St. Lawrence : Stairway to the Sea

This film records the journey undertaken by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, marine explorer of international repute, his twenty-four-member team, and an NFB film crew. Working from the Calypso, a converted minesweeper transformed into a sophisticated oceanographic vessel, the team uses a helicopter, a diving saucer, inflatable boats and scuba-diving equipment to explore the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, one of the world's richest fishing areas. They discover shipwrecks, film icebergs, visit wildlife sanctuaries where man is still an alien presence, and observe such endangered species as the beluga whale, humpback whale and harp seal. There is a fascinating sequence showing Calypso divers freeing a calf whale entrapped in a fishing net.

Canada possesses the greatest supply of fresh and salt water on the planet. This video examines the country's waterways, reserves and networks, and looks at the important role water has played in the past and present. Water shows how this precious resource has been both a boon and a challenge. Early explorers trying to locate the Northwest Passage to Asia ended up marooned and shipwrecked on the treacherous ice floes of the Canadian Arctic. Yet coastal waters have been treasured the world over for their bountiful fish stocks. And inland, the country's intricate systems of rivers and lakes have served as navigational arteries, sources of energy and playgrounds for leisure. TRANSIT features five videos that examine Canada's rich and diverse geography. Each film in the series combines spectacular cinematography and lively animation, using the Earth's basic elements as themes: Air explores climate; Water showcases the country's network of rivers, lakes and oceans; Land looks at the vast territory that makes Canada the second largest country in the world; Fire documents old and new sources of energy; plus Life, which develops the themes of people, fauna and flora.

Le film explore cette magnifique voie d'eau qui, du Saint-Laurent au lac Supérieur, pénètre jusqu'au coeur de l'Amérique du Nord. Suivant le cours qu'emprunta Jacques Cartier, il y a plus de quatre cents ans, l'équipe de la Calypso dirigée par le commandant Jacques-Yves Cousteau évalue ce qui a changé sur les rivages et sous les eaux de cet unique système hydrologique après quatre siècles d'occupation intensive par l'homme.