Ring of Bright Water

Absolutely one of the films that defined a generation - Ring Of Bright Water was a huge success worldwide and is considered by many to be the best animal film.

The true story of a divorced insurance actuary who trades London and the 9-5 for Scotland because he bought an otter from a pet shop is simply brilliant. Based on Gavin Maxwell's excellent autobiography it translated very successfully to film.

Director Jack Couffer already a long career making classic animal films for Disney and had obviously never heard W C Field's famous line about never working with animals of children...here he adapted to a British sensibility and we end up with a film that is not sappy but rather genuinely magic. The cinematography by Walter Suschitsky is outstanding. Suschitsky went on to film the original Get Carter (....And not a lot of people know that ) The humans are great, but the otter (and other wildlife: the geese!) are truly amazing and lift this from ordinary to extraordinary. Maxwell actually bought the otter back from Iraq and it was discovered to be new subspecies which named by the London Zoological Society in his honour Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli.

If you vaguely remember seeing this first time round you'll definitely want to see it again, if you haven't I promise you'll see something you won't easily forget - it is charming in the best sense with Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna at their understated British best. Both heartwarming and heartbreaking: it is the otter and the beautiful settings that you'll remember.

One of our favourites ever.

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.

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.

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 !!

Like other reviewers, I first saw this film when I was a child. I was totally absorbed by the story and the antics of Mij the otter. I saw it again on video recently and it had lost none of it's charm. I remember the stunning cinematography of the wild country where it was filmed,best seen on a true big screen. Bill Travers and Virginnia McKenna ( Born Free - An Elephant called Slowly ) are well cast as Mij's friends. Any child with an interest in animals will enjoy this film , but there is enough adult interest to make it fun for all. The ending may seem somewhat brutal/bitterwseet ( although not shown in graphic detail ) but we often underestimate childrens abilities to understand what is happening around them and as I recall being a child when I saw it, the film was more memorable because it had a gritty ending and not a "warm fuzzy" throw away end. Enjoy !