"The sea's sublime is no more strongly felt than in Peter Hutton's magisterial At Sea. Put simply, the film tells the story ("the birth, life and death"—in the director's words) of a container ship—but there are no words to adequately describe the film's awesome visual expedition. Hutton knows the sea. His experiences as a former merchant seaman have informed his filmmaking practice, known for its rigor and epic beauty. At Sea begins in South Korea with diminutive workers shipbuilding. The colossal vessel is revealed in de Chirico-worthy proportions, its magnitude surreal to the human eye. Off to sea, the splendor and intensity of the water—set against the vibrant colors of the containers—causes us to see the world anew. The film concludes in Bangladesh amidst ship breakers as enthralled by Hutton's camera as we are by his images." (Andrea Picard, Toronto Film Festival) Read more about Hutton under the September 16 program, Three by Peter Hutton. Cosponsored with the CCA and the Society for the Humanities. more at moma.org. 16mm.
2007, color, 1 hour, USA