Alive (1993)

Uruguayan rugby team stranded in the snow swept Andes are forced to use desperate measures to survive after a plane crash.

Director:

Frank Marshall

Writers:

Piers Paul Read (book), John Patrick Shanley (screenplay)

Stars:

Ethan Hawke, Vincent Spano, Josh Hamilton

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ethan Hawke	...	Nando Parrado
Vincent Spano	...	Antonio Balbi
Josh Hamilton	...	Roberto Canessa
Bruce Ramsay	...	Carlitos Páez
John Newton	...	Antonio 'Tintín' Vizintín (as John Haymes Newton)
David Kriegel	...	Gustavo Zerbino
Kevin Breznahan	...	Roy Harley
Sam Behrens	...	Javier Methol
Illeana Douglas	...	Lilliana Methol
Jack Noseworthy	...	Bobby François
Christian J. Meoli	...	Federico Aranda
Jake Carpenter	...	Alberto Artuna
Michael DeLorenzo	...	Rafael Cano (as Michael De Lorenzo)
José Zúñiga	...	Fraga, the Mechanic
Danny Nucci	...	Hugo Díaz

Storyline

The amazing, true story of a Uruguayan rugby team's plane that crashed in the middle of the Andes mountains, and their immense will to survive and pull through alive, forced to do anything and everything they could to stay alive on meager rations and through the freezing cold. The only thing the team has riding on after losing so many of their good friends and family members is the slim chance of making it through alive and their faithfulness to God.

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Plot Keywords:

rugby team | rugby | snow | stranded | andes mountains | 

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Taglines:

The triumph of the human spirit.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | Sport | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for crash scenes too intense for unaccompanied children

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alive: The Miracle of the Andes

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$36,733,909 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Andes S.A., Kennedy/Marshall Company, The, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The real Nando Parrado (Ethan Hawke's character) was technical advisor to the film.

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Goofs

In reality, the plane tail was ripped off by the torn-off right wing which had clipped a mountain peak before. In the movie, it's the tail clipping a mountain peak and then being ripped off.

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Quotes

Susana Parrado: [the plane is over the Andes] Oh, mama, look at the mountains! They're beautiful!
Eugenia Parrado: Don't make me look at the mountains, Susana. The mountains look like big teeth.

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Connections

Spoofed in City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994)

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Soundtracks

"The Look Of Love"
Written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David

User Reviews

Truly stunning tale of courage and human ingenuity

Frank Marshall's "Alive" is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, a tale of great courage and human ingenuity.

Although the story was filmed previously (and cheaply) by Rene Cardona as "Survive", this retelling is superior in every department and resonates with me years after I first saw it at the cinema.

James Newton Howard's score is truly beautiful and incredibly powerful for its ability to convey both the hopelessness of the situation (trying to survive in the Andes) and the awesome wonder of such a savage land. In fact, the score takes the film from very good to great.

The rendering of Schubert's "Ave Maria" over the rousing climax, with its superbly lensed images by Peter Levy, is one of cinema's most emotional, transporting moments.

Stunning!