boat through several seasons, some human contact, some contact with sea creatures and birds. The little boat navigates down small rivers, rapids, whirlpools, big rivers, small lakes, big lakes, canals....you name it.

Unlike most of the reviewers here, I never saw this movie as a kid. I am only seeing it now as a 60-year-old man, but I enjoyed it as much as any kid. This is "good stuff" that should appeal to anyone.

I saw this film in second grade and have remembered it all these years. I have been searching the internet for it, I thought it was called Indian in the Canoe. I am so happy to finally have figured out the name. The movie has created a long lasting memory for me and I wish to share it with my child. The Red Balloon is another great film that is soon to be available on a popular DVD rental site, in case anyone is interested. I hope to buy a copy of Paddle to the Sea to share with my child soon. I suggest anyone and everyone who is interested in independent films and who enjoy shorts to watch this immediately. I think more schools should take the time to show timeless treasures as these instead of the typical cartoon of the month. Maybe more kids would grow up interested in real film instead of just the usual blockbuster. Thanks for listening.