Product Details

• Actors: Bill Travers, Virginia McKenna, Peter Jeffrey, Jameson Clark, Helena Gloag
• Directors: Jack Couffer
• Writers: Bill Travers, Jack Couffer, Gavin Maxwell
• Producers: Betty Botley, Edgar J. Scherick, Joseph Strick
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 107 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302098505
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,887 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Coincidence throws Mij the otter and Graham Merrill (Bill Travers) the computer worker together on a busy London street. What transpires from this chance meeting is an epiphany that leads to the complete upheaval of Graham's life. Evicted from his city flat thanks to the antics of his newly acquired, mischievous otter, Graham embarks on a train journey to the Scottish Highlands. Suffice it to say that trying to smuggle Mij onboard as a "diving terrier" is not successful. When the pair finally arrives in Scotland, they fall in love with the countryside and a dilapidated cottage by the sea. Fate introduces Graham to the town's animal-loving doctor (Virginia McKenna), and an enduring friendship and romance are forged. The photography of both the Scottish Highlands and the antics of Mij the otter in this 1969 movie are truly wonderful--it might just make you reconsider your current digs and friendships. The story (based on Gavin Maxwell's book of the same name) is somewhat formulaic and dated by its romanticism, but enjoyable nonetheless. Slip into an ideal world of simple happiness and celebrate the cyclical nature of life, if only for 106 minutes. (Ages 5 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful and Magical with Strong Caution......, January 31, 2004

By 

Mindy Hersom (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ring of Bright Water (DVD)

I saw this movie when I was 7 years old and I never forgot it.Even at such a young age I could appreciate the humor and beauty of it. Theres just one thing, if you are buying it for a young child I would really reconsider. It had an overwhelming affect on me as a 7 year old to see Mij get killed.It was my first experience with death. I left the theater hystericaly crying,gave me nightmares and made me very fearful that people and animals I love would die. I had been looking for this movie for a long time and when I finally found it and watched it, it made me cry again,but now I can appreciate the end and how life goes on and the beauty in that.I think its a great movie but for older children (11 yrs old) and adults.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Otters and Scotland a good mix ;0), December 14, 2001

By 

Michael Love (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ring of Bright Water [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Ring of bright water is a British film full of the images and sounds of the late 60's. It is a wonderful story about a writer (Graham) who acquires an orphaned and much out of place young otter named Mij (pronounced Midge). Graham decides to move and take Mij from the heart of London to a more natural setting, the coast of northwest Scotland. This story works on so many levels there is the relationship between Graham and Mij as each learns from the other about being friends. There is also the relationship between the two newcomers (Graham and Mij) and the locals. The film takes you through a whole roller coaster of emotions. This movie will make you laugh, smile and cry. The end of the movie almost verges on letting you decide how the film really ended. Hope and belief is a wondrous thing.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For animal and nature lovers, February 22, 2002

By 

counselr "counselr" (Winston-Salem, NC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ring of Bright Water [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This film is a highly fictionalized version of what was actually a true story in the book of the same name by Gavin Maxwell. As fiction, the screenplay takes dramatic license in ways both entertaining and trivializing. But what the film does most compellingly depict is the beauty of the Scottish shore, the uniqueness and remarkability of otters, and the life-changing relationship between a man and his otter. I was one of the children who grew up watching the movie, "Born Free." Those not of this generation may not be able to relate to the effect the movie ("Born Free") had on our culture and our awareness of animals as conscious beings (probably had a big part in giving rise to the enthusiasm for animal rights and the animal liberation movement that occurred some years later). I found "Ring of Bright Water" equally moving, albeit not for the same reasons, but for that same way of depicting animals with dignity and humor. In the more than ten years since I've seen this movie, I never forgot it and eventually bought a copy of my own [....])