Paddle to the Sea

Based on Holling C. Holling's book of the same name, Paddle to the Sea is Bill Mason's film adaptation of the classic tale of an Indigenous boy who sets out to carve a man and a canoe. Calling the man "Paddle to the Sea," he sets his carving down on a frozen stream to await spring’s arrival. The film follows the adventures that befall the canoe on its long odyssey from Lake Superior to the sea.
Directed by Bill Mason - 1966 | 28 min
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[@OldBastardOutdoors]

Sitting on the floor of our school gym over 40 years ago, watching this as we could hear the clicking of the projector in the back ground, wondering if this little carving ever stood a real chance of reaching the sea. Well it did, and 40 years later I am still paddling my canoe because of this great little film. That day influenced me some how, and as time went on I found myself reading books, and watching films by Bill Mason. I am a self taught canoeist, and this film played a major role with catching the interest of a young boy. Bill Mason, and his books and films taught me so much more, starting with simply living outdoors. Cheers to you all as I paddle off........trying to reach the sea. :-)

[@ElectricianTS]

It's a film we'll never forget.

[@alexfh357]

Although I never got into canoeing, I had the exact same experience as you - during assembly every other Friday my school would play NFB films, and Paddle to the Sea was a favourite along with Buster Keaton's The Railrodder. This remains a beautiful little film more than 50 years later.

[@charleszack1329]

"Sitting on the floor of our school gym over 40 years ago." Same here. We must be about the same age.

[@jamesconley4957]

Hello!!!

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

yes this film shown to us in first or 2nd grade - truly an inspiration!

[@Bobby21Bobby21Bobby]

Reading the comments, it seems that the film itself has had a journey through imaginations of a million kids equal to the adventure that Paddle took.

[@NormAppleton]

Every Canadian child born after1955 loves this.

[@njandrews4105]

Damn I remember this !!.. I think I was in kindergarten when I first saw this and now I’m in 40s

[@ManicMechanic007]

I remember watching this story as a child in elementary school. I was always fascinated by the little man's adventure. What a great little story.

[@NormAppleton]

It's a story of a Cree boy that carved a canoe man. It's also a story about how the Great Lakes flow to the Atlantic.

[@NormAppleton]

He might have been caught in Lake Michigan, then what?

[@seuberman]

Long before I was a Scout, I was a YMCA Indian Guide. This is a movie that was shown at many Campouts. It had a profound and deep impact on my formative years, both for the environmental message and for the the Adventure! I found it tonight and watched it again for the first time in probably 47 years. I spent the whole time weeping with joy. I hope you can find 28 minutes to spend with "Paddle to the Sea".

[@chevalierhe]

This great little film I saw in the suburbs of Beijing, China circa 1979, this film made an impression on my life, about fate, courage, loneliness, nature and more! Hats off to the director of the movie and the publisher of the video! And sincerely thank you!

[@dougsthang]

Can't believe I came across this. I grew up in the Detroit area in the 1960's. Our teacher one day rolled in a projector and we watched this. I was captivated by it. For some reason I thought about it today and decided to search "Movie from the late 1960's about an wooden Indian in Canoe and the Great Lakes" and boom, it popped up. Crazy to see it again. Paddle is probably sitting on someones shelf now. How cool.

[@sirclarkmarz]

It was a book before it was a film . In the book paddle makes it all the way to France .

[@serge747b]

Here I am, 50 years later, reliving this story.

[@JamesBrown-ji7hi]

I'm 47 years old, I remember there was a thing called film projectors I had to be in the 2nd grade watching this.

[@mikehagan4320]

I seen this in grade school as a young boy. This little film was some of the root of my lifelong wanderlust. I've traveled 3.5 million Miles truck driving. And most of my time off work Hiking, camping, Hunting and Search and Rescue. . I've stood on mountain tops and enjoyed the waterways. And had thought of " Paddle " numerous times while looking at a river or stream over the years. A Heart felt Thank you for uploading! Best Wishes from Montana M.H

[@myrtlemartin6372]

My 53 year old son visited last weekend and was filming Fall, which included the area of a favorite childhood play area, a drainage ditch. He and his two brothers frequently nailed their fisher price people to small pieces of wood,from the local lumber yard, and floated them away on that stream. While he was in medical school, he painted a very large depiction of that activity which he titled paddle to the sea. It hangs in my family room to this day. I never knew until now what inspired him. He mentioned it while editing his film. What a wonderful story, paddle to the sea.

[@ProfessorTime]

This is a MASTERPIECE from my elementary school days. The world has gone seriously DOWNHILL since then.

[@maxjohnson1362]

Now kids in elementary school watch movies on gender fluidity and that Paddle represents how White colonizers are evil

[@beththomas6514]

I was mesmerized by this film when it was shown to us in the early 1970s in my elementary school classroom in a low-income area of Los Angeles County, California. It left such an impression on me - of journeying through nature far from where I lived, and on the importance of protecting the environment - that I have thought about it over the years and finally decided to search for it today. I was thrilled to find it here, and watching it again stirred me to tears.

[@GaryCameron]

Wow, I thought this was just a Canadian thing.

[@Sp33gan]

Before the film, this was my uncle's favourite children's book. I have vague memories of sitting with him as he read it me. He found another copy and gave it to my mum and she would read it until I was old enough to read it for myself. A wonderful adventure that always had me wishing the little boy who carved his dream would one day find out where and how far Paddle had traveled. In the very early 70s, sometime around grade 3 or 4 and now living on the west coast, I was overjoyed to find the school was showing this movie of the book I would still pick up and read from time to time. I wasn't disappointed and made sure to see it every time it was shown, even when my sons were treated to it when they were in school. It's been 20 years since then. This morning, I watched this and was again transported back to the days of reading this magical book. I realised for the first time that, when this film was released, I would have been about the same age as the boy who fished Paddle out of the water from the boat. Mum and my uncle are both gone now, and I don't know what happened to the book. But I felt them all with me as I watched this movie in childlike joy. ♥

[@oguttermoutho]

Aw man this brought me back. I watched it sometime in the 80s in public school. It's so fun to see which decades people watched this film :D

[@jerrychandler657]

I saw this film in elementary school in 1969. It made such an impression on me that over 20 years later, my brother and I made a similar journey by canoe into the gulf. Thanks for the memories!

[@nfb]

You're welcome. Thanks for sharing.

[@murdomurdo176]

I watched this in the early 80’s in South Indian Lake,,,, this was a gift to watch again.

[@Toast0808]

Grade School, early 70's, and yes, on 16mm film.

[@m1t2a1]

35mm if it had sound. Probably from a Bell&Howell projector when they made relevant things.

[@muskyrat2106]

This short movie was on a TV show we watched, called Picture Box, back in 1970'something here in the UK. Although I saw it a few times as a very young kid I had scant memories of it. But it left a big impression on me and I've wanted to see it again for 50 years or so! For some reason it came back into my mind again this evening and I was overwhelmed, with emotion, when I found it here on KZbin. I still wonder if Paddle To The Sea made it back to the ocean.

[@Autostade67]

From 1966 until probably the late 70s, this film must have been shown in just about every Elementary School in Canada, and I can only guess at how many souls it touched, for it was this story that first introduced me to the mystical power and presence of the Great Lakes - as unique a biome as there ever was, this great used and abused and sublimely beautiful liquid heart of the continent. I am a native British Columbian, and yet this film began for me what is a near obsession with Central Canada.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

apparently in every elementary school in the US also? Texas, Michigan, Minnesota...

[@adenmcisaac4920]

Just imagine the amount of work that went into filming this. A forest fire!

[@p1nesap]

I saw this in grade school about 1973 and it's etched in my memory. Did a Google search: "saw a movie in grade school in the '70s about boy a message in bottle floating down river" and found it! Forgot that the message in bottle was really a cool carving. Mesmerizing movie. Thanks for posting!!

[@Vintageaudionagoya]

I searched "1970s movie canoe mississippi river little boy" and got it. I remembered him going down to the gulf of mexico. Oh well, found it and loved watching it again.

[@arobb4481]

I watched this as a 5th grader in a small Mississippi River town in Illinois in 1982. It has always stuck with me.

[@Summer-we1yj]

I grew up in Ann Arbor, MI and this made it to our little elementary school class room- probably 2nd grade. Lovely cinematography, amazing shots without today’s modern equipment. I think I felt more connected to the sick boy, the loneliness of solo travel and scary run ins with monstrosities like the ships, locks, perilous Niagara Falls, etc. The woods, cabins, snow, animals and coffee percolator were comforting as they reminded me of my grandparents’ cabin in the woods where I had fond memories. I’ll always remember this film sentimentally.

[@davewylie7771]

Grand Rapids, MI. My elementary school showed it but my aunt and uncle had a copy and we watched it for birthdays, lol. It meant a lot to me too!

[@jadebot800]

Lansing MI here! We watched this in elementary in early 2000

[@dorianphilotheates3769]

Splendid little film: I remember watching it in Ms. Robertson’s Grade 3 ESL class almost fifty years ago at Ryerson Public School in Toronto! I understood very little of the narration at the time because I was then newly arrived in Canada and knew no English, but the scenery was still vividly thrilling for an 8 year-old from a Greek mountain village. Within a couple of months I’d learned enough English to be able to read the book by Holling C. Holling, and it became a firm childhood favourite. Thanks for uploading this little NFB gem - it brings back many fond memories!

[@ipaddlemyowncanoe.7441]

I was at a friend's house tonight for supper and I looked on the counter and there was this little canoe paddle to the Sea I haven't seen it in over 50 years I just watched the video and it was amazing brought back a lot of memories. 👍👍😀🇨🇦

[@user-sm1ei5cc4w]

I remember watching this in Elementary school gr 5 i believe .mid 70's , the whole class was quiet as we watched Paddle ! the whole class really enjoyed the film

[@paulandersen9492]

I started teaching in 1978. Retired in 2017. I used to show this to my students. What a great little film, Many thanks for posting this and bringing a smile to my face and a warm feeling to my heart.

[@edwardbloecher4563]

That's one of the years that I watched it!! But I was in Wausau Wisconsin lol

[@paulandersen9492]

@@edwardbloecher4563 Hope you are a Packers fan. :)

[@edwardbloecher4563]

@@paulandersen9492 Since birth Paul! 😀

[@edwardbloecher4563]

In Colorado these days but still rock the Green and Gold!

[@paulandersen9492]

@@edwardbloecher4563 Excellent!

[@terrywiebe5616]

Was shown this more than once in grade school in the 70's

[@charleszack1329]

Same here.

[@smason22]

Me too. At least twice. I always hoped for another showing when we had a surprise film. Eventually bough the DVD for my nephew...

[@frankmc5021]

It was on the CBC from time to time as well.

[@kingcassius2586]

And early 80s too

[@teddshimp3715]

Amazon Prime "Tales from the Loop Episode 1" shows this playing on a TV in the background. Just seeing it for about 5 seconds brought back the memories of watching this is Mrs Hamilton's class, 1st grade, in 1977.

[@murdomurdo176]

Lol, that’s what brought me here too. Just seeing on the old tv for a second brought back all the memories

[@catherineruncie1549]

The little canoe is the Indian carver's freedom - it touchingly expands, and metonymically carries the boy's dreams.

[@jeffmoncalieri7491]

I watched this 45 or so years ago in the basement of the Catholic School in my home town. It's like it was yesterday.

[@sbcinema]

The documentation used to be so much better, I saw this documentation here for the first time and it immediately reminded me of how we, as children, put letters in old bottles and then threw them into the river...

[@streetsofsouthphilly]

Saw this in Sunday school around 1977. Thanks for posting this.

[@keithbruce9417]

I'm from Detroit and I have been to the places shown in the movie, in fact I live just a short distance away, I've been on the Detroit River and watched the fireworks from a boat, the factory shown is on Zug Island, the factory is US Steel. I too saw this movie in elementary school back in the early 70's and loved it.

[@carlmroz1232]

I'm curious. Did they show many NFB films to you guys in American schools or is it just this one you recall? I realize that this was nominated for the Academy Award for short so it probably had wider exposure that most NFB fare.

[@openskiesmedia]

@@carlmroz1232 they were definitely shown a lot in the Detroit area. The NFB even made a documentary about my Detroit-area astronomy club’s eclipse chasing!

[@NormAppleton]

Ontario borders 4 Great lakes, Michigan borders 4. This is as much about you as us

[@steerpike1359]

My mother used to read this to me long ago. The first glimpse of that little canoe bobbing in the waves had me in tears ! I love this story.

[@juliopinzon3558]

I carved a ship with my house phone number hoping it would come back haha,, the area code has changed once or twice and the old wall phone gave way to cellphones!!! It sparked my love for nature and history what a journey!!!

[@mitchdakelman4470]

What a wonderful classic, sadly teachers rarely show films like this! I bought a low-fade 16mm from a film dealer for $4!

[@retropian]

I remember this from grade school in the late 60’s or early 70’s. It has always stuck with me since though I think I only saw it one time. Delightful to find it again all these decades later.

[@TorontoJon]

I loved this 'Paddle to the Sea' film as a child and I saw it in school in Canada as well as at a public library when I lived in South Africa in the early 1980's. It's great to finally see it again. :)

[@anthonyfazio503]

I've been looking for this for years! Thank you so much for uploading it! Loved it so much in elementary school!

[@troyposas4732]

Talk about a blast from my elementary past. Always loved this movie and looked forward to it every year.

[@gregcraven984]

I watched this film in about 1967 at a Boy scout "father / son "banquet ... it inspired me greatly !! 😀😀😀

[@ritamcleod]

Saw this for the first time at the Czech Embassy in Accra Ghana, probably in 1967. Saw it again after I moved to Canada, and now found it on You Tube. Such a heart-warming story. And to read all the comments of people this film touched is precious!

[@Kementiri]

I saw this in the 70\s in school as a child and then a few times as an adult. What a wonderful film :)

[@po9318]

I remember that every once in a while this movie would come on TV, I think usually on a Saturday and me and my older brother would watch it. Great memories of a simpler time in my life!!!

[@m1t2a1]

TVO?

[@ApothercyCold]

I found this by googling a line from a TV on the show "tales from the loop." I grew up in the US, so I guess this wasn't played here. I love finding things like this. It's like the Canadian Flat Stanley of the sea. Edit: Well, hell, I just googled and found out Flat Stanley is Canadian, too!

[@bradkaitting4638]

I will always love this - such a great memory from grade school!

[@carolsimpson4422]

Watching this reminds me of another film I saw while sitting on my primary school gym floor. It was about a little boy who heard music no one else did, but anyone who touched him, or touched someone who was touching him would hear it too, and by the end there is a long string of people all holding hands and following the little boy. Nothing I google gets results, but maybe someone here will know.

[@Ayram9]

No but now I want to google! I lived Winter of the Witch.

[@49Roadmaster]

I remember this being played in class at school. Was wondering about that movie yesterday and and saw in the Montreal Gazette today that they are having a 50th birthday for this movie.

[@brendaclark7106]

Aaawww and I missed it darn loved this sooo much

[@helenharvey8988]

IDK if I read the book or watched the movie, but I remembered the gist of the story and easily found it again, some 50+ years later. I sailed tiny boats as a child. Made a toy balsa wood boat and floated it down the gutters during a heavy downpour with my little sister. As an adult, I am a paddler and I love solo paddling journeys. It seems rather amazing that this story has lived with me through my many years.

[@steveb9151]

It's 5th grade all over again! Thanks for the journey in the Way Back Machine!

[@carlstawicki1915]

One lesson taught by this film is patience is a virtue.

[@helenmuterspaugh8579]

we are now reading Paddle to the Sea to our grandsons -- the same book that we had read to our daughter many years ago. I had no idea this great documentary film was made back in the 60s! THANKS for sharing.

[@InterestedCitizen]

I love Paddle To The Sea. A beautiful adventure.

[@kaitlint3987]

This was the one the teachers always put on when they wanted us to be quiet, whether geography or art class. Who else?

[@BasslinesNYC]

Thank you so so much for this! I remember watching this in school as a kid in the 70's. Even back then it made me realize that the world is a much bigger place than what we can see in front of us. That feeling and appreciation was just what I needed at this point in my life.

[@Limpedalong]

This was great. Can't wait to watch it again with my daughter :)

[@duanesims9685]

I remember this from when I was a kid… Watched it several times at school

[@ronfirth5198]

I am showing this to my daughter now...she was born right where this video starts..

[@m1t2a1]

You mean she's fifty something years old and you're just letting her see it? Oops, you said where, not when.

[@antoniomontanez2186]

Wow!! I remember being shown this in grade school in NC the 80's.....shown via a film projector! A terrific short story. Many thanks for sharing such a high quality transfer!

[@patricksheahan7636]

This brings back many great memories. Thanks for sharing this!!!

[@adamwatson2914]

What a wonderful programme, really took me back to when I was a kid somehow... Heartwarming.

[@MrPhil0267]

+Adam Watson I saw this movie for the first time when I was in second or third grade. This is about the eighth time I have seen this movie and have never gotten tired of it. Thank you to the person who uploaded it.

[@adamwatson2914]

Yeah totally. I had a lego ship when I was a kid once.. :)

[@thomerwald]

Just passed through Nipigon and saw the beautiful park and children's play area dedicated to Paddle to the Sea. We had the book and read it many times to our young kids. Had never seen the movie so had to look it up. Thanks NFB for making this high quality transfer available!

[@stevequigley8978]

Saw this in ‘70’s grade school like everyone else. Remembered it after seeing The Red Balloon listed on TCM, and searched it on the web. What a great movie. How did he get all the shots, water and the animals? With so much video available at your fingertips, we take for granted the ability to see movies when we were kids. 16mm projectors.

[@Ayram9]

Don't forget Winter of the Witch!

[@baddriversofmoosejaw8681]

Thanks for posting. I watched this in Grade 5, back in the 90s, when we were learning about water pollution and then again in Grade 8. Brings back a lot of memories.

[@michaelnowak993]

Great book and a great adaptation by Mr. Bill Mason!!!

[@johnziegelbauer4999]

Born in Toronto 1961, saw this as a kid and will always be a great lakes boy . I `ve seen most of them . Most beautiful place on Gods great earth .

[@m1t2a1]

'62. Between grandparents cottage on Georgian Bay and living walking distance to Leuty I feel the same. Even sailed all of them.

[@DamienPaulLabonte]

A profound film that touched me as a young boy and stayed with me

[@Donleecartoons]

A few days ago (Oct. 7, 2020) a toy wooden boat was found on a beach on the Wisconsin shore of Lake Superior, near Eagle Island. On the bottom was an address of an elementary school in Duluth, but no date. After the usual social media appeal, a teacher at that school stepped up to say she and another teacher had put two toy boats, including that one, into the lake just outside Duluth's harbor more than 25 years ago as part of a "Paddle to the Sea" educational unit they were teaching that year. facebook.com/duluthpublicschools/

[@pryles2000]

Originally saw this in Grace 6 1970s ....very memorable. Loved it.

[@sukmandragon]

My friend watched this short film when he was 8 (he's now 55) played at school, and he fell in love with the story, canoes and nature! 10 years ago he managed to find this DVD which is now one of his treasures :) He highly recommended me to watch it and so I did! A sweet little story which was beautifully shot... totally enjoyable! Thank you to NFB!

[@calhiser6020]

Ah This Move brought to life the memory of the book that I read as a child in the 60s. Wow i'm getting old. Thank goodness for Kevlar. How can you not love this story. Thanks so much for filming it and sharing it with us all.

[@JohnShinn1960]

Very close to 58 years and I'm still waiting for part II.

[@catcheez]

Thank you for sharing ,I remember seeing this film at Spingside school in Burlington New Jersey in the early Seventies.

[@charleszack1329]

You saw it earlier than I did.

[@katiemeyers1674]

Students in Michigan are reading this book today, enjoying both!

[@SaintMartins]

Thank you N.F.B. for posting this & other classic short films. "Paddle To The Sea"(1966), "The Sweater"(1980) & "Neighbours"(1952) are some of my favorite films of all time. (short or feature length film)

[@sirclarkmarz]

This and my side up the mountain my are favorite films growing up .

[@kayakamy2618]

Wonderful. I gave my niece the book for Christmas, but glad to have found the film to share with her also. Hopefully inspire another paddler for the next generation... Thank you for sharing.

[@frankenstein4567]

I volunteered to work in the library in the 70's while in high school. Since I was one of two "A/V" guys, I was lucky enough to get out of classes to show this and a couple of other 16mm films on a Singer projector. I was a class-clown and the teachers hated me until I started working in the library, then suddenly they all got friendlier. Also used to show "The Lady or the Tiger". What a trippy film that was.

[@wildadventures972]

i originally seen this in elementary school back in the 80's. loved watching it again.

[@chrisdavidson9963]

Watching this film at age 6 may be the reason I became a water resources engineer.

[@MrMetonicus]

I just watched this with my 7 and 3 year olds. Remembering the little boy I used to be watching it in elementary school.

[@julianlawson4206]

This was the first film I ever saw at the cinema with my gran I was totally enthralled. The main film was the incredible journey but I always remember this extraordinary feat of cinematography and storytelling the most. Thanks for sharing this classic masterpiece ☺

[@michaelnowak993]

Amazing heart felt book and even better film!!!

[@DownLow-xz4tw]

We have all similar experiences. At primary school in mid 1970s in New Zealand we would go to local hall next to school grounds. Saw it maybe 3 times. Once a year we might pay 20cents and get a special film like Bugsy Malone (1976) - so I would have been 7years old

[@m1t2a1]

Late sixties in a public school in Scarborough. Part of Canadian geography lessons, but the teacher fooled us with entertainment Always thought the Scarborough Bluffs should have been prominent. Paddle just went from Point Pelee to the Atlantic. Bell&Howell 35mm projector. In grade 3 I had to run it for the teacher. The way most 8 year olds have to show me how to work my phone. The sound of the projector in the back of a classroom during NFB films is as important as listening to an album on vinyl, unless it's a 78.

[@edwardbloecher4563]

Town of Berlin Elementary School, Wausau Wisconsin! Lol Every year near end of school or the last day before Christmas vacation began!!! Oh the memories!

[@liquidcoffeeguy]

Best movie to watch in Canadian elementary school

[@Boodlums]

I had no idea the book was made into a movie! I was hoping to hear the narrator pronounce “Sault Ste Marie” because when I read the book as a tiny tot I didn’t know any French and read it as “salt stee marie” 😅 Alas, he never spoke the name but I have already learned how to pronounce it. 😄

[@williamcousert]

This, and The Red Balloon were two movies that I watched in school, and still remember to this day.

[@m1t2a1]

Every animal I see right here makes the Hinterland Who's Who flute sound too. 4:45 "Chipmunks are the smallest member of the squirrel family"...

[@scrumpycat2611]

I saw this one Summer holiday when I was a kid. I didn't think I would see it again. Thank you.

[@FrankBergdoll]

Wonderful. I remember this as a kid - along with so many NFB films. I just saw that Paddle to the Sea was going to be joining the Canada C3 journey to celebrate Canada's 150th #canadac3 - it would be wonderful to see in person - and being dipped into all three of Canada's ocean's will be amazing. When we look at this older, grainy film - it can sometimes be hard to imagine just how incredible the film-making was. No CGI, no digital post. Every shot had to be planned, captured, and contribute to a narrative. Simply amazing. Good luck this summer Paddle to the Sea! Have a safe, eventful, and wonderful journey to all of Canada's coasts!

[@rawbacon]

"The filmmaker taught himself to carve in order to make the boats, which had to be replaced when they drifted off at sea-or were lost over Niagara Falls." "Today, the Canadian Museum of History has one of Mason's hand-carved replicas, with the family keeping several more."

[@InsertName125]

What a beautiful story.

[@royalslackest]

I haven’t seen this since I was in grade school! Thank you for posting!

[@kookamunga2458]

I saw it too in elementary school over forty years ago . I don't remember many of the parts but some I do .

[@RobMacKendrick]

Saw this along with everyone else who was 6 years old in the 60s or 70s. I remember thinking, "Right, buddy. I find that in a river, I'm KEEPING it."

[@jasonbeard4713]

I first saw this delightful film in episodes of Captain Kangaroo.