Film in the West

New Mexico To Be Backdrop of Monkey Wrench Film

By Celestia Loeffler, 2-16-07

Thirty years and numerous false starts after it was published, Edward Abbey’s infamous novel The Monkey Wrench Gang is rumored to begin filming right here in New Mexico this May.  After failed prior attempts by people like Robert Redford, Dennis Hopper, Sean Penn and others, this one has people wondering this time, will it stick?

The 1975 book follows a gang of four activists who are fed up with over-development of Utah’s wildlands.  They take it upon themselves to “monkeywrench” (now meaning to ruin something on behalf of environment) bulldozers and trains that are destroying their beloved landscape, and have their eyes on Glen Canyon Dam as an excellent means of draining Lake Powell. 

Catherine Hardwicke, whose prior directing efforts include Thirteen, Lords of Dogtownand this year’s The Nativity Story, is set to direct the film.  She calls The Monkey Wrench Gang “an anarchist’s romp, about people who care passionately about the land,” and is determined to make the movie happen. 

According to The Deseret News the movie is being produced on an “Indie film budget,” and due to New Mexico’s recent financial film-making incentives, it will be filmed here instead of Utah. 

Some worry that the film could stir some real-life “monkeywrenching.” This could be a valid concern considering the book has been an inspiration to radical environmentalist groups in the past.  However, in our current political climate, this movie could be an antidote to the declining health of our earth. 

After Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth” about the dangers of global warming, it seems that the world is finally paying attention to environmental factors.  Hardwicke views the film as “a rallying cry to shake people up to care about the land, the world and do something about this planet.” If done correctly, this could be a great opportunity to get people thinking, and hopefully acting, on behalf of the environmental movement.  That alone might be worth the the price of admission.

If you want to check out the rumors as to who would be cast to hollywoodize radical environmentalism’s fab four, go here for the latest hearsay. 

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