Anyone remember this short film? - Paddle to the Sea (1969) Discussion

[–] Hitchcock322 18 years ago

I, too, saw this film in grade school in the mid-70s. I recently borrowed the VHS from my local library and enjoyed seeing it for the first time in 30 years. Watching the film again, I remembered being anxious for Paddle as he encountered each obstacle, and thrilled when he was able to overcome them and continue on his way. The film is very effective at communicating its important messages to children while being wonderfully entertaining.

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[–] ronman-4 18 years ago

Get a copy to share with your kids (or grandkids)! The author is Holling C. Holling.

cm

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[–] New_World_Odour 18 years ago

Yeah I remember it vaguely...I saw it the same way you did, in grade 2 or 3 on the T.V. Even though I can only remember bits of it, I know that it's seared into my memory banks.

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[–] amaizinblue 17 years ago

I remember watching this movie and winter of the witch in elementary school here in Michigan in the late '70s and I never forgot them.

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[–] TonopaTwoThumbs 17 years ago

Yeah I remember watching this in grade school as well. Another film that was shown often in school was Ballon rouge, Le (1956) "The Red Balloon".

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048980/

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[–] Tjcat 17 years ago

I saw this delightful film while in second grade, 1968. My family and I visited Niagara Falls the previous summer, I was thrilled to see Paddle survive his plunge over the falls. I hope children can continue to find a sense of hope, adventure and determination in this film.

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[–] jigmelingpa 17 years ago

I also saw this movie as a young lad, in grade school in Michigan in the 80's. I've never been able to forget it. Anyone know where one can buy the DVD?

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[–] jigmelingpa 17 years ago

The easy answer to my own question: ebay.

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] akurosawa 16 years ago

I too saw this film in grammer school in the late 70's and it has always been one of my favorite films. Does anyone know anything about a DVD copy of this classic?

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[–] TheWanderingFish 16 years ago

Indeed. It is coming from the Criterion Collection in April for the relatively low price of $14.95 (MSRP).

"Or perhaps it's not overrated"

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[–] seanh_rgi 16 years ago

Yes, I've been trying to locate it so that I can show it to our kids. Amazon has a newer release, but I am looking for the older release. Any ideas?

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[–] akurosawa 16 years ago

Recieved confirmation from Criterion that it will be available in April.

Andy

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[–] jason_tasch 16 years ago

I showed it to my Grade 7 & 8 classes today. They enjoyed it, and got a lot from it!

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[–] nospam92104 16 years ago

I loved this movie as a kid in the 70s. I've thought about it every once in while, but the memories faded until I thought it was a dream. I forgot the film's name, so I described it as the film with a "toy boat that traveled around the world." No one I talked to about Paddle to the Sea knew about it. I've recently learned that it will be released on April 29 of this year ($11.19 at amazon). Yes!

(The Red Balloon, another classic for children of the 70's, is also being released by Criterion.)

I can't wait to see it again. I'm wondering what childhood memories the film will kick up..

L

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[–] Renard-4 16 years ago

Good for you Jason,

Yeah, I remember seeing it, but forgot where if it was in school, on the CBC or SRC. But I remember loving it. The narration is also something I remember liking.

Here is a link from the ONF / National film board of canada. whith a small clip: http://www.nfb.ca/collection/films/fiche/?id=10584

I'll be looking at my DVD store to see if they have it... I have my doubts, it's somewhat obscure. But I hope to find it there, if not I'll wait to get it from the mail.

Salut
My growing DVD collection
http://www.invelos.com/dvdcollection.aspx/Chauffard

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[–] akurosawa 16 years ago

Criterien just came out with this dandy last month. I purchased it through Borders here in the U.S. It costs $14.95 plus tax. I have been waiting a long time to see this film again and I finally own a copy. I have watched it twice now, once by myself and then showed it to my wife who has never seen it. I was amazed how well I remembered it, since it has been 20 something years since I first watched it.

Andy

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[–] jpb58 15 years ago

I don't think it's restored, though, not like they did with their new release of The Red Balloon, which was fabulous. This version had a piece of hair on the bottom of the image for the first 10 minutes - a restoration should have gotten that. Then the pixels were clearly evident, like they would be on a VHS. I don't think it's restored at all.

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[–] dangus 13 years ago

I believe you can now watch the entire film online. http://www.nfb.ca/film/paddle_to_the_sea

There was a good article on Bill Mason in "Nature Canada" magazine in the early 1980s (which I skimmed before chucking it into the wood stove last night). It mentions some trivia about the making of PTTS, like the fact that there were a whole bunch of "Paddles" made because some were damaged or lost during filming, and about how rough Bill was on cameras.

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[–] Big G-2 11 years ago

Saw this and THE RED BALLOON when I was in kindergarten way back when!

While I had THE RED BALLOON in my collection for some time, I only recently purchased this film. And yes, this Criterion version is not restored like TRB, but it didn't matter as this still a great story! That little toy Native American canoe had more personality than a lot of actors I've seen in other movies!

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[–] Owlwise (1488) 3 years ago

Just watched this again last night on the Criterion DVD, and it's still just as charming & enchanting as it was to me as a child, all those decades ago.

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