Movies shot in part or entirely in New Mexico are the focus of a monthly film viewing at the Carrizozo Library.
The “Made in New Mexico” movie series begins this month and is scheduled from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., on the second Sunday of each month through Eastern New Mexico University-Ruidoso Community Education program.
The movies include many genres and were filmed during various time periods. Movies are free and donations to the not-for-profit Carrizozo library are welcome, but not necessary.
The first film showing May 13, is “Ride the Pink Horse,” shot in Santa Fe in 1947. It stars Robert Montgomery who also directed. Thomas Gomez was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Gomez was the first and remains the only Hispano to be nominated in this Academy Award category. The movie takes place during a “Mexican festival” somewhere along the border. Scenes were shot inside the La Fonda Hotel and in Santa Fe and feature the burning of Zozobra and a 19th century carousel that once stood in the Taos Plaza.
“This is loosely labeled a non-urban film noir crime drama,” Maue said. “It lacks the grittiness of film noir movies made in cities but it incorporates cultural differences instead. It still has the femme fatale and the hardened, fedora-wearing protagonist, the juxtaposition of black and white and atmospheric effects but it also has Mary Colter’s designs inside La Fonda and a definite New Mexico vibe."
Mary Colter was one of the few women architects of her time and was instrumental in developing and popularizing a Southwestern style that combined Native American Hispano and rustic elements, Maue said. She was known to use local craftspeople and their art in the buildings she designed.
Whereas Colter was relatively unknown during her lifetime, Dorothy B. Hughes, who wrote the book on which the movie was based, was very popular as a crime writer during her time. She also was a literary critic, writing for the Albuquerque Tribune, among other newspapers. She lived in Santa Fe most of her life and drew upon her experiences in New Mexico in the novel that can ultimately be seen in the movie.
“The first movie filmed here was done before New Mexico was even a state,” Maue said. “In 1898 Thomas Edison produced a short, one-shot movie of children at the Isleta Indian School. As I’m sure people are aware, film-making continues to be very popular in the state, so I have a wealth of movies to show.”
The movie series will go on as long as there is interest, Maue said. The movies will be shown inside the library during the day. 
“I’m not a film person or a critic, just someone who likes movies, whether they are vintage black and white or contemporary experimental films,” Maue said. “Some of the movies are incredibly bad, but it is easy to be distracted from a weak plot or a hackneyed performance if the movie was filmed in Roswell, say, in the 1940s. It is more fun to compare how places have changed—or not changed.
For more information on the series or last minute changes, call Lisa directly at 336-4061 or go to CarrizozoArt on Facebook.