Paddle to the Sea and The Red Balloon: Childhood memories

Reviewer: Craig Phillips
Rating (out of 5):

Paddle to the Sea: ***½
The Red Balloon: ****½

I have the vaguest of recollections of the Canadian short film Paddle to the Sea, from probably around the time I was in elementary school in the late 70s, probably rolling my eyes at the start -- "what's this dumb movie about a carved Indian in a canoe?" -- until becoming, many years later as an adult, completely engaged and enraptured by the story. Then, it was probably a jittery, wobbly film print played on a dirty projector, the voice over narration skipping and the sound warbling; now, thanks to Criterion and Janus, Paddle to the Sea has been digitally remastered, likely looking as good as it ever has, even if a bit faded, and is as lovely as ever. The simple story follows a wood carving from its inception, created by a Native boy living in remote Canada, who sets the little figure - a man in a canoe - free above a river, with a request carved at the bottom to return the boat to the water if found. The film follows the progress of the little boat - called "Paddle" - from body of water to body of water, through the seasons, found by various people, set free again and again, making it through various hazards.

It's surprising how touching the simple film is, and there are little messages to be received by willing children, too, as Paddle sludges through mucky, polluted water near industrial plants, and as kids learn to respect the boat's wishes. But it is the marvelous photography, which combined with the film's overall documentary-like feel, that makes viewing it such a breathtaking experience.

The DVD doesn't come with any extras, alas, and one has to wonder why Criterion didn't release all three of the classic children's films - this, The Red Balloon, and The White Mane - together on one DVD, but they likely wanted to honor each of them with their own disc; at least they have priced them accordingly. Still, the film is a treasure, and it is good to see it on DVD.

Before I even knew there was a film called The Red Balloon, I knew of a little hardcover photostory called "The Red Balloon," that I was given when I was about five or six. This was before there was home video (the mid 1970s) so it wasn't that odd, I suppose, but fortunately, my father eventually procured a copy of the film, to show a class he was teaching, and finally, the concept of the book was soon forgotten. Either way, the images left an indelible impression.

The Red Balloon won a Best Short Film Oscar for Albert Lamorisse and -- even more astonishingly -- for writing the best original screenplay in 1956. Astonishing because the film has almost no dialogue. It's essentially a simply plotted fantasy with a realistic backdrop - the city of Paris - about a young boy and a balloon with a mind of its own.

It's interesting to read some of the critical reception given the film at the time of its release, almost all of it unilaterally positive, though, oddly, one reviewer in the Washington Post in a critique called it the "most seamless fusion of capitalism and Christianity ever put on film."

To a child's eye, the film seems an innocent parable, a call for escape by the end, but with no awareness of France's recent history of war and occupation, it seemed then more simply a tale of a boy my age and his magical balloon.

This was my first introduction to the City of Light, and I don't know if it's ever looked more beguiling, before or since. The photography is clearly among the best ever seen in a "children's film." And here in this new digitally remastered DVD from Criterion, it looks especially amazing, from the very first frame. Yes, the red pops off the screen, but the entire piece looks gorgeous. As with the other discs in this series, there are no extras to speak of but the film itself is childhood magic revisited.

Review of Lamorisse's The White Mane coming soon!