South Central New Mexico

“Split Estate” (2009), documentary, directed by Debra Anderson, filmed primarily in Garfield, Colorado but also in Bloomfield, New Mexico. The purchase of property does not guarantee complete ownership. Under the Stock Raising Homestead Act (SRHA) of 1916, surface rights belong to the owner of land patented under the SRHA, but not the mineral rights that lie beneath that land. The result is a split estate and this film explores what happens when energy companies come onto private land to drill…

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“Sea of Grass” (1947), starring Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, directed by Elia Kazan from a novel by Conrad Richter. Filming locations include Magdalena and Gallup, New Mexico. Director Elia Kazan wrote that he was so disappointed in this film that he told friends not to watch it. Like many, Kazan had a romantic idea of the plains but was forced to use stock photography for much of the background shots. The presence of Tracy and Hepburn in a love triangle…

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“Scandalous John” (1971), starring Brian Keith with music by Rod McKuen. Filming locations include Alamogordo. A G-rated, Disney movie, “Scandalous John” retells the Don Quixote story as a modern comedic western. John McCanless, played by Brian Keith, and his side kick, Paco, played by Alfonso Arau, embark on a one-steer cattle drive to save McCanless’ ranch. Made when Walt Disney was still alive, but not released until after his death, it was not widely promoted or distributed. The movie has…

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