Paddle to the Sea (Released by Janus Films, in association with the Criterion Collection)

Bill Mason’s Paddle to the Sea is a sweet cinematic trifle. As airy as a bubble, the movie is a lovely little short film, a kind of feel good tidbit that might pave the way for a more substantial journey-film to be sampled later.

Kyle, a sickly Canadian lad, whittles an Indian in a canoe out of wood which he names “Paddle in the Sea.” On the underside of the carved object, he also carves the words “Please put me back in the water” for anyone who happens upon the object and decides to keep it. His goal for his creation is for it to travel from Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean. To do that, it has to go down river to Lake Superior, traverse through all of the other Great Lakes, maneuver its way through the Erie Canal to emerge into the Atlantic Ocean. On its journey, it runs into all sorts of adversaries from predatory birds, snakes, beavers, and frogs to other nonliving facets of Mother Nature herself with her glacial temperatures, powerful waterfalls, and fire. There are also selfish human beings like fishermen or a little boy with his dog who might covet the adorable carving as a prized trophy rescued from the briny. So its odds of actually reaching the ocean are minimal, but the journey is everything.

Based on the Caldecott-winning children’s picture book by Holling C. Holling, Paddle to the Sea couldn’t be more endearing. One can imagine teachers for decades using the book (and the film in 16mm or video form) to teach the geography of Canada and the northeastern United States, especially the Great Lakes regions. There is even some “green appeal” to the story as the wooden object has to maneuver itself through industrial waste and sludge on its epic journey, clearly an impressive forward-looking criticism of water pollution and a plea for clean-up efforts from major industrial concerns.

Bill Mason’s transitions between shots aren’t always so smooth; it’s obvious the filming took many months, and sometimes continuity is a trifle sloppy. Still, the story, the wonderful cinematography, and the appealing music score by Louis Applebaum combine to make a very pleasurable journey-film for the young and the young-at-heart.



The film’s 1.33:1 aspect ratio is presented in a slightly windowboxed DVD transfer. The film has a very dated look with focus not the sharpest (except in a couple of late scenes) and the image littered with debris, hairs, and dirt specks. Colors are rather drab, too, betraying the age of the film elements. The film is divided into 10 chapters.


The Dolby Digital 1.0 track is standard issue mono. The narration, music, and sound effects are all listenable and clear, but it’s definitely a workmanlike audio track and nothing more. At least there are no digital artifacts: no hiss, pops, crackle, or flutter to mar the audio experience.


The DVD case contains an insert with some black and white and color stills from the movie as well as liner notes by Michael Koresky. A chapter listing and the crew credits are also provided in the insert. Oddly, there is no cast listing identifying any of the people in the film either in the insert or in the credits to the movie.


Paddle to the Sea is a slight, special little movie. Not a great film (it was Oscar nominated for Best Live Action Short Film but didn’t win), it’s still a sweet, tasty little morsel easily consumed and easily digested.


Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC