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Beaver Dam

Accession number: 
1960.0041
Production Years: 
1957 to 1960

Languages:

Film Properties: 
Length (feet): 
535 (16mm)
Length (minutes): 
15
Holding Institutions: 

Library and Archives Canada: 16mm, 3/4".
"A film for children, one of its greatest appeals is watching the beaver at work, busily and cheerfully demonstrating the characteristics for which it is most famous. Sometimes, however, a beaver's industry runs counter to the plans of people. When the beaver's dam floods their father's hay field, the two boys quickly devise a plan to save the beaver from their father's displeasure."

Bibliography: 

Online database National Film Board of Canada.
"The great appeal of this film is watching the beaver at work, busily and cheerfully demonstrating the characteristics for which it is famous. Sometimes, however, the beaver's industry runs counter to the plans of people. When the beaver's dam floods their father's hayfield, two boys devise a plan to save the beaver from their father's displeasure."

"Ce film pour enfants surprend le castor dans son habitat naturel et nous le montre, constructeur infatigable, irrémédiablement voué au soin des barrages que le caprice des eaux ou la méchanceté des hommes ont endommagés ou détruits."

Masha Porte, "Beaver Dam," Film News (May-June 1962): 13.

"Two boys watch a beaver build a dam in the stream on their farm. The dam causes the lake to flood the hayfield. The boy's father plans to shoot the beaver and break the dam. The brothers foil their father's attempts but break the dam themselves. After they have helped bring in the hay their father agrees to let the beaver stay, and the animal starts a new dam as the boys dive and swim.
A little verse, 'Work will keep you merry, work will keep you well' - sung to a folksong kind of melody - is the beaver's 'theme.' It is amusingly treated so that the beaver seems to be humming or grunting as he works. In action sequences without comment, the tune is heard as a guitar solo. The vibrant color and the music reinforce the film's appeal for seven to ten-year-olds, especially boys. Closeups of the beavers, along with views of the pond and farm, provide insight into farm life and the habits of the beaver. These elements, combined with natural acting by the boys and the farmer, also simple everyday dialogue, contribute to this charming and informative film for children, which their elders can also enjoy.
16 mins., color. Produced by Crawley Films Ltd. and the National Film Board of Canada. Sale and rent: Contemporary Films (FN), 267 West 25th Street, N.Y. 1."