Ring of Bright Water

Ring of Bright Water is a 1960 autobiographical book by Gavin Maxwell and a 1969 film, loosely based on the book, starring Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna. The title was taken from a poem by Kathleen Raine, who said in her autobiography that Maxwell had been the love of her life.

Plot introduction

The book describes how Maxwell brought a Smooth-coated Otter back from Iraq and raised it in 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.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

• Ring of Bright Water the 1969 film offers a fictionalised account of Maxwell's adventures with his European otter Mij in the setting of the equally fictional Camusfearna in Scotland. But which was based on Maxwell's real-life West Highland retreat, Sandaig. It features the addition of a Doctor Mary, who becomes a friend to the lead character. In this version of the story, Mij's unique situation as a tame otter leads to some difficulties; in that the presence of an otter forces the lead character to leave London for the country, where they meet Doctor Mary and settle down as beachcombers. Their life, though at first easy, becomes troublesome when food is scarce. The keeper figure (called Graham in the story) sets out to find food, and succeeds with a little help from the local fishermen.

Later, Mij's inquisitive nature leads him 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 cause him to recover, later building a swimming-pool for him so that he may swim at ease without getting into trouble. The swimming pool is built so that Mij can be drawn whilst swimming. The pool has glass sides. Not long after, the lead character goes to London to look after some undisclosed affairs, leaving Mary in charge of keeping Mij. While exercising Mij, he is deliberately killed by a ditchdigger. However Mij's mating with a wild otter has left behind a prosperous posterity, who are the first estuarine otters in the area for many, many years. The theme tune was sung by Val Doonican with music by Jimmy Page. 'Ring of Bright Water' the movie stars Bill Travers and his wife Virginia McKenna. The movie is available on VHS and on DVD.[[1]]

Documentary Film

• Echoes of Camusfearna [[2]] This film contains unseen footage of Gavin Maxwell with the otters and is introduced and narrated by Virginia McKenna star of the movie 'Ring of Bright Water' and the award winning movie Born Free about Joy Adamson and Elsa the Lioness.

External links

• Ring of Bright Water at the Internet Movie Database