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Gift Store has dvds
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Bill Mason was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1929. A
legendary Canadian canoeist, an award-winning artist,
and one of the most successful filmmakers in the history
of the National Film Board of Canada, Bill Mason's
larger-than-life story continues to awe and inspire.
His
documentary on the plight of wolves in Canada, Death of
a Legend, inspired a public outcry against a then common
policy of killing wolves with poisoned bait, forcing the
government to re-evaluate its actions.
Bill Mason's
infectious love of nature and its magnificent portrayal
through the camera lens inspired Canadians to rediscover
their own surroundings, giving them a new sense of
responsibility for their backyard.
His films Paddle to
the Sea, Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes, and Path of
the Paddle have made the wilderness experience -
canoeing and camping - a rite of passage for many
Canadians.
Making us fall in love with his subject, Bill
instilled a love and dedication to protect the fragile
natural beauty that surrounds us. But his goal was never
to be a mere promoter of the outdoor lifestyle. Rather,
he wanted us to channel our attachment to our
surroundings into concrete and conscientious political
will.
The environment is not just something beautiful to
remember, but a necessary resource to protect and manage
sustainably, ensuring its survival for future
generations.
Written by Bogna Haddad, 2006.
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Blake:
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Blake
Blake James sheds the trappings of the busy modern life and takes
to the skies in his gorgeous well loved vintage bi-plane. We can all
relate to simple pleasures of life and Blake lives that dream. Some of
his adventures include trying to fly and navigate by roadmap at dusk.
He also creates quite a stir when his little plane lands at an
international airport on an unscheduled stop. This film will make you
laugh until your sides hurt. To top it off there is a lovely guitar
strumming soundtrack to go along with this charming semi biographical
portrayal of Blake James and his amazing travels. Mostly shot in the
Gatineau Hills of Quebec.
Originally shot in 16mm colour.
20 minutes.
1967.
6 International awards, including nomination for Best Live
Action Short Film, Academy Awards, Hollywood 1970.
Out-of-stock please go to the www.nfb.ca to
buy it.
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Cry of the Wild: $21.00 cdn
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Cry of the Wild
Bill was crazy about wolves. He loved everything about them! This
feature length film is an incredible tale of where his three years of
searching for wolves took him. His search spanned from Baffin Island to
British Columbia, Lake Superior to the Northwest Territories and back to his home in the Gatineau Hills, Quebec where he built an enclosure in the
forest for a pack of captive wolves. Joyce
his wife, daughter Becky and son Paul all grew to love them too. It's
not just a film about wolves it's a story of how Bill and his family
grow to care and learn about the secret world of the wolf.
90 minutes.
1971.
Diploma of Merit,1st International Film Festival of the Human
Environment, Montreal 1973.
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Death of a Legend:
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Death of a Legend
This
is an strong film. Some would call it graphic in its portrayal of our
wanton slaughter of wolves and their natural habitat. Wolves
have always had a bad rap and Bill challenges this by exploding the myth that wolves are
blood thirsty killers.
Originally shot in 16mm colour.
52 minutes.
1968.
9 International awards including an Etrog for Best Colour
Cinematography, Toronto1971 and Red Ribbon Award, New York,
1972.
Out-of-stock please go to the www.nfb.ca to
buy it.
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Face of the Earth:$21.00 cdn
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Face of the Earth
Bill felt there were awesome mysteries to our everyday land. There are
spectacular film sequences throughout, Old Faithful
spouting, the Rocky Mountains up close and personal, and volcanoes
blasting lava. This is accompanied by a splendid music score played by the Canadian Brass. This film leaves you with a
sense of awe about the magnitude, raw power and majesty of the earth's
creation. If you're interested in geology this is a must see.
Originally shot in 16mm colour.
20 minutes.
1975.
2 International awards.
Out-of-stock please go to the www.nfb.ca to
buy it.
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In Search of the Bowhead Whale:
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In Search of the Bowhead Whale by Bill Mason
It's
amazing to think a whale movie could be exicting but I'm on the edge of
my seat when I watch this one. The build up of captivating details about
a 70 ton mammal that has remained shrouded in mystery over the
centuries coupled with superb film making makes this an enjoyable
viewing.
Originally shot in 16mm colour.
52 minutes.
1974.
6 International awards including Silver Venus Medallion ,
Virgin Islands, 1975
and Jules Verne Award, France, 1983.
Out-of-stock please go to the www.nfb.ca to
buy it.
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The Land that Devours Ships:
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The Land that Devours Ships by Bill Mason
The "Breadalbane" was lost in the Arctic as it was
searching for traces of the ill-fated mission of Sir John Franklin.
This 1983 expedition led by Dr. Joe MacInnis attempts to find
the "Breadalbane" under the ice in the Arctic.
Originally shot in 16mm colour.
58 minutes.
1984.
Special Jury Award, Belgium, 1986.
Out-of-stock please go to the www.nfb.ca to
buy it.
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Paddle to the Sea: $16.00 cdn
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Paddle to the Sea
The heart-warming odyssey of a hand-carved little canoeist that travels to the ocean via the Great Lakes and the St.
Lawrence. On his journey Paddle encounters everything from crushing ice, a forest fire and curious wildlife to the
many dangerous and toxic perils of the human kind, not to mention having to navigate Niagara Falls! Bill and cameraman
Blake James had to quickly come up with a way of making stunt models after losing several of the meticulously
hand carved models in the early days of filming.
Originally shot in 16mm colour.
20 minutes.
1964.
10 International awards including a nomination for Best Short
Film, Academy Awards,Hollywood 1968.
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Path of the Paddle: $31.00 cdn
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Path of the Paddle-compilation DVD
The Path of the Paddle series of films; solo basic, solo whitewater, doubles basic and doubles whitewater introduced new
skills to the canoeists of the 70's and 80’s. These skills still form the backbone of modern paddling and canoe tripping
techniques. These 4 films are still considered an essential part of any canoeist's collection.
Originally shot in 16mm colour.
Each of these four film classics is approximately 27 minutes long.
1976.
7 international awards.
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Pukaskwa National Park: $21.00 cdn
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Pukaskwa National Park
This film explores Pukaskwa National Park on Lake Superior
northshores. It provides a background of it's geological past and plant life.
It also shows hikers hiking the extremely rough coastline trail plus there is a party of four women canoeist that run the
challenging Pukaskwa River. We see them hoist packs set up camp and paddle the crysal clear waters. When
Bill completed this film
Parks Canada told him they didn't want to show it in their visitor center because they said the film depicted the vaste hordes of
black flies too well. It is a fun canoe trip to watch espeaical since it's showing
how it really is in the deep woods in June. Of course it's a
popular film to watch at Hattie Cove Visitors centre now
Originally shot in 16mm colour.
16 minutes.
1981.
Out-of-stock please go to the www.nfb.ca to
buy it.
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The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes: $21.00 cdn
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Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes
This is a humorous yet poignant look at the geological and ecological evolution of the Great Lakes. Blake James is the lone canoeist who paddles through time and unwittingly and unwillingly experiences all the natural and man-made changes which have taken place since the lakes were formed. This film contains hilarious scenes of Blake falling out of the sky in a canoe, running out of water mid-rapid and mistakingly slurping a cup of foaming polluted water. A must see for kids and adults alike.
Originally shot in 16mm colour.
17 minutes.
1966.
10 International awards including Best Specialized Film, England, 1971.
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Song of the Paddle: $21.00 cdn
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Song of the Paddle
Bill and his family loved to go canoe tripping on the the north shore of Lake Superior and Georgian Bay.
This is a charming film about the four of them living out
on the land in a tent and travelling by canoe for a summer. It's about the simple pleasures to be found in the wilderness and learning to take the time to see all the hidden
delights along the way. It does have some exicting moments when the
Masons are caught in a spectacular storm
but even that shows how a family can turn a potentially dangerous
situation into a postive experience. This film is about learning to respect
the wilderness and what it can teach us if we stop to look and
listen. The whole family will love watching this film and it is guaranteed to inspire viewers to plan new trips and adventures of their own.
Originally shot in 16mm colour.
41 minutes.
1976.
9 International Awards.
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The Voyageurs:
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The Voyageurs
Bill Mason loved canoeing and was so excited to be a cameraman for this film. It was a dream come true for him to travel and record the
travels they had in their birchbark voyageur canoe. These big canoes opened up our wilderness in the days when the fur trade was Canada's
biggest business. The film recreates scenes of the early nineteenth century on the 5 000 km river trade route to the Athabasca. It is a fascinating
re-enactment of Canadian canoe history.
Originally shot in 16mm colour.
1964.
19 minutes and 50 seconds.
Out-of-stock please go to the www.nfb.ca to
buy it.
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Waterwalker: $21.00 cdn
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Waterwalker
In his final film Bill Mason takes us on a canoe odyssey to one of his favorite places, the north shore of Lake Superior. His love and concern for the land is reflected in his filming, as well as his on site sketching and painting. Quotes from great native leaders cause us to re-examine our relationship with the land and its creator. This is an environmental film of hope that grows out of Mason's deep spiritual beliefs. Bill considered this his masterpiece and wrestled with the editing of this film for years as the subject matter was so important to him. The result is a powerful, poignant film full of spectacular images that most of us would be considered lucky to ever experience first hand.
Originally shot in 16mm colour.
87 minutes.
1984.
1 International Award.
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Wilderness Treasure:
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Wilderness Treasure
This was Bill Mason’s first film and it took four years to complete as it was a
one man production. He learned many of his film making techniques while making
this film. It portrayed young boys from camp Manitoba pioneer on a camp canoe
trip. Their eyes are opened to the beauty of creation and to the idea of
enjoying the wilderness rather than treating it as an adversary. It is a very
candid look at the wide array of experiences one can have on a canoe trip.
Originally shot in 16mm colour.
20 minutes.
1962.
2 International Awards.
Included on
the DVD with the Wilderness Treasure film is Manitoba Pioneer Camp 60th
Anniversary film. You can order the DVD from:
Manitoba Pioneer Camp
#4-1115 Henderson Hwy
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R2G 1L4
Tel: 204.788.1070 or mpc@pioneercamp.com
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Wolf Pack:
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Wolf Pack
This film is a brilliant portrayal of a life of a wolf pack. The wolf pups
steal the show starting as newborns and growing into independent rascals.
Throughout the film Bill Mason captures the unique inner works of a wolf
family, the joy of living, love, and the
tough lessons wild animals have to learn to survive.
Originally shot in 16mm colour.
20 minutes.
1971.
3 International Awards.
Out-of-stock please go to the www.nfb.ca to
buy it.
View Movie Clip
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All images and text on this site are copyrighted by the Mason family or by the artist. Please ask for our © permission if you copy.
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More
detailed information on Bill's life is
available in the book "Fire
In The Bones"
by James Raffan
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Ken
Buck's, " Bill
Mason: Wilderness Artist From Heart to Hand
",
describes their start and cooperation in filmmaking.
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Visit our
Gift Store
to buy BILL MASON's DVDs.
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Tell a
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