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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

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.

I saw this when I was a child and enjoyed it, then ran into it unexpectedly on TV not long ago, and was delighted. I'm not a fan of "Born Free," the more famous Travers-McKenna starrer, with its self-importance, travelogue nature photography, sentimentality ... and that awful Andy Williams vocal at the end. Perhaps this has something to do also with the rather insistent way the move was flogged as "wholesome family fare" at a time of change and - some of us would say - maturity in the commercial film industry. Nevertheless, I wasn't prepared for much on the second viewing of "Ring of Bright Water." I was wrong. Jack Couffer, a veteran of Disney's True Life Adventures, turns out to have been a real filmmaker who knew how to create an ambiance that at times approaches a kind of poetry. The atmosphere seems to proceed out of the characters, not just the settings (from London to western Scotland). The cinematography is lovely (Couffer got his start as a DP). The animals - especially Midj - are not sentimentalized but are endearing and empathetic. The story isn't pumped up with any crude comedy. The (human) performances are nicely low-key. The burgeoning romance between the writer and the doctor is predictable but not oppressively so.

Altogether, Couffer's film has a "naturalness" that almost all other family-nature flicks completely lack. "Ring of Bright Water" has little or nothing to do with the social and political changes happening at the time it was made, nor with current trends in film. It could have been made in almost any year. And it will no doubt continue to provide a strong measure of pleasure for some time to come.

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.

If you ever feel like giving up the rat-race of the city life and a hectic job, see this film. Ring of Bright water is a getting-away-from-it-all kind of movie set in the Gaelic-speaking Western Isles of Scotland. The busy London professional decides to take a broken-down croft house, fix it up, write and be creative. He accomplishes all these things but finds the friendship and love of a woman and as well as a dear otter. There are some scenes with Gaelic dialog to add reality to the film. The bittersweet end will bring a tear to even the most hardened big-business type. Great movie for a rainy day or a cozy evening - positive, uplifting.