Supervivientes de los Andes (1976)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

René Cardona

Writers:

Charles Blair Jr. (book)
René Cardona Jr. (writer)

Release Date:

15 January 1976 (Mexico)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The most shocking episode in the history of human survival.

Plot Keywords:

Andes Mountains | Plane Crash | Cannibalism | Survival | Disaster

Cast

Hugo Stiglitz	...	Francisco
Norma Lazareno	...	Silvia
Luz María Aguilar	...	Mrs. Madero
Fernando Larrañaga	...	Madero
Lorenzo de Rodas
Pablo Ferrel	...	Raul
Leonardo Daniel	...	Carmelo
Sara Guasch	...	Mama de Silvia
Ernesto Gallardo
Gloria Chávez	...	Mujer que va a boda (as Gloria Chaves)
José Elías Moreno	...	Rodrigo Fernandez
Miguel Ángel Ferriz
Carlos Cámara
Ernesto Parra
Sebastian Ligarde	...	Felipe

Also Known As:

Survive! (USA)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 | UK:X (original rating) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1977) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Estudios Churubusco Azteca, Mexico City, México D.F., Mexico

Company:

Avant Films S.A.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Death to the Supermodels (2005) (V)

Not As Bad As Some Have Let On

To begin to compare this film with its successor "Alive" is like comparing apples and oranges. This movie as well as Frank Marshall's "Alive" are both capable of telling the story of the 1972 crash of the Fairchild #571 and the Uruguayan Old Christians Rugby Team in the high cordillera of the Andes Mountains.

I think somewhere if you amalgamate both movies, one would get a reasonable representation of the truth of what happened that Christmas of 1972. Both are very good movies, this one is particularly dark with the relationships between the principles at its center. Though the real names of the crash survivors are not used, those who read the superbly poignant book by Piers Paul Read know who they are. One cannot help but be moved by the struggle, and this film does not gloss over the element of cannibalism of this tragedy. It shouldn't.

I am disturbed by the association some of the other commenters have made with some horror movies of the genre. This shouldn't be made out to be a horror movie. It's not that at all. It does have a heart. The scenes in which the father of one of the crash survivors goes all out to find his son is touching. I think it's perhaps the main thing that sticks out in my mind about this movie. That and the music. The vignette at the beginning and end of this movie is touching. The happiness of a group of young men enjoying being together, as most of the Old Christians did considering they were from the same neighbourhoods and their families were so close to one another, juxaposed against the tragedy of the end where we see the survivors rescued and the fate of some of the 44 passengers known to the world, this movie does a pretty good job of showing the truth of what went on.

"Alive" is not a bad movie. The fact that it had the sanction of the survivors and Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa served as technical advisors cannot be overlooked. Their attention to their plight lent a definite authority to the movie, but in some cases, incidents were manufactured to give a sense of dramatic license. What more did one need to make the story "worse" than it already was. "Survive" I feel was more pulled in, less showy. Again, considering the budget they didn't have for this movie, the scenes that depicted the crash and the moments afterwards were pretty good for the time and budget. Marshall recreated the site of the crash and the crash with a lot of realism, the Cadenos couldn't considering the budget restraints. To compare this movie with that of a Roger Corman schlock film is unfair.

This movie still gets me everytime I see it...which hasn't been recently. The last time I saw this it was back in the eighties. With the advent of the infomercial, there isn't much room on the dial for late night movies like this one. I'd love to see it again, if not to tape it, but to be able to correlate it to "Alive". Both movies are not bad and this one isn't terrible. Give it a chance. It's worth at least one viewing. You just might think it's worth another.