Ring of Bright Water

Ring of Bright Water is a truly wonderful film. This story of an englishman and his otter reminded me of a wonderful childhood oddessey I experienced myself. On a waterborne journey along the british columbia coast we stopped at a fjord that had a house very much like that of Graham Merrill's. They themselves must have been great fans of Gavin Maxwell's book as they too had a free ranging pet otter. It was astonishing and wonderful to swim with one of these little mammals. I hadnt heard much about the film before I watched it so it was a wonderful surprise. I'd heartily recommend it for children and adults. It has some suprisingly realistic scenes but nothing that a child wouldnt understand. It is a very touching story. I plan on listening to the audiobook of the book the film was based upon immediately.

The plot of "Ring of Bright Water" is a simple one. Graham Merrill, a London-based civil servant, one day, on impulse, buys an otter which he sees in a pet shop window. It soon becomes clear that a London flat is no place in which to keep a pet otter, and this persuades Merrill to put into effect a plan which he has had in mind for some time, namely to escape from the rat-race and move to the Scottish Highlands in order to write a book. Once there, he takes up residence in a dilapidated old cottage by the shore and becomes friendly with Mary MacKenzie, the local doctor.

Although a romance develops between Graham and Mary, their love-story has to take second place to the love-story which is really at the centre of the film, that between Mij the otter and the audience. Mij, who takes his name from an Arab sheikh whom Graham met during his travels, is one of the most entertaining and engaging creatures in the history of the cinema, and virtually the whole of the film is centred upon him and his adventures- the havoc he wreaks during a train journey from London to Scotland, his growing friendships with Mary's dog Johnnie and with a family of young geese which Graham also adopts, and Graham's efforts to catch a shark in order to provide him with food. (Mij, predictably enough, decides that shark steaks are not to his liking).

The human stars of the film, Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, were husband and wife in real life, and both were well-known for their support for animal welfare and conservation. Three years earlier they had starred together in "Born Free", a film with a conservationist message, and "Ring of Bright Water" can perhaps be seen as more of the same. Here that message is rather underplayed, except perhaps during the poignant ending, but there are some occasional neat touches such as the scene where Graham, on a visit to London, sees an otter-skin coat in a shop window.

This is not a particularly deep film, but it is a charming one, its charm being helped by a catchy theme song (another similarity to "Born Free"), a fine musical score and some equally fine photography of the Scottish Highland scenery. This is perfect Sunday afternoon viewing for the family, and perfect for all nature lovers. 7/10

I have no idea how some people give this film low marks, everything from the scenery to the interaction between cast and animals is breathtaking. I was enthralled throughout this emotional roller-coaster thanks to the trainers of Mij the otter and the acting of the two lead roles, i watched seven samurai the night before this, so it had a lot to live up to, and it was one of the first films in ages where i didn't look at the time once, i was so happy watching this man and otter co-exist that i didn't want it to end.

There are emotional extremes in this film, moments of tearful joy and moments of terrible sadness, so be careful if watching with kids. For a 1969 production, I cannot recommend this enough, i watched a free copy with a newspaper, and i will be buying the full DVD very soon and I'm 24! Thoroughly impressive editing & acting makes this a film that will stay with me till the day i die. And dammit, i want that otter !!

I saw this in grade school with our entire school in our hall. Although the movie is a delight for the most part especially falling in love with Mij. However, I'm 56 years old and have never rewatched this film or showed it to my kids when they were small. I must have been 8 and was deeply affected by the ending of this movie.

usually when you have fond memories of some childhood film you saw when you were young, they usually turn out to be quite awful or trite or just plain dumb upon second viewing as an adult. But I rented this for my 5 year old who loves animals and we both enjoyed it. I had wonderful memories of seeing this when I was nine and it really is a terrific rental to seek out. In fact, my 5 year old was so intriguedby Mij and the other otters, she promptly went to the library and got a book by the original author of Ring Of Bright Water - Gavin Maxwell called an Otter's Tail.