ABOUT THE SETTING: MOAB UTAH

Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey

RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE was filmed in and around Moab, Utah. The RIDERS production team decided on this location after scouting locations in New Mexico and Arizona. "This cathedral place is the part of America that Grey wrote about, not the flat plains of Texas," says Amy Madigan (Jane Withersteen). "Grey probably was one of the first environmentalists," notes director Charles Haid. "He wanted to conserve the West and its land and he expressed this philosophy through his writing."

The spectacular canyons, in dramatic hues of red and purple, and the elements themselves served as metaphoric characters in the film. "The resonant theme in Grey's writing is that nature mirrors human emotions, which is an esoteric concept that Grey makes accesible through his landscape and characters," says Haid.

"Everywhere we turned, the rock formations and atmosphere were dramitic," notes Ed Harris (Lassiter). The sky changed constantly, winds would pick up and thunderstorms would in."