Movie Type: Family-Oriented Adventure, Animal Picture
Themes: Obsessive Quests, Heroic Mission
Main Cast: Bill Travers, Virginia McKenna, Peter Jeffrey, Roddy McMillan, Jameson Clark
Release Year: 1969
Country: UK
Run Time: 107 minutes
Plot
When a man buys an otter for a pet, he gets more than he bargained for as he tries to keep the animal in his bathtub. He and his pet soon find life in London is not the place for such and animal, so the two head for the coast. The man enlists the help of a local female doctor to help in the care and feeding of his beloved otter in this family feature from the writers of Born Free. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
Review
Although animals had been a mainstay of many Disney live action films, there was a spate of animal films (such as Born Free) from other studios in the late 1960s and 1970s. Ring of Bright Water has as its real star a very likeable and entertaining otter, and his antics are a delight. The movie does drag a little bit and doesn't dig deeply into its characters; Graham's "I'm bored with and wasting my life" excuse at the start of the film is not convincing enough, and there's no exploration of exactly why this man develops such a strong (and potentially disturbing) bond with this otter or of what it really means to him to leave his secure life and become a beachcomber. Nor is the character of Mary given much inner life, and the supporting roles are so small as to defy in depth characterization. However, the story itself is irresistible, and the often gorgeous scenery is a treat; the shots of the sun making a dazzling diamond of the sea are simply glorious. And there's always Mij the otter, grunting, slipping, and swimming with an infectious joy. Parents, however, should be warned that his death may disturb young viewers. Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna followed Ring with the vastly inferior An Elephant Called Slowly. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Jean Taylor-Smith - Mrs. Sarah Chambers; Helena Gloag - Mrs. Flora Elrich; W.H.D. Joss - Lighthouse Keeper; Archie Duncan - Road Mender; Kevin Collins - Fisherman; John Young - Guard; James Gibson - Sleeping Car Attendant; Michael O'Halloran - Herman; Philip McCall - Frank; Christopher Benjamin - Fishmonger; Philippa Gail - Pet Stall Girl; June C. Ellis - Barmaid; Tommy Godfrey - Ticket Seller; Peter Jeffrey - Colin Wilcox; Philip Morant
Credit
Ken Ryan - Art Director, Hubert Wells - Consultant/advisor, Tom Beecham - Consultant/advisor, Mabel Beecham - Consultant/advisor, Ernie Farrer - Costume Designer, Jack C. Couffer - Director, Charles Lamont - Director, Reginald Mills - Editor, Edgar J. Scherick - Executive Producer, Frank Cordell - Composer (Music Score), Frank Cordell - Musical Direction/Supervision, Frank Cordell - Songwriter, Betty Botley - Songwriter, Catherine Shirley - Makeup, Terry Lens - Production Designer, Wolfgang Suschitzky - Cinematographer, Joseph Strick - Producer, Jack C. Couffer - Screenwriter, Bill Travers - Screenwriter, Gavin Maxwell - Book Author
Ring of Bright Water (1969) is a feature film starring Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna in a story about a Londoner and an otter living on the Scottish coast. The film was based upon a 1960autobiographical book of the same name by Gavin Maxwell, featuring the stars of Born Free, another movie about a close relationship between humans and a wild animal. The film has been released to VHS and DVD.
Maxwell's book describes how he brought a Smooth-coated Otter back from Iraq and raised it in 'Camusfearna' (Sandaig), on the west coast of Scotland. He took the otter, called Mijbil, to the London Zoological Society, where it was decided that this was previously unknown subspecies, and it was named after him: Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli. The book and film title was taken from a poem by Kathleen Raine, who said in her autobiography that Maxwell had been the love of her life.
Plot
Graham Merrill (Bill Travers) passes a pet shop on his daily walks about London and takes an interest in an otter in the window, eventually buying and naming the animal Mij. The otter wreaks havoc in his small apartment and together they leave London for a rustic cottage overlooking the sea on the west coast of Scotland. There they live as beachcombers and make the acquaintance of Dr. Mary (Virginia McKenna) from the nearby village, and her dog Johnny. Mij and Johnny play in the water and bound across the fields together.
Mij's inquisitive and adventurous nature leads him some distance from the cottage to a female otter with whom he spends the day. Ignorant of danger, he is caught in a net and nearly killed. The humans find him and help him recover, later building a swimming pool for him so that he may swim at ease without getting into trouble.
Not long after, Merrill goes to London to look after some affairs and leaves Mary in charge of Mij. While being exercised afield, Mij is killed by a ditchdigger, who didn't realize he was a pet. Merrill returns and is crushed to discover the death of his beloved otter. Some time later, Merrill and Dr. Mary are surprised by a trio of otter youngsters approaching the cottage. He happily realizes they are Mij's children who have come to play in their father's swimming pool.
