The road to Oscar favorite 'Oppenheimer' started with a mysterious phone call

Mar. 9—David Manzanares recalls the early days of Oppenheimer in New Mexico.

In some ways, they weren't far different from physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer's early days in New Mexico: full of mystery, uncertainty, and eventually, success.

Manzanares, the field producer at Ghost Ranch, recalled a location supervisor contacting him in October 2021 to pick his brain about spots in the state that might be a match for a film about a historical event that took place in New Mexico. Those involved in the production divulged only small details, nuggets like the movie's historical period was set in the 1940s.

For Manzanares, who has a storied history in the film industry, the few clues that could be gleaned made him think the inquiry might be based on the Manhattan Project. That in turned sparked thoughts of a particular spot on the ranch near Abiquiú that would fit perfectly — a secluded "location on the edge of that cliff with this beautiful, big, wide cinematic landscape."

Only a few weeks later, director Christopher Nolan visited, and the movie many critics believe will win the Academy Award for best picture Sunday night began coming to life.

"Once that happened, we started working on contracts and agreements. And once those were squared away, and they did decide 100% they were coming here, then all the floodgates opened," Manzanares said.

Oppenheimer, the three-hour biopic based on the physicist and the creation of the world's first atomic bomb in New Mexico, has been a point of pride for those involved and connected to it.

The movie amassed 13 Oscar nominations in a variety of categories, including best cinematography, best adapted screenplay, best film editing, best actor, best supporting actress and actor, and best costume design.

Several major and minor scenes were shot in New Mexico: at Ghost Ranch, as well as Los Alamos' Civilian Women's Dormitory, Fuller Lodge and the Oppenheimer house, plus train cars on the Santa Fe Southern Railway.

It's those scenes — including a key moment when Oppenheimer and Gen. Leslie Groves sit on a train to scout Los Alamos as the possible site of the Manhattan Project — that "memorialized" New Mexico, said Bill Banowsky, co-owner of the Sky Railway with noted author George R.R. Martin and others.

Banowsky said Nolan and his team used about three of the railway's train cars for scenes in the film.

A key scene involving Oppenheimer and Groves, played by Cillian Murphy and Matt Damon, respectively, was filmed on the railway's Orion train car. Other cars used included the Acoma and Silver Iris.

"There's probably a dozen or more actual scenes when you consider the cuts back and forth that happened in our cars," Banowsky said, adding that featuring the cars of Sky Railway is "really thrilling for us because our train cars will be memorialized forever — and not only just in a major motion picture but one that potentially will win best picture at the Academy Awards."

Banowsky said the railway and his cars were an obvious choice for those scenes since "there's no other active railroad that is available to dedicate its rail to film shoots."

Other movies and TV productions, including Breaking Bad, also have used the track to film scenes.

Oppenheimer didn't change much about the inside of the train cars, he said. Nolan's team, Banowsky said, "did some curtain work and so forth."

"The Silver Iris and the Acoma ... those are fully restored cars, and there was not much needed to bring them to that same period that Oppenheimer was going for," he said. "The Orion, they had maybe a little bit more decoration, but again, it was all very temporary like curtains and such because the actual seating — seats and tables — all of that was already done by us."

The use of the Oppenheimer house, owned by the Los Alamos Historical Society, was thrilling for board member Leslie Linke. She said she's already seen the movie eight times, noting its popularity has brought a rush of tourists since last summer's release.

Some scenes were shot in the house, she said, including one in which Oppenheimer and his family first enter their home in Los Alamos. It's also partially the backdrop for the scene in which Oppenheimer's wife, Kitty, played by Emily Blunt, hangs sheets on a clothesline.

Linke said the house "has an aura about it," which cast and crew members both felt.

"The actors and the crew were quite moved to be filming this movie in the actual house," she said. "Christopher Nolan, you know, I could see it on his face. I asked him if he could feel the aura, and he said he could."

Manzanares said construction of the set at Ghost Ranch to resemble Los Alamos in its early days and prepping other, nearby sets took about three months. Filming for the scenes at the ranch lasted about a week.

He said the set, which ranged from the little items like board walkways to telephone poles to wooden cabins, was made with attention to detail.

"Just the logistics and planning that went into making all those pieces of the puzzle fit together so well is just a testimony to Christopher Nolan and his producing staff and his whole crew," he said.

The movie, with its crisp cinematography, already has gained global recognition from moviegoers and critics. The Guardian ranked Oppenheimer as Nolan's best film to date, and it has received largely positive reviews from critics. It has also already won a heap of awards, including best picture at the Critics Choice Awards and best motion picture-drama at the Golden Globes.

Dennis Muscari, a location manager for Oppenheimer, said people in Los Alamos were especially supportive in helping reach a historically accurate representation.

"The outreach of support and aid, given as far as information for people who live in town, you know, they would call me for a trash can from that era," he said. "And even just information about the processes of things well beyond my knowledge when it comes to nuclear warfare, but they were so willing to help because I think the town really wanted to have an honest and a true depiction of what it was."

The success of the movie has had a large impact on the local film industry and tourism within the state, said state Film Office Director Amber Dodson.

She said during filming, the production employed around 386 resident crew members and had an estimated economic impact of $75.5 million, which is "affecting our businesses, you know, tourism, museums," Dodson said.

But Dodson said the film, which amassed nearly $1 billion at the box office worldwide, has had an even greater effect by shining a spotlight on the stories the state has to tell.

"New Mexico has a rich history, an ancient history, and we're known for the artists and the makers and the storytellers here," she said. "I think Oppenheimer featuring New Mexico history on the big screen is absolutely opening people's eyes to what other stories are here ... that are authentically New Mexican. Oppenheimer is just one of many."