Ring of Bright Water

Infobox Film
name = Ring of Bright Water


caption = DVD Cover
director = Jack Couffer
producer = Joseph Strick
writer = Gavin Maxwell (book)
Jack Couffer
narrator =
starring = Bill Travers
Virginia McKenna
music = Frank Cordell
Betty Botley
cinematography = Wolfgang Suschitzky
editing = Reginald Mills
distributor = Cinerama Releasing Corp.
released = January 1969
June 18, 1969 (New York premiere)
runtime = 107 min.
country = U.K.
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0064893

"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 1960 autobiographical book of the same name by Gavin Maxwell, and reunited 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.

Background notes

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. Maxwell 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.

Cast and characters

* Bill Travers as Graham Merrill
* Virginia McKenna as Mary MacKenzie
* Peter Jeffrey as Colin Wilcox
* Jameson Clark as Storekeeper
* Helena Gloag as Mrs. Flora Elrich
* W. D. Joss as Lighthouse keeper
* Roddy McMillan as Bus driver
* Jean Taylor-Smith as Mrs. Sarah Chambers

Documentary

"Echoes of Camusfearna" contains previously unseen footage of Gavin Maxwell with the otters and is introduced and narrated by Virginia McKenna.