After the success of the 1966 British film "Born Free," which starred real-life couple Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, is it any wonder that the similarly-themed "Ring of Bright Water" came out a few years later in 1969? THE STORY: Travers plays a writer in London who is strangely drawn to an otter in a pet store window. After purchasing the animal he decides to leave the city to give them both some much-needed breathing space. They move to desolate coastal Scotland where he fixes up a shack to make it livable. There they develop a relationship with another animal-lover, a rural doctor played by McKenna. Adventures ensue.
"Ring of Bright Water" is a must for animal/nature fans. The film features a good assortment of animals, although otters are the main item. In addition the picture features some beautiful rural Scotland photography (filmed on location, of course).
Personally, I can relate to the protagonists' love for the otter and other cute & cuddly critters. A family of woodchucks (aka groundhogs) used to live by us until last May and we would get much enjoyment out of watching them, especially each Spring when the mother would have 5-7 cubs. We've become so familiar with woodchucks that we often spot them on our drives in the country. If you know what to look for you'll spot woodchucks almost every day in the Northeast. One day this past August we spotted ten woodchucks in ten minutes (!). But I digress.
"Ring of Bright Water" is a quiet film, a breath of fresh air in this age of special-effects laden extravaganzas. To appreciate it you have to be in the mood for something that glorifies nature and is generally laid-back. The film is certainly family-friendly but, be forewarned, it has edge. This is a good thing, to me at least.
For one thing, there's a sequence where the couple goes out to an island looking for their missing otter (named Mij), who naturally went off looking for a babe. The sequence takes on an ominous vibe with mysterious shots of the ancient landscape.
Other reviewers rightly point out that the film ultimately takes an unexpected dark turn (even though it still ends on a positive note). Some have even given the DVD a low rating for this reason. I defend this "dark turn" for a number of reasons. For one thing it does give the film an edge. By this point in the story things had become a bit lull; something shocking NEEDED to happen.
I don't want to give away the ending so don't read the next paragraph if you haven't seen the film yet.
***SPOILER ALERT*** I found the ending uplifting despite the otter's death; in fact, it delivers quite a few important messages. The message of Mij's death is revealed in the words of the old man who killed him; he states, "Oh, I didn't know it was your pet; I just thought it was an otter." In other words, he killed the beautiful creature for no legitimate reason at all; just because Mij happened by him. This is a tendency of the fallen nature of human beings; it's ignorance & hostility and it must change if this world is to ever improve. Aside from this the ending shows the couple discovering that Mij had a mate and kids. His life begat life; and that life continues despite Mij's death. Another message is that perhaps otters should stay in the wild rather than become our pets; if Mij wasn't a pet he wouldn't have needlessly died the way he did. Yet another lesson is the cold fact of death in this world. Children (and people in general) need to learn and accept the reality of death sooner or later, why not sooner? The film opens the door for parents to discuss this important subject with their kids. It powerfully illustrates how death can happen at any time and can be quite a shock. We all know of friends and loved ones who have died suddenly, without warning, and what a shock it was to deal with. This movie preps us all for this inevitable happening. ***END SPOILER*** Bad ending? No way; it's an important and necessary ending.
The film was based on the book of the same name. The ending sort of explains the strange title but IMHO they should have come up with a better title. "Born to Frolic and Swim Free" perhaps. Just joking, but just about anything would be better than "Ring of Bright Water." Another highlight is the moving acoustic folk song played during the credits, which I assume (from the lyrics) is also titled "Ring of Bright Water." This is a simple yet magnificent & timeless piece, and the singer has a stirring voice.
The film runs 1 hour and 44 minutes.
GRADE: B+
"Ring of Bright Water" is a must for animal/nature fans. The film features a good assortment of animals, although otters are the main item. In addition the picture features some beautiful rural Scotland photography (filmed on location, of course).
Personally, I can relate to the protagonists' love for the otter and other cute & cuddly critters. A family of woodchucks (aka groundhogs) used to live by us until last May and we would get much enjoyment out of watching them, especially each Spring when the mother would have 5-7 cubs. We've become so familiar with woodchucks that we often spot them on our drives in the country. If you know what to look for you'll spot woodchucks almost every day in the Northeast. One day this past August we spotted ten woodchucks in ten minutes (!). But I digress.
"Ring of Bright Water" is a quiet film, a breath of fresh air in this age of special-effects laden extravaganzas. To appreciate it you have to be in the mood for something that glorifies nature and is generally laid-back. The film is certainly family-friendly but, be forewarned, it has edge. This is a good thing, to me at least.
For one thing, there's a sequence where the couple goes out to an island looking for their missing otter (named Mij), who naturally went off looking for a babe. The sequence takes on an ominous vibe with mysterious shots of the ancient landscape.
Other reviewers rightly point out that the film ultimately takes an unexpected dark turn (even though it still ends on a positive note). Some have even given the DVD a low rating for this reason. I defend this "dark turn" for a number of reasons. For one thing it does give the film an edge. By this point in the story things had become a bit lull; something shocking NEEDED to happen.
I don't want to give away the ending so don't read the next paragraph if you haven't seen the film yet.
***SPOILER ALERT*** I found the ending uplifting despite the otter's death; in fact, it delivers quite a few important messages. The message of Mij's death is revealed in the words of the old man who killed him; he states, "Oh, I didn't know it was your pet; I just thought it was an otter." In other words, he killed the beautiful creature for no legitimate reason at all; just because Mij happened by him. This is a tendency of the fallen nature of human beings; it's ignorance & hostility and it must change if this world is to ever improve. Aside from this the ending shows the couple discovering that Mij had a mate and kids. His life begat life; and that life continues despite Mij's death. Another message is that perhaps otters should stay in the wild rather than become our pets; if Mij wasn't a pet he wouldn't have needlessly died the way he did. Yet another lesson is the cold fact of death in this world. Children (and people in general) need to learn and accept the reality of death sooner or later, why not sooner? The film opens the door for parents to discuss this important subject with their kids. It powerfully illustrates how death can happen at any time and can be quite a shock. We all know of friends and loved ones who have died suddenly, without warning, and what a shock it was to deal with. This movie preps us all for this inevitable happening. ***END SPOILER*** Bad ending? No way; it's an important and necessary ending.
The film was based on the book of the same name. The ending sort of explains the strange title but IMHO they should have come up with a better title. "Born to Frolic and Swim Free" perhaps. Just joking, but just about anything would be better than "Ring of Bright Water." Another highlight is the moving acoustic folk song played during the credits, which I assume (from the lyrics) is also titled "Ring of Bright Water." This is a simple yet magnificent & timeless piece, and the singer has a stirring voice.
The film runs 1 hour and 44 minutes.
GRADE: B+