The Alien State

Page 1 2 3 4 Nicolas Roeg wasn't the only filmmaker attracted to the stark beauty of White Sands National Monument. The white desert dunes were the location for a dry, harsh prison world in New Eden (1993). A recent film about an entire Earth lacking water took advantage of more than just the scenery.

Crews for Tank Girl (1995) built their set not too far from a turn-around loop on the main road, said park ranger Kathy Denton. Once built, the producers then waited for a sandstorm to add the finishing touches.

"They wanted the place to look worn," Denton said. "They wanted sand piled inside, and they got it."

The Man of Steel paid New Mexico a visit to keep a train from wrecking near Gallup in Superman: The Movie (1978).

A mismatched pair of clones - Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito - came through the state in Twins (1988). The boys discussed the unfairness of life outside of the Department of Energy building in Los Alamos and stepped out in new duds in front of St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe.

Although some locations in Star Wars (1978) might look like New Mexico, the state's only contribution to the film is noise. Ben Burtt, an Academy Award-winning sound director, used recordings of missiles being fired at White Sands Missile Range.

"We gave them a Darth Vader helmet as appreciation for the help," he said. "I think they had it on display next to a model bomb."

For W.D. Richter, director of Late for Dinner (1991), the timelessness of the state was an important element. In the film, two brothers are frozen for 29 years, then try to reassemble their lives after thawing.

"We were looking for something very old, connected somewhat with the past," he said. "We wanted a sense of time and place to come through in it."

For Roeg, timelessness is a definite attraction.

"I find that very interesting about America," he said. "When you're working on a movie, that atmosphere is very pervasive and you forget and you can transport yourself back to that time and get inspiration. Instead of trying to build it or rebuild it, no matter how well the art director does it, it's not as good as the real thing."