Study of a River consists of 27 shots of the winter landscape of the Hudson River, which span from extreme long-shots to extreme close-ups. In this film Hutton pays homage to the 19th-century painters of the Hudson River School, whose paintings typically depict the valley. Study of a River is one of five Hutton films related to this area. In this short film he undertakes a cinematic investigation into the relation between nature and human technology, combining realistic images from ships with shots on the verge of abstraction, such as glittering water. Here he uses cinema’s contemplative potential most effectively and offers an extended meditative experience to the audience. Study of a River is a visual poem, which was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry 13 years after its release. Hutton once said of his work, in a typical understatement: “It’s like being a poet. You’re never going to get the attention a novelist would get, but there might be something there for someone who’s interested”.

Karl Wratschko